Pedro´s Rookie Year

[pedro maia]

The best area to spot the great bustards is around the small town of Castro Verde, some 200km from home, it had been quite a long day, just before Castro Verde I saw one but I was in a main road and couldn´t stop the car, following the directions I had seen in a Portuguese website I passed Castro Verde, drove 10km and turn left to a rural road, seen nothing but a few storks and started the way back home, still in that road I kept seeing the storks but there was something moving (quite a few hundred meters from the road), although perfectly blended with the landscape colours, there they were, four great bustards, far away but good enough for my counting.

 

#75, 16-3, Great Bustard, Castro Verde area

 

 

 

[pedro maia]

#76, 17-3,  Rose-ringed Parakeet, Oeiras, Jardim Palácio do Marquês de Pombal

 

 

[pedro maia]

Now an EBC momment:

 

#77, 22-3,  Great Spotted Woodpecker, Estação Agronómica de Oeiras

 

#78, 22-3,  Short-toed Treecreeper , Estação Agronómica de Oeiras

 

Cropped:

[pedro maia]

#79, 29-3, Red-legged Partridge, Quinta do Pisão, Sintra-Cascais

Edited April 8, 2019 by pedro maia

[TonyQ]

You are really racing along -excellent sightings!

[lmSA84]

Excellent sightings! Especially the bustard

[pedro maia]

Bought myself  a new camera, a Canon EOS 800D, seems ok for my level, and a Tamron 100-400 lens, let’s see if I can try them tomorrow, this afternoon I went birding and there were showers and sunny spells, I think tomorrow it may rain a little more.

[xelas]

@pedro maia, congratulations on your new gear, I am really interested to see its results. But never forget, it is all about enjoyment!

[PeterHG]

Good to hear about the new camera and lens, @pedro maia! Have fun with the new toys. I am looking forward to your photos.

[TonyQ]

So it looks like the Big Year is becoming expensive

Have fun with the new camera and lens!

[Dave Williams]

i hope you have lots of fun with the new toy! Look forward to seeing the results.

[Peter Connan]

I also hope you really enjoy your new kit.

[Game Warden]

20 hours ago, pedro maia said:

Bought myself  a new camera, a Canon EOS 800D,

 

Great stuff: was it ST and the Big Year that inspired the purchase? We'll all enjoy seeing the results of the new kit.

 

Matt

[pedro maia]

Thanks guys, I hope to have fun with it, I tried it today but didn’t see the results yet, I think I struggled a bit to focus small birds also in a close range, have to check that and see what I’m doing wrong.

 

Seems to be good and quite fast for in flight shots.

Edited April 6, 2019 by pedro maia

[pedro maia]

2 hours ago, Game Warden said:

 

Great stuff: was it ST and the Big Year that inspired the purchase? We'll all enjoy seeing the results of the new kit.

 

Matt

 

I wanted to buy a new camera since the DSLR I was using is my daughter’s, but I wouldn’t have bought it now if I didn’t have this new adiction, the BY desease .

[pedro maia]

These are still from yesterday, when I reached my second goal:

 

#80, 5-4, Booted Eagle, Monte de Pancas area

 

 

 

 

 

 

#81, 5-4, Black Kite, Monte de Pancas area

 

 

 

[pedro maia]

Now a couple of ID doubts:

 

Can this be a Rock Sparrow?

 

 

 

 

How about this one?

 

 

 

And can this be a Tree Sparrow?

 

 

 

[Galana]

It could be a Rock Sparrow but looks to me more like a female House Sparrow.

Your "Tree Sparrow" is actually a Woodchat Shrike.

 

 

I am also wondering if your Booted Eagle is not a Short-toed Snake Eagle. The dark head and bib give it the appearance of one.

[pedro maia]

34 minutes ago, Galana said:

It could be a Rock Sparrow but looks to me more like a female House Sparrow.

Your "Tree Sparrow" is actually a Woodchat Shrike.

 

 

I am also wondering if your Booted Eagle is not a Short-toed Snake Eagle. The dark head and bib give it the appearance of one.

 

The Woodchat Shrike will go to the count, thanks.

 

Regarding the eagle, the booted eagle was seen today and yesterday in the area and the ID was confirmed in a Portuguese forum, still I’m going to ask a friend of mine who I found to be real birder for his opinion, challenge the answer I got in the Portuguese forum and correct if necessary.

 

[Galana]

10 hours ago, pedro maia said:

and the ID was confirmed in a Portuguese forum,

It may well be a Booted Eagle as dark versions do exist but I don't see the diagnostic 'landing lights'.

[pedro maia]

34 minutes ago, Galana said:

It may well be a Booted Eagle as dark versions do exist but I don't see the diagnostic 'landing lights'.

 

So far everybody in the Portuguese forum sticks to the booted eagle, a pale one, for the momment I’ll leave it like that, although for my BY there’s no difference, until now I didn’t have any of them.

[pedro maia]

#82, 5/4, Woodchat Shrike,  Monte de Pancas area.

[pedro maia]

#83, 7/4, Yellow Wagtail, Lezíria de Vila Franca de Xira

 

 

#84, 7/4, Grey Plover, Lezíria de Vila Franca de Xira

 

[pedro maia]

There was some talk about larks in someone´s thread, that made me came back to check if this one wasn´t a sparrow as I first thought:

 

 

And it isn´t 

 

#85, 7/4, Greater Short-toed Lark, Lezíria de Vila Franca de Xira

 

 

[pedro maia]

And now a double shot:

 

#86, 7/4, Hen Harrier, Lezíria de Vila Franca de Xira

#87, 7/4, Palid Harrier, Lezíria de Vila Franca de Xira

 

 

 

 

 

I´m quite happy with these, I coudn´t ID them, I got help in the portuguese birds forum, and not only I have two different birds of prey flying together, both new for me, but also I found out that the palid harrier is in the portuguese list of rarities.

Edited April 11, 2019 by pedro maia