Birds of the Algarve
- Written by Mark Bolton
Even for the amateur birdwatcher, the Algarve offers many unusual and interesting birds, as well as a few rarities for the real enthusiast. Just as many tourists seek to escape the rigours of the winter in northern Europe by spending a few months in warmer climates further south, so do the birds. Many species flock to spend the winter on the coast of southern Portugal, and for this reason the estuaries and coasts of the Algarve are teeming with birds during these months.
No one can fail to notice the huge number of gulls which are a common feature of all fishing ports. The most abundant species are the Lesser Black Back, Black-headed and Herring Gulls, many of which may have bred in Britain during the previous summer. The Common Gull is in fact only an occasional visitor and the dainty Little Gull is seldom recorded. The estuaries of Tavira, Faro, Armação, Portimão and Alvor provide very important winter feeding grounds for huge numbers of wading birds.
One of the most distinctive is the pure white Little Egret which stalks stealthily through the shallows after fish and eels. On the flats, Redshanks, Greenshanks, Curley and Godwit (both Bar and Black-tailed) probe deeply in the soft sand and muddy sediment for ragworms and bivalves. Dunlin and Little Stint are equipped with shorter bills and so forage less deeply for small marine snails.
Ringed, Kentish and Grey Plover scurry over the mudflats – their short, stubby beaks designed for picking up small prey from the surface. Turnstone probe under seaweed and pebbles searching out juicy morsels, while Sanderlings scamper like clockwork toys along the line of the advancing waves searching for insects washed up on the beach. As the tide rises, these valuable feeding sites are covered, and so the waders move to the marshy areas above the high tide line to roost until the flats are exposed once more, or if available, they will fly to nearby salt pans where they can continue to feed in the soft sediments of evaporating pools.
During the autumn and spring migration periods, it is often worth scrutinizing every single bird on such areas. There is often a rarity amongst them, such as a Pectoral Sandpiper or Dowitcher perhaps, blown off course from North America, as well as the more common migrant species such as Curlew, Sandpipers, Golden Plover, Whimbrel and Spotted Redshank.
The rocky headlands between these estuaries provide wintering grounds for species such as Black Redstarts which are dark slate grey with bright orange tails which flick up and down as they bob nervously from rock to rock, scolding in alarm. A dark bird flies up onto a small ledge half-way down the cliff. At first sight it resembles a Blackbird, but the bill is black, not yellow, and a closer look reveals that the plumage is really dark blue. It is a Blue Rock Thrush which spends the whole year amongst the inaccessible crags of the cliffs.
Looking out to the Atlantic in the autumn you might catch the spectacular passage of seabirds where tens of thousands of gannets pass every hour on some days. These huge white birds can be identified even when they are a couple of miles offshore, gleaming in the autumn sun. Many are returning from Britain having bred on the cliffs and islands there.
Another bird passes by appearing alternately black then white as it banks from side to side, effortlessly gliding low over the waves on stiff wing beats. This is the Manx Shearwater, another species which is making the journey from British waters to winter further south in the Atlantic. This is a trip that will take just a few weeks to complete. A close relative is the Cory’s Shearwater, larger and browner above, appearing more like a gull in flight with slower, looser wing beats. This has not traveled so far as a good number breed fairly locally on the Berlengas Islands.
Possibly even more spectacular than the passage of seabirds at this time is the migration of birds of prey through the Algarve. A morning spent by the lighthouse at Cape St. Vincent can produce Egyptian Vulture, Booted Eagle, Short-toed Eagle, Bonelli’s Eagle, Montagu’s Harrier and Black Kite as well as the usual Kestrels and Peregrines hunting over the sea.
Traveling inland from Cape St. Vincent across the low maquis scrub, you may startle a flock of 50 or so Little Bustards, each the size of a large hen, which then take off noisily from under your feet, thundering to get airborne. With stiff short wing beats, they are quickly out of sight over the horizon. It is remarkable that such large birds can conceal themselves so well amongst the low bushes. Around the farms and fields flocks of Jackdaws gather to feed on freshly turned soil and manure heaps.
Amongst them are often a few Choughs which are very similar in appearance except for more ragged wings, the tips deeply slotted and with bright red bills and legs. Also searching for insects among the fields are Cattle Egrets. They often follow the plough or herds of animals which might disturb a juicy locust or grasshopper for them to snatch up.
Going further north to the treeless peaks of the mountain ranges which dominate the Algarve, the country becomes harsher. Plants cling to the ground to escape biting winds, and birds seem scarcer. On the top of a nearby bush a lone individual sits, sentinel-like, surveying its territory. A smart sentinel, resplendent with jet black head, white collar and bright pink breast. It is a male Stonechat. A little further off is a second, and another, each defending its own patch of hillside against intruders.Over a distant wood, a dark bird of prey soars majestically. It turns and begins to draw nearer, the long broad wings and rounded tail can be clearly seen. The head is large, the bill heavy, and as it approaches, it is possible to distinguish the paler markings on the wing and the white base of the tail. Undoubtedly it is a juvenile Golden Eagle, scouring the hillside for a sheep carcass. Suddenly the sound of a gun cracks and the eagle falters in flight, but then swoops away rapidly over the brow of the hill, a few tail feathers lighter. Unfortunately even these majestic birds are not safe from the hunter.
By Mark Bolton
