Iberian Peninsula 9/30-10/12--Trip List, Links

SPANISH EAGLE, Extremadura
Photo: Shari Zirlin

Shari & I spent two weeks in Portugal & Spain on a NJ Audubon trip led by Scott Barnes & Pedro Moreira. The trip started in Lisboa, Portugal and then we traveled south to Andalucia, Tarifa and Gibraltar, and then up to The Extremadura of Spain, ending two weeks later in the rice fields just outside Lisboa. There were 8 of us on the trip plus our two leaders. I have no idea how many miles we covered, but there were some long bus rides getting from section to section, fortunately broken up with birding stops. 

In Spain we spent 4 days in Andalucia, 3 days around Tarifa, and 4 days in The Extremadura. The weather in Andalucia was for the most part sunny and in the high 70's but was much more variable in The Extremadura. 

I've made no attempt to be exhaustive in my description of either all the birds we saw or the places we birded. As I mention somewhere in the entries, a lot of it blurs together and I didn't keep notes. Besides, as often happens in foreign countries, I didn't really know where I was anyway. Sometimes eBird didn't know where I was. 

Links:

Portugal 10/1

Doñana NP area

Tarifa/Gibraltar

Extremadura

Back to Portugal

For the entire trip I listed 156 species, of which 81 were life birds. The list below is my list. Others had birds I missed either because Shari & I were too tired the first day to wander around a park in Lisboa, or I missed birds that flew across the road as we drove. 

Eurasian Hoopoes
Photo: Shari Zirlin

Key: LIFE BIRD, Year Bird, Rare

Graylag Goose   Donana PNat
Egyptian Goose   Quinta da Atalaya
Common Shelduck   El Estrecho PNat
Garganey   Camino Muro de los Portugueses
Northern Shoveler   Quinta da Atalaya
Gadwall   Quinta da Atalaya
Mallard   Quinta da Atalaya
Northern Pintail   Madre Vieja del Brazo del Este del Ra­o Guadalquivir
Green-winged Teal   Camino Muro de los Portugueses
MARBLED DUCK   Camino Muro de los Portugueses
Red-crested Pochard   Camino Muro de los Portugueses
WHITE-HEADED DUCK   Lagunas de Camino Colorado
RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE   Embalse de Alange
Greater Flamingo   Ponte Vasco da Gama
Little Grebe   Quinta da Atalaya
Great Crested Grebe   Brazo del Este PjeNat
Eared Grebe   Camino Muro de los Portugueses
Rock Pigeon   Rua de Vale de Mouros 16
STOCK DOVE   Embalse de Arrocampo
Common Wood-Pigeon   Marismas del Odiel
Eurasian Collared-Dove   Quinta da Atalaya
PIN-TAILED SANDGROUSE   Magasca ZEPA
BLACK-BELLIED SANDGROUSE   Roadside 39.46188, -6.18491
GREAT BUSTARD   Roadside 39.45384, -6.19309
Alpine Swift   Arrabal los Lances
Common Swift   Arrabal los Lances
PALLID SWIFT   Quinta da Atalaya
Little Swift   Chipiona
WATER RAIL   Embalse de Arrocampo
Eurasian Moorhen   Camino Muro de los Portugueses
Eurasian Coot   Quinta da Atalaya
Red-knobbed Coot   Laguna Alfredo Barragan
WESTERN SWAMPHEN   Brazo del Este PjeNat
EURASIAN THICK-KNEE   Embalse de Arrocampo
Black-winged Stilt   Ponte Vasco da Gama
Pied Avocet   RN Estua¡rio do Tejo
EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER   RN Sapal Castro Marim e VRSA
Black-bellied Plover   Marismas del Odiel
Common Ringed Plover   RN Estua¡rio do Tejo
LITTLE RINGED PLOVER   Camino Muro de los Portugueses
Northern Lapwing   Camino Muro de los Portugueses
KENTISH PLOVER   RN Sapal Castro Marim e VRSA
Whimbrel   RN Estua¡rio do Tejo
EURASIAN CURLEW   Marismas del Odiel
Bar-tailed Godwit   Marismas del Odiel
Black-tailed Godwit   RN Estua¡rio do Tejo
COMMON SNIPE   Camino Muro de los Portugueses
Common Sandpiper   Quinta da Atalaya
GREEN SANDPIPER   Quinta da Atalaya
Wood Sandpiper   Camino Muro de los Portugueses
COMMON REDSHANK   RN Estua¡rio do Tejo
SPOTTED REDSHANK   RN Sapal Castro Marim e VRSA
Common Greenshank   RN Sapal Castro Marim e VRSA
Ruddy Turnstone   Avenida de D Manuel I 599
Ruff   RN Sapal Castro Marim e VRSA
Curlew Sandpiper   Marismas del Odiel
TEMMINCK'S STINT   Lagunas de Camino Colorado
Sanderling   Avenida de D Manuel I 599
Dunlin   Avenida de D Manuel I 599
Little Stint   Marismas del Odiel
SLENDER-BILLED GULL   RN Sapal Castro Marim e VRSA
Black-headed Gull   Quinta da Atalaya
AUDOUIN'S GULL   RN Sapal Castro Marim e VRSA
Mediterranean Gull   Avenida de D Manuel I 599
Yellow-legged Gull   RN Sapal Castro Marim e VRSA
Lesser Black-backed Gull   RN Estua¡rio do Tejo
Caspian Tern   RN Sapal Castro Marim e VRSA
Sandwich Tern   RN Estua¡rio do Tejo
Cory's Shearwater   El Estrecho PNat
BALEARIC SHEARWATER   El Estrecho PNat
BLACK STORK   Chg-Bg-03
White Stork   Calle Prosperidad, 14
Northern Gannet   Tarifa
Great Cormorant   Quinta da Atalaya
EUROPEAN SHAG   El Estrecho PNat
Little Bittern   Embalse de Arrocampo
Black-crowned Night Heron   Carretera Sur del Colector
Little Egret   RN Estua¡rio do Tejo
Squacco Heron   Lagunas de Martin Miguel
Western Cattle Egret   Quinta da Atalaya
Great Egret   Brazo del Este PjeNat
Gray Heron   Quinta da Atalaya
Glossy Ibis   Carretera Sur del Colector
NORTHERN BALD IBIS   11150, Vejer de la Frontera
Eurasian Spoonbill   RN Estua¡rio do Tejo
Osprey   Quinta da Atalaya
Black-winged Kite   Quinta da Atalaya
EGYPTIAN VULTURE   Los Alcornocales PNat
CINEREOUS VULTURE   Monfrague PN
EURASIAN GRIFFON   Donana PN
SHORT-TOED SNAKE-EAGLE   Carretera Sur del Colector
BOOTED EAGLE   Chg-Bg-03
SPANISH EAGLE   Roadside 39.45384, -6.19309
BONELLI'S EAGLE   Leziria Grande de Vila Franca de Xira
Western Marsh Harrier   Quinta da Atalaya
EURASIAN SPARROWHAWK   11150, Vejer de la Frontera
RED KITE   Muro de la Confederacion Hidrografica del Guadalquivir
Black Kite   Observatorio de Cazalla
Common Buzzard   Alcochete
LITTLE OWL   Roadside 39.45384, -6.19309
TAWNY OWL   Villamanrique de la Condesa
Eurasian Hoopoe   Quinta da Atalaya
COMMON KINGFISHER   Lagunas de Martin Miguel
EURASIAN WRYNECK   Marismas del Odiel PN
GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER   Quinta da Atalaya
LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER   Quinta da Atalaya
Eurasian Kestrel   Quinta da Atalaya
BLUE-CROWNED PARAKEET   Parque Eduardo VII
IBERIAN GRAY SHRIKE   Ayamonte
EURASIAN JAY   Quinta da Atalaya
IBERIAN MAGPIE   Quinta da Atalaya
Eurasian Magpie   Rua de Vale de Mouros 16
Eurasian Jackdaw   11150, Vejer de la Frontera
Carrion Crow   Quinta da Atalaya
Common Raven   Villamanrique de la Condesa
CRESTED TIT   Monfrague PN
EURASIAN BLUE TIT   Quinta da Atalaya
Great Tit   Monfrague PN
EURASIAN PENDULINE-TIT   Embalse de Arrocampo
CALANDRA LARK   Roadside 39.45384, -6.19309
MEDITERRANEAN SHORT-TOED LARK   Donana PN
WOOD LARK   Donana PN
THEKLA'S LARK   Embalse de Alange
CRESTED LARK   Quinta da Atalaya
Zitting Cisticola   Quinta da Atalaya
Bank Swallow   Calle la Rambla
EURASIAN CRAG-MARTIN   Embalse de Alange
Barn Swallow   Calle la Rambla
Western House-Martin   Calle la Rambla
RED-RUMPED SWALLOW   Embalse de Alange
Common Bulbul   Tarifa
Willow Warbler   Quinta da Atalaya
COMMON CHIFFCHAFF   Embalse de Arrocampo
Cetti's Warbler   Quinta da Atalaya
LONG-TAILED TIT   Donana PN
Eurasian Blackcap   Quinta da Atalaya
SARDINIAN WARBLER   Quinta da Atalaya
EURASIAN NUTHATCH   Quinta da Atalaya
SHORT-TOED TREECREEPER   RN Estua¡rio do Tejo
EURASIAN WREN   Donana PN
SPOTLESS STARLING   Quinta da Atalaya
Eurasian Blackbird   Quinta da Atalaya
SPOTTED FLYCATCHER   Quinta da Atalaya
EUROPEAN ROBIN   Villamanrique de la Condesa
BLUETHROAT   Embalse de Arrocampo
EUROPEAN PIED FLYCATCHER   Quinta da Atalaya
COMMON REDSTART   Donana PN
Black Redstart   Melia Lisboa Aeroporto
BLUE ROCK-THRUSH   Observatorio de Cazalla
WHINCHAT   Muro de la Confederacion Hidrografica del Guadalquivir
EUROPEAN STONECHAT   Quinta da Atalaya
NORTHERN WHEATEAR   Quinta da Atalaya
BLACK-HEADED WEAVER   Carretera Sur del Colector
YELLOW-CROWNED BISHOP   Quinta da Atalaya
Common Waxbill   Donana PNat
House Sparrow   Quinta da Atalaya
SPANISH SPARROW   El Estrecho PNat
GRAY WAGTAIL   Donana PN
Western Yellow Wagtail   Canada de Rianzuela
WHITE WAGTAIL   Quinta da Atalaya
MEADOW PIPIT   Embalse de Arrocampo
Common Chaffinch   Monfrague PN
HAWFINCH   Monfrague PN
European Greenfinch   Rua de Vale de Mouros 16
EURASIAN LINNET   Donana PN
European Goldfinch   Canada de Rianzuela
CORN BUNTING   Donana PN

SLENDER-BILLED GULL

Western Marsh Hawk
Photo: Shari Zirlin

Portugal (Quinta da Atalaya, Tagus Estuary, RN Sapal Castro Marim e VRSA) 10/1--25 Life Birds

GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, Quinta da Atalaya

Our hotel for our first night of the trip was conveniently across the street from the airport, so we could walk to it--in fact, it was closer to the airport than our walk from our airplane gate through customs, immigration and baggage which I measured as 4/10 of a mile. We also got our first trip bird at a little grassy area outside the hotel lobby while waiting to check in--a Black Redstart, which for Shari and me was not a life bird, having seen it in France on our honeymoon. After getting into our room, we slept through the rendezvous for a quick birding trip in a little nearby park, so we missed some birds that others in the group got--it was a sacrifice my body insisted on to my mind. 

The next morning, 10/1, at 8 AM, we met our guide, Pedro and piled into the 24-seat bus (plenty of room for everyone on the trip) and started our birding trip in earnest. The first birds we saw were as we passed over the Vasco da Gama Bridge (there's a name you remember from 6th grade) where we saw flocks of Greater Flamingos and Black-winged Stilts.

EUROPEAN STONECHAT, Quinta da Atalaya

Our first stop was a wetlands area called Quinta da Atalaya, which was very close to the Tagus River estuary. There we started racking up year & life birds for the group. The first lifer I remember was PALLID SWIFT, and first lifer I got a not-very-good picture of was a YELLOW-CROWNED BISHOP (an introduced exotic) and then, more interesting, a GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER. We also had EUROPEAN STONECHAT (a bird I thought would be hard to find and turned out to be everywhere), NORTHERN WHEATEAR (a bird I stupidly blew off when it was at Brig a few years ago), and the crowd favorite, Eurasian Hoopoe.  

From there we went to a spot on Tagus Estuary itself, where it was low tide. A lot of the birds were very far out, necessitating a scope, but we did add COMMON REDSHANK and SHORT-TOED TREECREEPER which is a dead ringer for our Brown Creeper. 

After lunch we drove down to another nature reserve where Shari was thrilled to see EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER (lifer for me, not for her), while other birds of note were KENTISH PLOVER, SPOTTED REDSHANK, AUDOUIN'S GULL and SLENDER-BILLED GULL, the latter a species I'd never heard of--overlooked somehow in my haphazard studying for the trip. 

In all, we had 70 species before we crossed into Spain, late in the day. My list from Quinta da Atalaya:

43 species
Egyptian Goose  3
Northern Shoveler  1
Gadwall  1
Mallard  2
Greater Flamingo  6
Little Grebe  1
Eurasian Collared-Dove  2
PALLID SWIFT 1
Eurasian Coot  2
Black-winged Stilt  11
Common Sandpiper  1
GREEN SANDPIPER 1
Black-headed Gull  2
Great Cormorant  2
Western Cattle Egret  60
Gray Heron  2
Osprey  1
Black-winged Kite  1
Western Marsh Harrier  1
Eurasian Hoopoe  2
GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER  1
LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER 1
Eurasian Kestrel  1
EURASIAN JAY 2
IBERIAN MAGPIE 2
Carrion Crow  1
EURASIAN BLUE TIT 3
CRESTED LARK 1
Zitting Cisticola  1
Willow Warbler  1
Cetti's Warbler  1
Eurasian Blackcap  1
SARDINIAN WARBLER 1
EURASIAN NUTHATCH 1
SPOTLESS STARLING 3
Eurasian Blackbird  2
SPOTTED FLYCATCHER 1
EUROPEAN PIED FLYCATCHER  2
EUROPEAN STONECHAT 1
NORTHERN WHEATEAR 1
YELLOW-CROWNED BISHOP 2
House Sparrow  10
WHITE WAGTAIL  1

Donana PN area 10/2-10/5

After crossing the border into Spain, we almost immediately pulled into a rest area and there we got our first Spanish lifer, appropriately the IBERIAN GRAY SHRIKE which looks very much like our shrikes, especially at the distance we were seeing it, on a wire in front of warehouse. Later, at our hotel, the Ardea Purpurea (which I eventually realized meant "Purple Heron") Shari & I heard a strange call after sundown--Pedro told us we'd heard our first TAWNY OWL. 

SHORT-TOED SNAKE-EAGLE

I have to admit the next few days blur together as we toured areas in around the Doñana PN, a vast national park which is supposed to be a haven for shorebirds and waders. Unfortunately, looking for the wet parts can involve a lot of driving since a lot of the water that would normally flow into the marshes is being diverted for agriculture--it's the same old story there as it is here. However, we did manage to find some good spots and added MARBLED DUCK to our list, picked out among flocks of Northern Shovelers, Mallards, and Green-winged Teals (which someday, may be recognized as a distinct species here, as it is in most of the world). We were also treated to White Stork on a nest (still), BLACK STORKS, WESTERN SWAMPHEN, BOOTED EAGLE, and my favorite (probably because it was practically on top of us, and I like the name) SHORT-TOED SNAKE EAGLE. 

Another day, in another marsh, we had EURASIAN CURLEW as well as Whimbrel (a bird that is a potential split, so we've got it in our back pocket), LITTLE RINGED PLOVER, and EURASIAN WRYNECK (a woodpecker).

For a little land birding, we could walk around our hotel grounds and find EUROPEAN ROBIN, SPOTLESS STARLING, and IBERIAN MAGPIE. Magpies, both Eurasian and Iberian, are absolutely fabulous looking birds and I'm astounded that neither Shari nor I managed to get pictures of them.

WHITE-HEADED DUCK (hen) with Eurasian Coots

On another day we visited a series of lagoons (I think these may be what are euphemistically called "settling ponds") and got lifers like the much-desired WHITE-HEADED DUCK (sort of like a Ruddy Duck with a white head), the rare RED-KNOBBED COOT, after much searching through flocks of coots by Pedro, and TEMMINCK'S STINT, a rather plain shorebird that, let's face it, if it ever showed up here I'd never identify. 

There were other birds--lots of other birds--but as I said, it all begins to blur. That's why I keep lists but even the lists don't always jog the memory. 

BLACK STORK with Gray Heron flying away

Flamingo that thought it was a swan.

Tarifa/Gibraltar 10/6-10/8

The Rock of Gibraltar 

EURASIAN GRIFFONS (digiscope)

We moved south to Tarifa near the Mediterranean Sea where we did a lot of what I like least--seawatching and hawkwatching. At home, in good conditions, where I more or less know the birds, I get antsy standing still looking at specks in scopes & bins. In Spain, the conditions at sea were foggy and at the hawk watches the winds were apparently against us, and I don't know the birds, so, aside from an impressive show of EURASIAN GRIFFONS (vultures) and a few eagles and kestrels we'd already seen, I didn't take much away from all the standing around we did.

Some land birds compensated for my eyestrain. At one of the hawk watches, with a scope, we could see a BLUE ROCK THRUSH, and walking to the beach we came across flocks of SPANISH SPARROWS, which look very much like the House Sparrows there at first glance, but upon closer examination are pretty easy to separate

SPANISH SPARROWS
(Photo Shari Zirlin)

One day we spent a couple of hours on a cliff in Tarifa, seawatching. That was the least productive day for Shari & me, as we had only one lifer--a EUROPEAN SHAG. The group did do one amusing thing that day--birding the municipal parking lot of Tarifa, where Common Bulbuls have taken up residence. This is an African species that has crept up into the Iberian Peninsula. The workers at the lot know about the bird and seemed happy to break the rules about only vehicle owners being allowed on the lot. We found the bird screeching in a pine tree. Lifer for a lot of the group, but Shari & I had seen the species many times in South Africa. 

At our hotel one late afternoon we stood by the pool and watched as dozens of Alpine Swifts flew overhead, some very low giving good looks of their white bellies. The one all black swift was a
and against the perfectly blue sky it was easy to pick out. 

Our first two stops in Spain were in Andalucia. Now it was time to move north to the Extremadura (sounds scary).

Extremadura 10/8-10/11

THEKLA'S LARK
photo Shari Zirlin

While the word "Extremadura" sounds ominous, it doesn't refer to climate or geography but harkens back to Moorish times when the area was beyond their borders. I guess "The Boondocks" in way, though that's trivializing it. The best translation I can come up with just means "out there." 

Our first stop on our journey north was at a reservoir surrounded by sheer cliffs. We walked a trail that overlooked the reservoir while the cliffs overlooked us. The usual waterfowl and cormorants were in the water (which was apparently fairly low) but it was along the rock face that we found our life birds. Two swallow species--EUROPEAN CRAG-MARTIN and RED-RUMPED SWALLOW were flying around and it took a little work, at least for me, to find the red-rumps. 

More interesting were the two RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGES we found scurrying around in the brush on the hill. And then I saw a lark that I immediately knew was not the Crested Lark which we had seen so many times in the previous days. It turned out to be a THEKLA'S LARK, a rock-loving species, and happily, Shari was able to get some good shots of the bird. 

Eurasian Jackdaw, Puente Romano
Photo Shari Zirlin

Photo: Shari Zirlin

We then went into the capital city of The Extremadura, Mérida, to bird the Puente Romano, the Roman Bridge. As in Italy, when you look at Roman architecture you get a real sense of "old." On the sign before the bridge it stated, in English, that the first restoration of the bridge goes back to 465 AD. That's not when the bridge was built--that's when it was renovated. Of course, ever the proofreader, I looked at the Spanish on the sign, and there it said that restoration was first made in 483 AD, but really, what's 18 years to ancient history? This was about the only "cultural" time we spent on the trip but there were some birds along the way--the ones I was happiest to see were the Eurasian Jackdaws. While we had seen big flocks of them a day or so earlier in a field with NORTHERN BALD IBIS, they were very far away and could have been any dark corvid. These were right in front of us and again, Shari was able to get good photos of them. According to Scott, there is one North American record of them, in a prison in Pennsylvania, no less. But I'm prepared for the second record now. 

GREAT BUSTARD
Photo: Shari Zirlin

Finally, we arrived at our hotel in the Monfragüe PN, which would be our base for the rest of our stay in Spain. From there we made many excursions to scenic overlooks (more hawk watching, more griffons) and to no-name fields. The most exciting birds we saw all have the eBird designation "Roadside" with longitude and latitude--it was the best I could do. But on one morning we saw some great birds, one after the other: LITTLE OWLS sitting atop a rock pile in the field, followed by GREAT BUSTARDS (when these turkey-sized birds flew I couldn't help but call them "big mofos" to the perplexity of our Portuguese guide), both BLACK-BELLIED and PIN-TAILED SANDGROUSE (though the latter was just a flyby in a larger flock of Black-bellies) and best of all, the national bird of Spain, the SPANISH EAGLE (also known as the Spanish Imperial Eagle).

Two of our 3 last days in The Extremadura were rainy--one day the rain held off for most of the day, the other was more misty and drizzly. Both of these days we were at a place called Embalse de Arrocampo, a wetlands with a number of blinds. We did well in at this place. Though the blinds weren't of much use (as is the case for most blinds) the elevated platforms upon which the blinds stood were good for looking over the vegetation in the water. We saw a number of WESTERN SWAMPHENS, and found COMMON CHIFFCHAFF, MEADOW PIPIT, heard a number of WATER RAILS and finally, my target bird BLUETHROAT (which Shari had seen days before as our bus zoomed by it--I was on the wrong side of the bus). 

WESTERN SWAMPHEN
Photo: Shari Zirlin

But probably the coolest sighting was while I and a few others were sitting in the bus to get out of the rain. A medium sized bird flew into the field next to us. Through the rain-streaked window I couldn't tell what it was--I thought it was small hawk, like the sparrowhawks we'd been seeing. It flew away and then one of our party who was outside announced that a EURASIAN THICK-KNEE had just flow off--that was our bird, but it was an unsatisfactory look. But luck was with us and the bird came back, flew right over us, and much happiness was shared by all. The Thick-knee was our last Spanish lifer, but not the last of the trip.

Back to Portugal (Lezíria Grande de Vila Franca de Xira) 10/12--Blue-crowned Parakeet, Bonelli's Eagle

Shovelers, Mallards, teal, Lezíria Grande de Vila Franca de Xira
Photo: Shari Zirlin

Saturday we left the hotel around 9 AM and it was a very long bus ride heading north then west back to Portugal. We were rewarded with our final birding stop of the trip, the rice fields of Lezíria Grande de Vila Franca de Xira near the Tagus estuary. The fields were sliced though with irrigation ditches but it all looked the same in every direction. How Pedro our bus driver navigated through the dirt roads to the Nature Center is a wonder to me. 

Nature Center

By this time, I have to admit I was a little fried with birding, so I certain I missed a number of birds through inattention or apathy. But we did get one life bird--a BONELLI'S EAGLE, which we'd be searching for all through Spain. The look I got was not great and it was checked off my list as an "if you say so" bird, but a little while later there was another bird that was much closer, lower, and gave me decent enough looks so that I can honestly say that I've seen a Bonelli's Eagle, because looking at their range, my chances of seeing another are dim & slim. 

At the Nature Center we demurred from buying a baseball cap a brim made of cork (how long would that hold up) but we spent some time scoping the pool in front of us, which had hundreds of ducks in it--unfortunately, none that you couldn't see in NJ (well, I suppose you'd be hard pressed to see so many of this version of Green-winged Teal). 

29 species
Northern Shoveler  100
Mallard  200
Green-winged Teal  100
Little Grebe  1
Eurasian Moorhen  2
Eurasian Coot  2
Northern Lapwing  300
Common Snipe  1
Green Sandpiper  1
Lesser Black-backed Gull  15
Little Egret  12
Western Cattle Egret  4
Great Egret  10
Gray Heron  6
Glossy Ibis  2
Short-toed Snake-Eagle  1
BONELLI'S EAGLE 2     Juveniles
Western Marsh Harrier  5
Common Kingfisher  1
Eurasian Kestrel  3
Carrion Crow  3
Zitting Cisticola  1
Barn Swallow  3
Cetti's Warbler  1
Sardinian Warbler  1
European Stonechat  2
Northern Wheatear  1
Common Waxbill  6
House Sparrow  50

So, I thought Bonelli's Eagle would be my last life bird for the trip but I was wrong. While driving through central Lisboa to our hotel one of our party was on the lookout for Rose-ringed Parakeet, an exotic that was seen on the first day by the ones who could stay awake. He didn't find it, but did find, as we passed a little park, 3 BLUE-CROWNED PARAKEETS, which are countable (provisionally) in Portugal. He was disappointed because he'd seen them in Brazil. I was kind of happy--it seems like a silly bird to have as your most recent lifer. 

For the trip I ended up with 156 species in Spain and 86 in Portugal. Considering that we only really birded Portugal portions of 2 days, that seems like a surprisingly high number to me. 

The next day we left before dawn (the sun comes up very late in Portugal and Spain) so we saw no birds until we arrived home where crows and jays greeted us.

September--A Whitesbog-centric Month

American Golden-Plover

I pretty much spent all my time at Whitesbog after the first week of the month, once the bogs were drawn down. There really seemed no place else that was as attractive as those 3 muddy flats, along with the emptied-out Union Pond and Ditch Meadow behind that. You never know what's going to show up and since whatever does show up often doesn't stay, constant vigilance is required. I always like to say that when the water is down, the place becomes a mini-Brig, and even though it was September, the shorebirds did not disappoint. 

Long-billed Dowitcher with both sp. of yellowlegs

Early in the month, White-rumped Sandpipers were present, sometimes multiple birds, and later in the month there were 3 different sightings of Buff-Breasted Sandpipers, and opinion seemed to be that they were 3 different birds. The day I picked out a Long-billed Dowitcher (which did linger for a long time) was the same day that one of my fellow birders found a Baird's Sandpiper practically next to the dowitcher. And then finally, toward the end of the month, I found an American Golden-Plover, an immature bird, which, as of Friday, was still there, albeit having moved from Union Pond to the Upper Bog. That's five rarities in what amounts to about 10 acres of mud. 

Immature Little Blue Heron with Great Egret

Non-shorebird rarities (at least for Burlco) were multiple Snowy Egrets and an immature Little Blue Heron, both of which could be found by sorting through the very large flock of Great Egrets that took up residence to feast on trapped pickerel and frogs which were forced into ever-shrinking pools of water. 

To add to the fun of the month, there were a lot of swallows in the first 10 days or so, including Cliff Swallows, Bobolinks overhead, nighthawks and whip-poor-wills, and Eastern Screech-Owl. The raptor show included a pair of Bald Eagles and an immature bird, Osprey, Red-shouldered Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Merlin and American Kestrel, not to mention the big flock of vultures that alighted in Union Pond to pick at the dead fish. I missed a couple of birds (at least) like Wilson's Snipe and Great Horned Owl, but I was pretty happy with what I got. 

A couple of years ago, when the bogs were low in August, I made a determined effort to get 100 species at Whitesbog in one month, which I accomplished. I didn't occur to me to do that this month, but I doubt I would have been able to with a lot of the passerines having moved on. As it was, I had 88 species for the month at Whitesbog. It was patch birding at it's best.

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Northern Shoveler
Mallard
American Black Duck
Green-winged Teal
Mourning Dove
Common Nighthawk
Eastern Whip-poor-will
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
American Golden-Plover
Killdeer
Semipalmated Plover
Long-billed Dowitcher
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Little Blue Heron
Snowy Egret
Green Heron
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Eastern Screech-Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Merlin
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Common Raven
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Bank Swallow
Tree Swallow
Purple Martin
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Carolina Wren
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Bobolink
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Northern Cardinal

American Kestrel, Union Pond