The Portuguese Roundup

As ever, my recent trip to Portugal was a blinder. I love the relaxed atmosphere, the warm welcome I always receive, the tasty grub, agreeable temperature and the fantastic birds.

On this occasion I was invited to speak at and run urban birding workshops at the 2014 Portuguese Birdfair  Observaria Estarreja some two hours north of Lisbon.

 TUB waxing lyrical

I also spent some time in the Alentejo region - my favourite part of Portugal where I indulged in all sorts of avian goodies such as displaying Great Bustards and surprisingly large numbers of Black-bellied Sandgrouse.

The Birdfair was a success and despite the grey clouds and occasional dim light we still managed to see a host of great birds. I even had a lifer in the aural shape of a singing and calling Iberian Chiffchaff.

 Purple Heron

 Red-rumped Swallow

 European Bee-eaters

 Female House Sparrow

 Black-eared Wheatear

 Male Western Subalpine Warbler

Calandra Lark

Complete bird list

Great Crested Grebe

Dabchick

Cormorant

Cattle Egret

Little Egret

Great Egret

Grey Heron

Purple Heron

White Stork

Glossy Ibis

Spoonbill

Greater Flamingo

Mallard

Gadwall

Griffon Vulture

Black Vulture

Osprey

Golden Eagle

Iberian Imperial Eagle

Short-toed Eagle

Booted Eagle

Bonelli’s Eagle

Black Kite

Marsh Harrier

Montagu’s Harrier

Common Buzzard

Sparrowhawk

Black-winged Kite

Kestrel

Lesser Kestrel

Red-legged Partridge

((Quail))

Moorhen

Coot

Great Bustard

Little Bustard

Black-winged Stilt

Stone Curlew

Collared Pratincole

Little Ringed Plover

Ringed Plover
Kentish Plover

Grey Plover

Turnstone

Dunlin

Common Sandpiper

Greenshank

Black-tailed Godwit

Whimbrel

Black-headed Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

Lesser Black-back

Little Tern

Black-bellied Sandgrouse

Feral Pigeon

Wood Pigeon

Collared Dove

Turtle Dove

Great Spotted Cuckoo

Little Owl

Swift

Pallid Swift

Hoopoe

Kingfisher

Bee-eater

Roller

((Green Woodpecker – sharpie))

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Skylark

Crested Lark

Thekla Lark

Calandra Lark

Sand Martin

Crag Martin

Swallow

Red-rumped Swallow

Tawny Pipit

White Wagtail

Yellow Wagtail – iberiae?

Grey Wagtail

Wren

Robin

((Nightingale))

Black-eared Wheatear

Whinchat

Stonechat

Blackbird

Blackcap

Sardinian Warbler

Western Subalpine Warbler

Dartford Warbler

Zitting Cisticola

Savi’s Warbler

Cetti’s Warbler

((Reed Warbler))

((Great Reed Warbler))

Common Chiffchaff

((Iberian Chiffchaff))

Great Tit

Blue Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Iberian Grey Shrike

Woodchat Shrike

Azure-winged Magpie

Black-billed Magpie

Jay

Jackdaw

Carrion Crow

Raven

Spotless Starling

House Sparrow

Tree Sparrow

Spanish Sparrow

Chaffinch

Linnet

Goldfinch

Greenfinch

Serin

Reed Bunting

Rock Bunting

Corn Bunting

Common Waxbill

Yellow-crowned Weaver

Species list – 128

Lifers         - 1

((heard))