In February, already itching to get myself out of the country (again), I sent a message to a number of different mates to see if anyone was free and up for a short spring break somewhere in Europe. I'd never done a spring birding-holiday abroad before, so was keen for a short, cheap and easy trip somewhere good for migration. There were many no's, but thankfully Charlie's extremely enthusiastic response was enough to start planning. An hour or so of exploration later, Gibraltar was a favourite - once we'd finished chatting, we looked into Faro and southern Portugal. For reasons including cost of travel (to get there, and around the area), food and drink, and of course ease of birding more generally, Faro was a week later booked and sorted. Another week down the line, Joe confirmed he would join us, so the three of us booked ourselves into a B&B, to arrive on a Tuesday afternoon, and leave on the morning of the first Saturday of May.
Day1:
When Iberia was struck by the power outage the day before going, we were sure we'd not be seeing Portugal after all. Thankfully, all was resolved a day later, leaving me to bemoan the fact the weather had turned and was forecast to be warmer and more pleasant at home than in Portugal for the week...
Charlie travelled down on the Tuesday morning, and our first bird of the trip was a singing Black Redstart in East Croydon whilst waiting for the train to Gatwick. Things went less well at the airport, being charged extra for overweight baggage (Wizz were in a bad mood on the day it seemed); the journey went otherwise smoothly, connecting with the Selsey Least Sandpiper from the plane as evidenced below.
Arrival was extraordinary, passport control and baggage reclaim were completed inside 5 minutes. We were soon on the first of many 'Green' Ubers into Faro, meeting Joe at our B&B shortly before sunset. The first drive gave us a taste for the week to come - Turtle Dove, Zitting Cisticola, 00s of Swifts and Hirundines, Iberian Magpies, White Storks and Spotless Starlings. We took the first evening easy, watching Swifts and chatting over dinner on the [fantastic] rooftop lounge of the B&B. Nocmig birds included distant Curlew, Common Sandpiper and Green Sandpiper.
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| Ludo trail |
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| wine |
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| wine |
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| wine |
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| Faro |
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| Ludo trail |
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| Striped Hawkmoth |
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| Least Sandpiper (somewhere) |
Day2:
The first day out in the field is always exciting, so we were up at a decent time and with the sun shining, headed to the Ludo Trails. These together are a handful of superb public footpaths and cycleways through the coastal marshlands, connecting the area to Quinta do Lago, a well-known golf course and holiday resort area. From the moment we were dropped off by Uber, birding was relentless, and our walking rate rarely passed about a kilometre an hour.
There were many abundant species along the first 3 kilometres, including: Turtle Dove, waders (Black-winged Stilts, Avocet, Grey Plovers, Ringed Plovers, Kentish Plovers, Whimbrels, Common Sandpipers, Greenshanks, Turnstones, Sanderling, Dunlin), Audouin's Gulls, 00s of Little Terns, White Stork, Spoonbills, singing Wryneck (only one we heard, extremely disappointingly), Iberian Magpies, Hoopoes, Crested Larks, Zitting Cisticolas, Dartford Warblers, dozens of Sardinian Warbler, Iberian Wagtails and more. It was on the whole relaxed and pleasant - the path was well-maintained, there were plenty of benches and stopping points, people were friendly, and views of everything were brilliant. This continued on for much of the rest of the day.
We stopped for lunch at the Quinta do Lago golf course hide, known for - aside from golf - Western Swamphens and Little Bitterns. The latter, to me at least, do not exist in Portugal, Charlie and Joe can disagree. However, the Swamphens were great and with chicks, as were the many Hoopoe, Iberian Magpies and Red-rumped Swallows. Ducks like Ferruginous Duck and Red-crested Pochard, and Black-headed Weavers were also very common in the reeds, feeding away busily and vocally, an invasive (like the Waxbill seen later also). At least an hour in the hide allowed us to find entertainment in the impressive quality of golf as well.
It was pretty gusty but still warm into the early afternoon, so we continued to stroll and take things easy, giving the day an actual holiday feel to it. Woodchat Shrikes, Serins, Gannet, Sandwich Terns, Blackcap, Redshanks, close Red-rumped Swallows kept us entertained, as did the waderfest on the saltmarshes. The first pint of Sagres and chips went down superbly. Short-toed Treecreeper and Booted Eagle joined the party over the golf course as we enjoyed another siesta at the hide. A few Lesser Emperors were also out and about.
With a few hours still in the tank for birding enthusiasm for the day, we walked a different circuit at the Ludo Trails, following the Sao Lorenzo trail northwards. Charlie's obsession with 'mingos' meant he strung a group of 49 Spoonbills roosting together into his beloved Flamingos. It was pretty baffling that they were as absent as they were despite all the habitat on offer. Anyhow, a singing Nightingale was a treat to hear, providing a worthy backdrop to the hundreds of waders sat out on the saltpans. Dunlin, Ringed/Kentish/Grey Plovers, Sanderling, Stilts, Avocets, Bar-tailed Godwits, Green and Redshank, Turnstone, Whimbrels again formed the majority, with no rarities or even scarcities located in the large roaming flocks, though wind didn't help. By now, the birds we'd been stopping to look at each and every one of a few hours earlier were getting less of an look in, so our walking pace picked up as we headed back towards our drop-off point at the back of the airport.
Birding wise, that was mostly it for the day. We took the late afternoon to sit on the balcony and have tea/snacks, before heading into town for dinner. White Storks and Common and Pallid Swifts were everywhere, joined often by Red-rumped and Barn Swallows. Dinner (delicious local seafood dishes) and drinks (beer and wine for me) topped off the day, and we were pleased we opted to do little more on the day. We again sat out on our rooftop as dark fell, producing Swifts, singing Black Redstart and a Purple Heron flying East. A real trip highlight for me personally was not just listening to Whimbrel migration after the sun had set, but being able to see one bird lit against the darkness by the city's lights as it headed NE. Migration magic, amazing.
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| Turnstone |
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| Little Tern |
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| Black-winged Stilt |
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| Kentish Plover |
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| Whimbrel |
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| Iberian Wagtail |
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| Crested Lark |
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| male Sardinian Warbler |
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| Black-winged Stilt |
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| Ringed Plover |
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| Black-headed Weaver |
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| Purple Swamphen on the course |
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| Purple Swamphen + young |
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| Hoopoe |
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| Sardinian Warbler |
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| Hoopoe |
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| Red-rumped Swallow |
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| male Sardinian Warbler |
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| Red-rumped Swallow |
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| Yellow-legged Gull |
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| Waxbill |
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| Hoopoe |
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| Hoopoe |
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| White Stork |
Day 3:
The busiest day of the three full days. There was a fair bit of overnight rain so we didn't get going until things had calmed down a little. I quite enjoyed leisurely eating breakfast and tea on our rooftop, where hundreds of Swifts [Common and Pallid] were swirling around close by as per. As seems standard for my holidays away, I'd gotten ill overnight, so was feeling a tad grumpy with myself as an added bonus.
We headed out at quarter past 7, with our plan for the day roughly being a local wander, followed by a boat trip to Ilha Deserta, before seeing what we fancied thereafter. Walking towards the coast saw us meander into a local, small park, where a Garden Warbler feeding and in subsong was a trip tick, amusingly appearing as rare on eBird. Continuing on to a spot nearer the saltmarshes, it was relatively quiet with more or less the same waders as the day before, just in unsurprisingly smaller numbers. A Marsh Harrier, a few Sandwich Terns and some closer Pallid Swifts were probably the pick of the bunch.
The first boat out was at 1030am, and for a return of about 10 euros, we were there nice and early to make sure we wouldn't miss it. A second breakfast and coffee later we wandered over to the boat and boarded early to get the best possible seats out at the back, a move that did little good on the way there.
Ilha Deserta is an island situated on the southern tip of the Ria Formosa National Park. There seemed to be little online to suggest it would be worthwhile, but given it's location, we took a punt that it would be worth a look given it would be the first thing some migrants heading northwards from Africa - or tracking west along the Portuguese coastline - would see. It was absolutely a punt that paid off.
Upon arrival, Iberian Wagtails greeted us, as did about 4 bushes some distance away. Walking along the start of the boardwalk saw us flush a phyllosc from the ground, which promptly disappeared not to be seen again, but was enough to ignite some optimism. Heading towards the bushes another bird flew out from the grass below, refusing to call but clearly identifying itself as a pipit. We were certain there were multiple pipits there, the only one we eventually confirmed the identity of being a Tree Pipit. Eventually, we reached the quartet of bushes only to have 2 Turtle Dove fly out and inland, and a handful of warblers flit around. It took a while but bar one extremely elusive bird, these were confirmed as Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff. It was difficult to not get distracted - there were Swifts coming in off the sea overhead, and as if it couldn't get better, 7 Turtle Dove did the same. It felt extra special seeing them in this manner given their status.
Mindful of time with two hours until our boat back, we reluctantly left the bushes and headed further along the boardwalk, leaving our unknown warbler to win round #1 of hide and seek. There were larks, including Short-toed, singing aplenty, and wagtails, waders and Sardinian warblers most of the way along. The island's active colony of Audouin's Gulls kept us busy too. A brief seawatch was relatively poor, where only a few Sandwich Terns, Balearic Shearwaters and Cory's Shearwaters were moving distantly offshore. Our stroll back saw us distracted by one of the many stonking sumplum Grey Plovers preparing to migrate North.
Our plan was to spend the final 45 minutes attempting to track down our warbler. Of the little we'd seen of it darting low from bush to bush, it appeared to be an acro/hippolais/iduna, with a distinct lack of any useful features. It was impressively elusive, even with a three man team. We started to suspect that it could be a Marsh/rarer Reed Warbler sp, but still had nothing helpful really bar a hunch. Some time later, I managed some poor photos, showing as we'd noted a large, pale bird with an extremely long, thin orangey bill, a similarly long tail, and pale lores in front of the bill. We were still unsure at this point but registered most species we were considering as Brits were not actually at all species seen in Portugal ever, so needed to shift towards Melodious or the Idunas. When we did, it clicked that whilst it couldn't be Eastern Olivaceous from the lack of tail flicking, Western Olivaceous (aka Isabelline) was a real possibility. A rare species still in Faro, but with some now breeding further north in Portugal and populations nearby in southern Spain, things started to make sense. Reviewing photos and asking around over the course of the rest of the day helped us conclude it most likely was a Western Olive. As can be seen from the photos, it was enormous, chasing off the Tree Pipit and not looking any smaller. A lifer for all three of us, so a nice local rarity to find.
The boat trip back was also quite successful - by scanning the Sandwich Terns sat on a sandbank at low tide, Charlie nailed a squadron of three brutish Caspian Terns snoozing next to them. These were a trip target but quite late in the season for them, so an unexpected bonus.
Once back we weren't especially sure what to do with ourselves, deciding to take the advice of our Uber driver from the night before and head to Olhao and specifically Quinta de Marim, a nature reserve slightly to the East of Faro. Another punt, and one that we thought we'd completely f'd up with, arriving to find it completely closed. Rathern than just giving up we decided instead to walk further east along a cycle path connecting Olhao to another coastal town, and make the most of our mishap in an act of spontaneous adventure. Though distant, there were waders feeding as per usual, including flighty and very red Knot. Cattle Egrets were also around, as were a few pairs of Bee-eaters, which we assumed to be recent arrivals, feeding and displaying to one another in the haze. Most other birds became secondary to these, unsurprisingly, they're stunning things and alone made the mishap worth it. Every trip to Europe in summer months needs a bit of Bee-eater time. Another welcome addition was a 2cy Short-toed Eagle - when this appeared, its size and effect on every other bird (even Spoonbills panicked) made its ID fairly easy compared to the Booted's we'd seen throughout the few days. Given these were all in addition to the 'regular' common species there, all of which we'd not gotten at all bored of, we left chuffed. The last bird seen was a Little Owl spotted well by Joe in the exact place you'd expect to see a Little Owl.
The day had gone well, so after some research and rest, we decided that we'd not go half-hearted for the evening as initially planned. Rather than a local wander around Faro, also as Faro seemed far from ideal to have an evening stroll, we threw everything at a final target, this being Red-necked Nightjar. Faro and southern Portugal is a popular spot for birders targeting these, and so we decided instead to get an Uber to an area I'd eyed up at the start of the trip. We scouted it out for half an hour before sunset, waiting patiently in the company of mozzies, until at around 845pm, we heard clearly but distantly Nightjars starting up. A brief while later, two were heard at the same time, and then one came straight to the car park we were waiting at, giving us the full shabang. Honestly, not as good as 'our' Nightjars, but still a thrilling experience - a cool galloping sound, like many of the Asian Nightjar species, made better by the experience and proximity to the bird too. We spent a good 20 minutes stood nearby, before ordering our ride back whilst on a high and before our evening could be ruined. A very successful day's birding!
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| Tree Pipit (above), Isabelline Warbler (below) |
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| Turtle Dove |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Turtle Dove |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Swallowtail |
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| Audouin's Gull |
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| sumplum Grey Plover (oof) |
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| Iberian Wagtail |
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| Isabelline (Western Olivaceous) Warbler |
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| Iberian Wagtail |
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| Sandwich Terns etc |
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| Caspian Tern |
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| 2cy Short-toed Eagle |
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| Bee-eater |
Day 4:
Our plans for the final full day came down to our remaining target species, which included waders like Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper, Little Bittern (properly), Bonelli's Warbler, Charlie's 'mingos', and most importantly Black-winged Kite and Collared Pratincole. The best bet seemed to be returning to the Ludo trails and area around the airport, especially with storms around and 40mph gusts. Somewhere with shelter and hides definitely seemed ideal. We were dropped off and shot off down the track, trying not to stop if possible. Maybe 30 seconds later, we stopped and our plan went out the window as a tatty Osprey fought the wind in its attempt to fish. Pink birds on the horizon, finally, stopped progress even more, leaving Charlie very pleased as his mingos waddled around a saltpan. Stops did then reduce in number until we reached Sao Lorenzo again, where we settled in for a shift at around 9am.
A few hours in and around here, mostly taking refuge from the weather, saw me miss more Little Bitterns (the b*stards) and a Bonelli's Warbler the other two managed to get enough on. In between, we nipped back to the saltpans to have a look at the waders and anything else that might be sheltering further inland. Several Nightingales and a sumplum Little Stint were welcome sounds and sights respectively. Later, we made a short and relatively unsuccessful visit to the sea, only managing a few Cory's Shearwaters and 15 Gannets. Our final few hours along the trails saw us spend time with the hundreds of waders still around, which Joe and Charlie did a top job of scrutinising. Aside from Booted Eagles and Marsh Harriers, the continuing usual suspects kept us entertained.
The weather had improved by around 2 and so like with the Nightjars, we decided to give Black-winged Kite a proper throw of the dice. We'd all come having never seen them, yet always wanting to, and thanks to my boss Dan's endless local knowledge helping us through the trip, none more so than with this, we got a taxi to the back of a KFC on the edge of town and wandered down a country lane. It may have been sketchy in terms of dogs, narrow lanes and blind corners, but was rich in animal life - Nightingales, Turtle Doves, a flock of Bee-eaters, hirundines galore. We reached the end of the track we'd planned to walk, and were about to turn back when Charlie thought he distantly glimpsed a Kite. A minute or so later, simply out of nowhere, I spluttered something as the bird in question appeared to be flying straight at us. Over the next few minutes, we enjoyed superb views of two different individuals, presumably a pair, hunting and floating around a few of the fields. One perched briefly but too quickly for me to get any decent photos. Both soon moved on, so we made a rapid departure away from some pretty terrifying-looking dogs.
Our final evening was, as hoped, spent switched off on the rooftop soaking in the sun, Swifts, hirundines, migging waders like Grey Plover and all the other regulars. With such high quality local produce, we cooked ourselves a final dinner consisting of local catch of sea bream with rice/veg and a few final beers - the produce was so fresh we couldn't get enough of it.
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| Osprey |
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| mingos |
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| Iberian Magpie |
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| waders |
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| Spot the Little Stint |
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| Spoonbill |
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| Black-winged Stilt |
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| Black-winged Kite |
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| Turtle Dove and shopping centre |
Day 5:
Rather than rush any birding for the final Saturday morning, we were going to head to the airport at around 830, we opted to just lounge on the rooftop and watch Swifts and Storks a final time.
It was a shame to be leaving after what felt like only a few days birding, but illness made the disappointment slightly better, as did the thought of catching up on sleep. That said, we got everything we wanted out of our time there - obviously especially in terms of birds, but also scenery and general time outside, food and drink, friendly interactions and time away somewhere nice. That all in and around Faro, in suboptimal weather and whilst without renting a car, relying on walking, Ubers and other public transport.
A trip we'd recommend and could easily be improved on, our 105 species between us missing plenty. Thanks as ever to Joe and Charlie for the company too!
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| Boat trip |
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| Boat trip x2 |
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| Food |
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| Food x2 |
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| Beach |
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| The last night - amazing |
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