My Portuguese birds!

Some views of the glorious countryside at Castro Verde.....

Male Stonechat

Alentejo list

Cattle Egret

Little Egret

Great Egret

Grey Heron

White Stork

Mallard

Griffon Vulture

Black Vulture

Golden Eagle

Iberian Imperial Eagle

Booted Eagle

Bonelli’s Eagle

Short-toed Eagle

Black-shouldered Kite

Black Kite

Marsh Harrier

Montagu’s Harrier

Common Buzzard

Kestrel

peregrine

Red-legged Partridge

Moorhen

Coot

Great Bustard

Black-winged Stilt

Collared Pratincole

Little Ringed Plover

Ringed Plover

Lapwing

Sanderling

Yellow-legged Gull

Wood Pigeon

Collared Dove

Swift

Hoopoe

Bee-eater

Skylark

Crested Lark

Thekla Lark

Woodlark

Short-toed Lark

Sand Martin

Crag Martin

Barn Swallow

Red-rumped Swallow

House Martin

Tawny Pipit

White Wagtail

Yellow Wagtail iberiae

((Nightingale))

Black-eared Wheatear

Stonechat

Blackbird

Blue Rock Thrush

Sardinian Warbler

Sedge Warbler

Zitting Cisticola

((Savi’s Warbler))

Crested Tit

Iberian Grey Shrike

Woodchat

Azure-winged Magpie

Magpie

Jay

Jackdaw

Carrion Crow

Spotless Starling

Golden Oriole

House Sparrow

Linnet

Goldfinch

Greenfinch

Serin

Corn Bunting

Rock Bunting

75 species

((heard))

The Alentejo, Portugal in late May

I really love the Alentejo Region of Portugal. Set between the Algarve in the south and Lisbon in the north, it really is a relatively undiscovered jewel. I was there for just two days for meetings sandwiched in between tons of birding.

Saw some great stuff including a Golden Eagle at its eyrie with two eaglets. It was amazing. The first Golden Eagle's nest I have ever seen. And as if that wasn't enough, I was taken to a secret location to see an Iberian Imperial Eagle's nest, again containing two eaglets. I felt so priviledged.

What a great birding region!

Black-winged Stilt

Hoopoe

Woodlark

A Crested Tit carrying food

TUB looking up!

Collared Pratincoles

Sanderling - an inland rarity

A drifting male Montagu's Harrier

Serbian Trip List

Long-eared Owl

A fantastic seven days wandering the Pannonian Plains. I can't wait for next year's spring tour. Give me a shout if you fancy coming with me!

Tour list

Black-necked Grebe

Great Crested Grebe

Little Grebe

Great Cormorant

Pygmy Cormorant

Little Bittern

Night Heron

Squacco Heron

Little Egret

Great Egret

Grey Heron

Purple Heron

White Stork

Black Stork

Spoonbill

Mute Swan

Greylag

Mallard

Gadwall

Garganey

Pochard

Ferruginous Duck

Tufted Duck

White-tailed Duck

Marsh Harrier

Montagu’s Harrier

Long-legged Buzzard

Common Buzzard

Sparrowhawk

Goshawk

Kestrel

Red-footed Falcon

Hobby

Saker

Pheasant

Moorhen

Coot

Black-winged Stilt

Lapwing

Common Sandpiper

Black-headed Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

Common Tern

Whiskered Tern

Feral Pigeon

Wood Pigeon

Collared Dove

Turtle Dove

Cuckoo

Barn Owl

Long-eared Owl

Little Owl

Swift

Hoopoe

Kingfisher

Bee-eater

Black Woodpecker

Green Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Syrian Woodpecker

Middle Spotted Woodpecker

((Wryneck))

Skylark

Crested Lark

Sand Martin

Barn Swallow

House Martin

Tawny Pipit

White Wagtail

Yellow Wagtail (Black-headed)

((Wren))

Robin

Nightingale

Common Redstart

Black Redstart

Northern Wheatear

Stonechat

Song Thrush

Blackbird

Barred Warbler

((Garden Warbler))

Blackcap

Lesser Whitethroat

Common Whitethroat

Sedge Warbler

Savi’s Warbler

Reed Warbler

Marsh Warbler

Great Reed Warbler

Icterine Warbler

Spotted Flycatcher

Great Tit

((Blue Tit))

((Marsh Tit))

Long-tailed Tit (caudatus – white-headed)

Bearded Tit

Nuthatch

Short-toed Treecreeper

Red-backed Shrike

Lesser Grey Shrike

Magpie

Jay

Jackdaw

Rook

Hooded Crow

Raven

Starling

Golden Oriole

House Sparrow

Tree Sparrow

Chaffinch

Linnet

Goldfinch

Greenfinch

Hawfinch

Reed Bunting

Ortolan

Yellowhammer

Corn Bunting

((heard))

122 species

More reasons to hang out in Serbia

 The vista

 White Stork

 Black-necked Grebe

 Common Buzzard

A very blurred Barred Warbler

The Serbian Spring Tour thus far

 Hot, idyllic days so far

 Quite a few Marsh Warblers

 Tons of Collared Doves

 Stacks of Bee-eaters

 A male Syrian Woodpecker amongst tripods and a dead female Red-footed Falcon

 A poor Rook chick that fell out of its nest in the rookery with our guide, Milan Ruzic

 Spotted Flycatchers abound

 There's plenty of Red-backed Shrikes

 A secretive Savi's Warbler

What we all came for - Long-eared Owls

Back on the urban ranch

I've been so cold for so long this year in the UK. Indeed, ever since last October I have barely felt the rays of the warm sun on my back. This is mid May and it really does look and feel like March. Today was relatively dull with a quite fresh wind blowing.

Wednesday was even worse. I got to The Scrubs at 6am to witness the trees almost doubling over due to the strong winds. All of this occurred under a cold grey sky. I didn't even get out of the car. I sat there for a few minutes, convincing myself that there were no migrants to be found and that a warm bed was a better option.

It was.

The final Latvian count

Yellow Wagtail

Black-throated Diver

Great Crested Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Cormorant

Bittern

Little Egret

Great Egret

Grey Heron

White Stork

Mute Swan

Whooper Swan

White-fronted Goose

Bean Goose

Greylag

Canada Goose

Barnacle Goose

Shelduck

Mallard

Gadwall

Shoveler

Wigeon

Teal

Garganey

Pochard

Tufted Duck

Scaup

Eider

Common Scoter

Velvet Scoter

Long-tailed Duck

Goldeneye

Goosander

Red-breasted Merganser

Capercaillie

Black Grouse

Hazel Grouse NEW!

Red-legged Partridge

Corncrake

White-tailed Eagle

Osprey

Red Kite

Black Kite

Marsh Harrier

Pallid Harrier

Common Buzzard

Rough-legged Buzzard

Honey Buzzard

Goshawk

Sparrowhawk

Kestrel

Hobby

Merlin

((Water Rail))

((Little Crake))

Moorhen

Coot

Common Crane

Oystercatcher

Golden Plover

Lapwing

Wood Sandpiper

Green Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Bar-tailed Godwit

Curlew

((Woodcock))

Snipe

((Jack Snipe))

Ruff

Black-headed Gull

Little Gull

Common Gull

Herring Gull

Great Black-back

Common Tern

Arctic Tern

Black Tern

White-winged Tern

Whiskered Tern

Feral Pigeon

Stock Dove

Wood Pigeon

Turtle Dove

Cuckoo

((Tengmalm’s Owl)) NEW!

Tawny Owl

Nightjar

Swift

Hoopoe

Roller

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Middle Spotted Woodpecker

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Wryneck

Skylark

Woodlark

Crested Lark

Sand Martin

Swallow

House Martin

Tawny Pipit

Tree Pipit

Meadow Pipit

White Wagtail

Yellow Wagtail (flava & thunbergi)

Waxwing

Dunnock

Robin

Thrush Nightingale

Bluethroat (red & white spot)

Common Redstart

Black Redstart

Northern Wheatear

Whinchat

Song Thrush

Redwing

Mistle Thrush

Fieldfare

Blackbird

Blackcap

Garden Warbler

Lesser Whitethroat

Common Whitethroat

Sedge Warbler

((Grasshopper Warbler))

((Savi’s Warbler))

Reed Warbler

Icterine Warbler

Willow Warbler

Wood Warbler

Chiffchaff

Goldcrest

Wren

Spotted Flycatcher

Red-breasted Flycatcher

Pied Flycatcher

Great Tit

Coal Tit

Blue Tit

Crested Tit

Penduline Tit

Nuthatch

Treecreeper

Red-backed Shrike

Magpie

Jay

Jackdaw

Rook

Hooded Crow

Raven

Starling

House Sparrow

Tree Sparrow

Chaffinch

Brambling

Linnet

Mealy Redpoll

Goldfinch

Greenfinch

Siskin

Serin

Crossbill

Hawfinch

Reed Bunting

Yellowhammer

165 species

2 lifers
((Heard))