Sibes in Algarve

[Colin Key]

Ian Lewington reported to the Portuguese "Raridades" Committee that Nic Hallam has seen, heard and photographed a Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus) near the newly-rebuilt hide at Qta do Lago on 4th November.

I also heard today that a Little Bunting (Emberiza pusilla) was trapped and ringed at Estombar (near Portimão) today, with another individual also possibly present at the same location.

Makes you wonder just what is out there in this very under-watched part of S Europe :ouch:

Colin

P.S. Needless to say, I "dipped" on both birds :cry:

*EDIT: I am adding Thijs's image of the Little Bunting published on "Fórum Aves". It was Thijs who found, trapped, ringed and photographed this beautiful bird (have not asked his permission, hope this is O.K. Thijs!!):

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/Passarinhos/pic_1110.jpg
Copyright © Thijs Valkenburg

Colin

[Brian S]

Colin

You might like to see some records from the recent Limosa Holidays trip to the Algarve in September

Scopoli's Shearwater (Mediterranean race of Cory's) from a pelagic out of Sagres 5th

Great Shearwater - One from the boat trip from Sagres 5th

Ruppell's Griffon Vulture - Three Cape St Vincent 10th with 100+ Eurasian

Spotted Crake - One Lagoa dos Salgados 6th & 9th

Pectoral Sandpiper - One Lagoa dos Salgados 6th

Brian S

[Bobolink44]

See the recent Yellow-browed Warbler in Canaries.
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/birdinglanzarote
Is it not possible a lot of these vagrants that make landfall further north in Europe trickle down the Iberian peninsula on their way to Africa??

[MichaelF]

Is it not possible a lot of these vagrants that make landfall further north in Europe trickle down the Iberian peninsula on their way to Africa??
That would involve a change in direction of migration, and I suspect they'd not do that. The Yellow-browed Warblers that come to Britain are intending to winter here, if they don't make the mistake of continuing out into the mid-Atlantic and drowning. One Yellow-browed Warbler per square kilometre of spruce plantation in western Britain and Ireland would be virtually impossible to find among all the Goldcrests, but would still mean a potential wintering population of 10,000 or more. All we see is the small fraction that don't have an easy crossing and are forced down onto the coast to rest.

[robinchittenden]

Colin

You might like to see some records from the recent Limosa Holidays trip to the Algarve in September

Scopoli's Shearwater (Mediterranean race of Cory's) from a pelagic out of Sagres 5th

Great Shearwater - One from the boat trip from Sagres 5th

Ruppell's Griffon Vulture - Three Cape St Vincent 10th with 100+ Eurasian

Spotted Crake - One Lagoa dos Salgados 6th & 9th

Pectoral Sandpiper - One Lagoa dos Salgados 6th

Brian S

Colin please contact me if you would like a copy of the tour report

Thanks

Robin Chittenden

www.birdlineeastanglia.co.uk & www.harlequinpictures.co.uk

[Andrew Cunningham]

Hi Robin,

I am becoming a regular to the Algarve and am considering an Autumn trip instead of a winter trip so would I be able to have a copy too?

Regards,
Andrew.

[Nic Hallam]

I have just uploaded a couple of pics of the Algarve Dusky Warbler on the 'European Stop Press' photo page.
Nic.

[Colin Key]

Thanks Nic, nice photos. Can you be more precise about the location of the bird; in the message passed on by Ian it said in "scrub near the hide" - I presume you mean in the scrub behind (the seaward side) the hide? And how close to the hide was it?

No-one has been able to relocate the bird. One problem is that it is "diluted" by the largest influx of Chiffchaffs I ever witnessed here. My recollection for recent U.K. birds is that they are often long-stayers and site-faithful.

Colin

[Hotspur]

That would involve a change in direction of migration, and I suspect they'd not do that. The Yellow-browed Warblers that come to Britain are intending to winter here, if they don't make the mistake of continuing out into the mid-Atlantic and drowning. One Yellow-browed Warbler per square kilometre of spruce plantation in western Britain and Ireland would be virtually impossible to find among all the Goldcrests, but would still mean a potential wintering population of 10,000 or more. All we see is the small fraction that don't have an easy crossing and are forced down onto the coast to rest.

I think your mistaken here, these birds (if you accept the reverse migration theory) would then move SW from britain into Iberia and NW Africa to winter. Richards Pipit for example can be found in small parties along the SE coast of Spain in winter. I believe there has been a ringing recovery of a bird (cant remember which species that has been caught in Spain after being ringed in the UK. If you don't accept the reverse migration theory a la Lees & Gilroy then what your saying could be true but why are birds picked up (but only in small numbers) on return passage - surely these will have been wintering out of country and you mention the figure of 10,000 birds, obviously a pie in the sky figure but why are there many more records of Firecrest wintering and yet their wintering pop is thought to be much lower. Further to this why dont we see Yellow-brows around sewage farms in the same way that chiffchaffs are seen in those surronds?

[MichaelF]

Like Gilroy & Lees (2003; Brit. Birds 96: 427-438), I don't accept the reverse migration theory - there's no hard evidence for it ;-)

Why birds are only picked up in small numbers on return migration: most of them don't stop in places where people might be looking for them. Just the same as the numbers of UK-breeding summer visitors counted at UK coastal migration sites is only a very small fraction of the total breeding population. The great majority will be doing flights direct from their wintering sites to their next stopover sites outside of Britain; unless they run into bad weather while flying over water, they won't stop on coasts.

Yellow-broweds are (like Goldcrests) less strongly attracted to sewage farm habitats than Chiffchaffs; they are to a greater extent conifer forest birds. And there is masses of food available for them (and for Goldcrests) in Sitka Spruce plantations in winter, in the very abundant green spruce aphid Elatobium abietinum (pics attached; often so abundant as to partially defoliate the trees). And of course the interior of spruce plantations is a very hard habitat for birding in, and one that few birders visit (other than occasionally, to tick off crossbills). It'll be interesting to see what the new BTO/BWI/SOC atlas turns up, as at least a few birders should be looking at spruce plantations in more detail than usual.

[Nic Hallam]

Colin,
The Dusky Warbler frequented the small stunted bushes running along the southern shoreline of the lagoon, the ones in deep shade directly in front of the hide in the attached photo'. It was almost always on the ground beneath them, or in the very lowest branches. In particular it favoured the large rounded bush at the centre. It was very faithful to this area and at no time did I ever see it on the seaward side of the track. Yes the whole area was awash with Chiffchaffs, but it never associated with them. It was very vocal. I found it there late on the evening of 3rd and watched it for c4 hours on the 4th. I looked for it extensively on the 5th and again on 7th. I presume it departed overnight on the 4th.
Nic.

[Colin Key]

And now a report from Nelson Fonseca (on the Portuguese yahoo "Raridades" site) that a Yellow-browed Warbler has been found amongst Chiffchaffs at Querença a Tôr, Loulé.

Colin

[Colin Key]

Colin,
The Dusky Warbler frequented the small stunted bushes running along the southern shoreline of the lagoon, the ones in deep shade directly in front of the hide in the attached photo'. It was almost always on the ground beneath them, or in the very lowest branches. In particular it favoured the large rounded bush at the centre. It was very faithful to this area and at no time did I ever see it on the seaward side of the track. Yes the whole area was awash with Chiffchaffs, but it never associated with them. It was very vocal. I found it there late on the evening of 3rd and watched it for c4 hours on the 4th. I looked for it extensively on the 5th and again on 7th. I presume it departed overnight on the 4th.
Nic.

Thanks for the additional info Nic. No further sightings, so it must have moved on. I think I am going to go crazy looking at the huge number of Chiffchaffs around here at the moment (each of which appears to be subtly different!!).

Colin

[AndyB]

Colin, photo of the Yellow-browed on Euro Stop Press Gallery and reproduced below:

Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus), Loulé, Algarve, Portugal, Quinta da Passagem, Querença November 14th, 2008 © Nelson Fonseca
http://www.surfbirds.com/media/gallery_photos/20081120103409.JPG

[Colin Key]

Thanks for that Andy; the photo is not up to Nelson's usual standard (but digiscoping these little blighters is a nightmare!) but nevertheless convincing.

Another Yellow-browed Warbler has now been reported (by João Tiago Rocha Tavares on "Raridades Newsgroup") at Barranco do Velho in the Lower Alenejo near Almodóvar/Martinlongo.

Colin

[Simon Wates]

[QUOTE=Colin Key;9728]Ian Lewington reported to the Portuguese "Raridades" Committee that Nic Hallam has seen, heard and photographed a Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus) near the newly-rebuilt hide at Qta do Lago on 4th November.

I also heard today that a Little Bunting (Emberiza pusilla) was trapped and ringed at Estombar (near Portimão) today, with another individual also possibly present at the same location.

Makes you wonder just what is out there in this very under-watched part of S Europe :ouch:

Colin

P.S. Needless to say, I "dipped" on both birds :cry:

Hi all - Thys (the guy who ringed this or another bird on the 4th Nov) and myself re-found the Little Bunting near Sítio das Fontes, Estômbar (close to Portimão) - we could not see if it was ringed. It seems that this bird has been around for over a month and seems set to overwinter.

I was quite lucky to find it, the bird flew up from rice stubble calling as we walked by - its the first time I have visited this super area since last winter.

I expect that due to this new info a number of people will be looking for it soon - quite difficult I believe, but certainly worth a try - a fantastic species and lovely to see, I haven't seen one since a bird at Sandbach Flashes, Cheshire in the spring of 1977 (or was it 1978?).

Hope some of you can get to see it!

All the best

Simon

[Colin Key]

Simon,

Are you able to give a grid reference or post a Google Sat image of this locality?

I have been there before with Roger and another Aussie birder - it was bloody nightmare finding the place (assuming it is where I am thinking of).

I would like to see this bird "in the wild".

Ciao,

Colin

[Simon Wates]

Directions to the reedbeds and rice-fields at Senhora do Rosario, Sítio das Fontes close to Estômbar, Portimão - where the Little Bunting was seen yesterday:

1. Turn south off the EN125 on the Estômbar turn-off.
2. Turn left at the roundabout you will come to after about 1km.
3. You are practically in Estômbar, drive to near the end of the town/village looking for a sign to the left saying Sítio das Fontes (amongst a number of other destinations). Turn left here - this turning is about the 3rd or 4th turning on the left.
4. Keeping on the main road drive out of town and after something like 1km keep your eye out for another sign to the left saying Sítio das Fontes.
5. Turn here along the narrow tarmac road, when you come to a picnic area less than 1km continue and the road transforms into a track. Very soon you will be going downhill and you will see the reedbed and ricefields on the left. There is one ruin on the left - you can park near here by a wire gate with a stile on the right. You are at the site.
6. Go over the stile and walk sharp left along a very low embankment dividing the ricefield from an area of rushes - walk along here some 200m and just after a sharp bend to the right by the main reedbed you are at the place where the bird was feeding - on the rice stubble.

Good luck! Sorry for not posting a map - this old fashioned way will get you to the site and was a lot quicker to post - I'm full of work on the computer!

Best wishes

Simon

[Colin Key]

Simon,

Many thanks for your excellent directions. With the help of my co-pilot (Roger, who read out your post which I had printed off) we found the site without any problems. As I thought, Sítio das Fontes was the place that we had visited before but we never went beyond the picnic site from where we walked up the edge of the Arade in search of a reported Trumpeter Finch which we never found.

We had no better luck today but I think that the gale force winds were our enemy. Very few birds were showing and anything "on the wing" was moving so fast it was impossible to identify. The few birds on the ground (White Wagtail, Meadow Pipits, Bluethroat) were "keeping their heads down". There is a huge amount of stubble there where a tiny bunting could hide itself!

The location itself looks interesting and we will return. Had some good views of Marsh Harrier, including a superb adult male. Also a flock of approximately 50 Common Waxbills.

I posted here just for information for any other interested parties - Roger was intending to contact you directly for more precise details of the last sighting of the bird.

Regards,

Colin

[Simon Wates]

This morning, around 09.00hrs Thijs Valkenburg caught a Rustic Bunting very close to the place where he caught the recent Little Bunting (see previous posts). Looks like a 1st winter plumaged male.

See photos (soon) at http://aves.team-forum.net/forum.htm

I believe that this is just the second recorded in Portugal.

Simon