Last year I shared some extracts from MrB’s Portuguese journals, and said that I hoped to use his journals again for future posts. Life then became a bit crazy what with a house move, house improvements and unexpected trips on the QM2. So it has taken me until this month to create sufficient quiet moments to find the courage and strength to peek inside them again. Grief still triggers when I read his Portuguese journals, but I am so grateful I have them. They help bring back memories, as well as connect me to him.
It was grey, very wet and blustery, and the paths around the saltpans were incredibly muddy. We however were full of cheer as it was our first full day back in Olhão after the pandemic.
We did what we usually did the minute we’d had breakfast and set out for a birding session. We went clockwise, and initially it seemed we weren’t going to see much. The tide was up and there were only a few waders in the waters. It was nice to see a few still in their summer plumage.
As we walked further into the salterns the numbers of birds began to increase. Lots of turnstones, dunlins, sandpipers, black tailed godwits and the odd grey plover, greenshank and black winged stilt. There were also a few black headed gulls, lesser black backed gulls and yellow legged gulls. Nothing particular to get very excited about, and the grey sky meant I wasn’t getting great shots. I definitely prefer great light when photographing and identifying waders.
A pond at the back of the saltpans looked busy with mediterranean gulls, a few slender billed gulls and a couple of dozen avocets, and as I zoomed in I did get some nice reflections. Well up until a redshank decided to sound an alarm and everything flew off.
However MrB’s identification skills were pretty good even on grey days and his birding list was getting longer. By the time we had returned to the apartments he had recorded that we had observed 24 different species. Not the longest or most interesting list we have ever observed in a morning, but not bad given the tide, the weather, and time of day.
So what did we do afterwards to celebrate our arrival in Portugal; well according to MrB’s notebook we went to Continente (a Portuguese supermarket) in the afternoon. Makes me laugh reading that now in his journal; typical of him to record the mundane as well as the birds.
Wonderful flock of avocets. I wonder what the collective noun is.
What a gift and a resource to have Mr. B’s journals.
It really is 🙂
What a great way to remember…
thank you
I’m glad these memories are bringing you joy, Becky.
slowly getting there 🙂