First day birding

Might have been grey much of Friday, but it was a whispery grey interspersed with blue and much warmer than it looked. It was also high tide and so the salt pans were busy with flamingos, gulls, waders and passerines. The most common bird sighted was the Coot, MrB thinks there most have been over 200. There were also hundreds of Sanderlings, Plovers and Dunlins.

Black Headed Gull and Sanderling
Black Headed Gull with Sanderling

There were also lots of gulls particularly Slender Billed, MrB recorded over 30. We didn’t see the Audouin’s Gull though, despite both of us thinking of it at the same pond! What struck me was how few Black-Winged Stilts and Red Shanks we saw. Most unusual as was the fact we didn’t see a single Little Egret. We did though spot Herons, Cormorants, a Spoonbill and Cattle Egrets. All very common in the Algarve but not regularly seen in the salt pans we were exploring on Friday.

I took nearly 200 hundred photographs in the hour or so we were out, but most I have since deleted. And those that I have kept whilst useful for identification purposes are not ones that excite me as a photographer. It does seem to take me a day or two to get back into bird photography after a long break.

I was reasonably pleased with the two above shots of a Red Shank – which one do you prefer? I have included both as MrB prefers one and I prefer the other! As so often happens though it was one of the final shots I took that I am delighted with. Not only a great shot, but one of my favourite passerine birds here in the Algarve.

Sardinian Warbler
Sardinian Warbler

Not a bad hour’s birding, over 30 different species seen and a couple of photographs I am delighted with. Can’t wait to head out again.

Author: BeckyB

It had been a good life walking, cooking, photographing, volunteering, blogging, and best of all spending time with MrB, family, & friends. Sadly it is no longer what it was, as suddenly and unexpectedly I became a widow.

33 thoughts

    1. hee hee – glad you prefer that one too! And yes I guess he does . . . or perhaps resigned to the fact I wasn’t going to give up photographing until he posed!

    1. ooh interesting . . . . as it was the opposite way round for me and MrB. He’ll be delighted though that someone agrees with him about the one on the left 🙂

  3. Like everyone else, I prefer the photo on the right. I can see why you are thrilled with your other photo. It’s a beauty. Birds are so tricky to photograph well. Mr ET tells me he’s not a birdwatcher, but he does like to photograph them. Many times we’ll be out bushwalking and I find myself alone as he’s stopped to photograph a bird and is way behind me.

    1. They just seem to wait until the exact moment you have focused and then off they go, leaving you with a great photo of an empty branch!

    1. oh dear, I still haven’t sorted it have I. Not sure where my mornings are going since we got back – must find a routine to staying on top of things, and must must sort that photo!!

      It can’t be long now before you arrive and we can compare instagram shots. 🙂

      1. My Instagram shots aren’t great. Not very happy with the phone camera but it’s probably my lack of patience and ability that’s the problem.

        1. Let’s have a phone camera day together – send Mick off to football (opposite our apartment) and we’ll go and have some Instagram fun x

    1. Yay another fabulous person loves my preferred shot 🙂

      We’re sort of settling in but not found a routine yet for pilates, work and wordpress. Really must find a routine soon!!!

  7. I love shorebirds. They are so cute and often so intent on the food source that they don’t pay much attention. I like the bottom picture of the red shank better. I have never seen one of those. And love the warbler photo too. Quite the eye!

    1. He has amazing eyes doesn’t he – in certain light it glows!
      Delighted you prefer that one as that’s the one I prefer, so far it is 3 to 1 but don’t tell MrB!

  8. I think they are all lovely shots, I prefer the redshank on the right as it has less distractions in the photo and your Sardinian warbler is a cutie. Hope the weather is behaving itself for you today 🙂

    1. Yay that’s the one I prefer, and for the same reasons 😊
      Pure luck the warbler, and yes beautiful blue skies.

  9. Your Posts have encouraged me to buy a bird book! Yes, I’ve finally decided I should learn about the birds on my doorstep. I’ve got a book for bird-watching in Spain because I went with some bird-watchers there on a walk and became fascinated, but my own area is based only on my childhood knowledge when my grandfather used to take me to see birds’ nests and look at the eggs (but never touch).

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