Leaving Stansted at 6.45 and landing at Faro before 9.00 a.m. meant I was birding from Faro train station before 10. From this vantage point I clocked whimbrel, grey plover, little egret and white stork. The train journey of 70 minutes to Lagos gave views of, amongst others, black winged stilt, hobby, beeater and a superb caspian tern at Portimao harbour.
Once a room was organised I set off for a wander to the cliffs and local wooods, seeing thekla lark, azure winged magpie, serin, alpine swift, red rumped swallow and sardinian warbler along with many more common residents. The next day a train to Mexilhoeira Grande and a wander through cork woods and open fields offered more views of the previously recroded birds, plus a common sandpiper, bonellis eagle, short toed lark, cirl bunting and a distant short toed eagle. By the end of day 2 species total was well over 50. Day 3 and after an early morning wander around the Rio Alvor a coach to Sagres and walk to Cabo da Vicente, the most south westerly point of Europe. Great birds including black redstart, stonechat, pied flycatcher, chough, cory's shearwater, gannet, rock dove, peregrine, yelkoan shearwater, spotless starling and blue rock thrush, a new bird for me. Finally, day 4 and a train journey back to Faro, some birding around the airport saltpans and beach before a flight home, in all 89 species of birds seen and over 250 photographs, a few of which are attached. I have a series of talks for the RSPB to give, including ones at Gravesend, London, Norwich and Luton on the Algarve. Should be good fun.
Photos from top:
Chough
Peregrine
Black redstart
Black redstart
Stonechat
The busy station at Mexilhoeira Grande
Blue rock thrush
Azure winged magpie
Beeater
A record of the wildlife in and around Hadham Ford as from January 2008. Please feel free to leave any comments or email me with details of interesting bird, mammal, butterfly, moth and dragonfly sightings. @jonoForgham on twitter
Saturday, 21 April 2012
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This is me
Caley Wood view
A walk along the Warta Valley, Poznan, Poland. Feb 2007
About Me
- Jono Forgham
- A primary school teacher for 30 years, I retired from teaching in July 2009 to set up my own science enhancement and communication company. The Primary Works offers science clubs, workshops and staged science shows nationwide. I have always been interested in bird watching since my early years. Apparently my first tick was after inquiring about a chaffinch and then receiving the Observer book of birds. By the age of 9 I had moved on to Tory Peterson's collins guide and was now involved on YOC birding holidays to Northumbria, Essex coast, Slimbridge and Yorkshire. My twitching rule is that I will willingly travel 1km for each gram the bird weighs. However, I have had many rarities just by being in the right place. I have travelled widely throughout Europe and also visited Australia and Sri Lanka. In 2016 I spent time at Portland Bird Obs and two trips to Aviero, Portugal. 2017 found me back in Sri Lanka in Feb/March, then July and back for New Year's Eve celebrations in December. Also returned to The Camargue in May for a 4 day trip. Few plans for 2018, but nothing yet booked apart from a trip to the IOW.
Grey heron
Southern Hawker
Juvenile green woodpecker (17.08.08)
common blue
Indian balsam (impatiens glandulifera)
azure damselfly
marbled white
ruddy darter
honeysuckle 19.07.08
cinnabar moth caterpillar
Bittersweet
male yellowhammer
common blue butterfly
River Ash
Common poppy (papaver rhoeas)
Caley Wood sunshine
Millenium Wood fox
common comfrey (symphytum officinale)
Garlic Mustard or Jack by the Hedge,(Alliara petiolata)
April showers
Caley Wood bluebells
Yellow Archangel
sunlight 16.04.08
snowy buds
Looking north west
Back Garden
Brick Kiln Hill
No play today
Teasel head
Reflections
Swollen River Ash
Daybreak over the chapel
Wild daffodils (narcissus pseudonarcissus)
January snowdrops
Good Moon
Village Green
Looking south before Hadham Ford
Useful sites
The following are some useful websites that may interest readers of this blog.
Firstly, Bishop's Stortford Natural History Society http://bsnhs.webplus.net/
Firstly, Bishop's Stortford Natural History Society http://bsnhs.webplus.net/
Fellow birder, Gary Whelan's blog. Gives reports from our trips out together plus reports from his trips abroad. http://hairybirders.blogspot.co.uk
http://www.hertsbirdclub.org.uk/ The official herts bird club website. Frequently updated, listing bird sightings around the county. Offers links to many other websites. Both of these sites also offer links to yahoo discussion groups.
http://www.birdforum.net/ An international site. You can enter as a guest but become a member( free) to post comments, bird sightings and just about anything to do with wild birds. Good news updates, classified section for binoculars, cameras etc.
http://www.guidedbirdwatching.com/ A new site set up where you can contact people worldwide who will help you find good birds in their country. UK section being set up presently.
http://www.britainsbirder.co.uk/
Fellow birders blog. Strtford resident, Graeme Smith regulary birds the area south of Stortford as well as around Spellbrook and the River Stort from Spellbrook to Twyford Locks. Some superb bird photography: Graeme uses a digital camera attached to his powerful telescope to get detailled images of the birds he sees. Well worth a browse.
Two local sites that may be of interest can be found at
http://www.thehadhams.com/ www.thepelhams.net/content/section/12/139/
http://www.hertsbirdclub.org.uk/ The official herts bird club website. Frequently updated, listing bird sightings around the county. Offers links to many other websites. Both of these sites also offer links to yahoo discussion groups.
http://www.birdforum.net/ An international site. You can enter as a guest but become a member( free) to post comments, bird sightings and just about anything to do with wild birds. Good news updates, classified section for binoculars, cameras etc.
http://www.guidedbirdwatching.com/ A new site set up where you can contact people worldwide who will help you find good birds in their country. UK section being set up presently.
http://www.britainsbirder.co.uk/
Fellow birders blog. Strtford resident, Graeme Smith regulary birds the area south of Stortford as well as around Spellbrook and the River Stort from Spellbrook to Twyford Locks. Some superb bird photography: Graeme uses a digital camera attached to his powerful telescope to get detailled images of the birds he sees. Well worth a browse.
Two local sites that may be of interest can be found at
http://www.thehadhams.com/ www.thepelhams.net/content/section/12/139/
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