Photoblog: Birds of the Algarve (June 2011)

Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) Tavira saltflats 28/6/11

Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) in flight, Tavira 28/6/11 



Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
It was great seeing these for the first time. This photo doesn't really do it justice; they are a beautiful wader with exceptionally long red legs (apparently the longest legs relative to body length of any bird in the world) One of the highlights of my trip was sitting in a ditch early one morning, watching a pair I suspect were nesting nearby. Don't let it be said that I don't know how to have fun! 



Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) Tavira saltflats, 28/6/11
 Not a great a photo but a nice record of this small, pretty wader that is a rarity in the UK (don't be fooled by the name!) You can just make out the dark legs and thin breast band that seperate it from other plovers.

Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) Parque Nacional Ria Formosa, 29/6/11
 I saw a few of these and although they look stunning when perched, I think they're even more incredible in flight. With rapid beats of stiff wings they looked somehow...primitive? 

White Storks (Ciconia ciconia) Tavira 28/6/11
There were several pairs of these hard-to-miss birds just a short walk from our apartment. They readily use man-made structures close to marshes to build their spectacular nests and return year after year to the same sites. It was great looking out in the evenings and seeing their striking forms dotting the horizon.

Mum and I twitching a Purple Gallinule! Field near Parque Nacional Ria Formosa, 29/6/11
A rare bird even in this part of Portugal which is supposedly a stronghold for the population. Closley resembling a Coot or Moorhen, locals call it the 'Purple Chicken' and although there were some doubts as to whether or not what we saw was one, I'm certain we got it.