The flock of Great Bustards (pictured above) took to the air because a juvenile (Eastern or Iberian) Imperial Eagle flew over them. The bustards can weigh up to 14 kg, so they are not the eagle’s normal prey. That bird had much more to learn about hunting. The eagle was one of 12 raptors that we saw on our day of birding in Castro Verde and the Guadiana Valley region in Alentejo, Portugal.
We had just finished a two-week tour of Iberia. We added two days to our trip in early November so I could do some birding. On our first day, we visited the Lisbon Estuaries (Tagus River). To get there, we travelled the 17-km long Vasco da Gama Bridge. The places we explored were Atalaya Farm, Hortas mudflats, the rice fields of Barroca, the salt pans at Samouco, and Ponta da Erva. That day, we saw 80 species. Highlights included Graylag Goose, Common Shelduck, Greater Flamingo, Black-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Curlew, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Gray Wagtail, Eurasian Nuthatch, and Short-toed Treecreeper. Our guide took us to a grove of cork trees and told us interesting facts about them. Also, we saw bulls destined for the corrida (ring), resting in a field.
Graylag Goose
On the second day, our guide took us to the Guadiana area. The bustard was a target bird, but all the raptors were the bonus for the day. In addition to the Imperial Eagle, we had a Short-toed Snake-Eagle, a Bonelli’s Eagle at day’s end, Eurasian Marsh-Harrier and Hen Harrier, Common Buzzards, Black-winged and Red Kites, (Common) Kestrels, 30 kettling Eurasian Griffons, and a Merlin. We also included Little Owls. The temperature was 16°C and the predicted rain didn’t come, so birding was good. Some of the other great birds we saw were Red-legged Partridge, Eurasian Thick-knee (Stone Curlew), Blackbellied Sandgrouse, Eurasian Hoopoe, Eurasian (Iberian) Magpies, Northern Lapwing, and Calandra and Thekla’s Larks. We even added two life mammals with a Eurasian River Otter and a herd of Fallow Deer.
European Hoopoe
On our own in Lisbon, we walked through parts of King Edward Vll Park. Besides being a beautiful place to visit, with great views of the harbour and interesting sculptures, all surrounded by beautiful architecture, the park is home to many birds. We found Eurasian Blackbird, three species of Tit (Great, Coal and European Blue), Common Firecrest, and European Robin. Our time birding in Portugal paid off handsomely.
European Robin
Note: All photos are from Pexels.com, an online source of copyright-free photos.
Glad you enjoyed Portugal!