Pedro does it again, 2nd Year!!

[xelas]

1 hour ago, Soukous said:

What I suggest is that you pick a subject

 

I have used a teddy bear . 

[TonyQ]

@xelas did you count it? 

[Galana]

Thanks @Soukous

Food for thought (once I can understand the fine print.)

[Soukous]

45 minutes ago, xelas said:

 

I have used a teddy bear . 

 

Do you really want to be telling us about what you get up to in the privacy of your own home?

[Galana]

I think we should be pleased it WAS a Teddy Bear.

[pedro maia]

Yesterday, for the first time since lockdown, I went for a day trip outside the Lisbon area, I had a couple of options but the choice was to go to Portas de Rodão (more on that right after) but starting with a drive in an area of northern Alentejo where I haven´t gone before, that drive would also allow me to spend sometime before going to Portas de Rodão waiting for the weather to clear since it was overcast during the morning and I was waiting for some sunny spells after midday.

 

That area, of the Póvoas e Meadas Dam and the country roads in the area of Nisa is beautiful and has great bitrding potencial, I´ll have to return one of these days starting earlier and with patient to look for some species that  occur there and that I have to try harder to find.

 

It felt really good to drive alone for a few hours away from home and I brought back 5 new species for the count, the weather wasn´t great and the light was quite complicated so picture quality was far from good but it was worth it anyway.

 

This was the first one, I´m sure I´ll see it other times and take better pictures:

 

#156, 8/5, Bee-eater, Nisa

 

[pedro maia]

#157, 8/5, Red-rumped swallow, Barragem de Póvoa e Meadas

[pedro maia]

#158, 8/5, Eurasian crag martin, Barragem de Póvoa e Meadas

 

 

With this one I completed the swallows that occur in Portugal.

[pedro maia]

I didn´t stay long in this area, while driving I kept scanning the skies looking for birds of prey, big gliders occur there but only got to see a booted eagle and a common buzzard, finally I arrived to Portas (doors) de Rodão, a geological accident through wich the Tejo river passes, a really beautiful place:

 

 

In order to see what I was looking for I had to take the road that leads to the Castle of Rodão, allegedly erected by the visigoth king Wamba in the 7th century, where there is a metal platform that overlooks the river:

 

 

Views from the platform:

 

 

The rock escarpment which is home to one of the biggest colonies (in Portugal) of the species I knew I would see there:

 

 

#159, 8/5, Griffon vulture, Portas/Castelo de Rodão

 

 

Griffons come from the base of the escarpment gaining altitude with the air currents and quickly one is at eye level with them, just for a while because they keep going up, in this case when the sun showed up it was already quite high and the Griffons climb on the right side of the platform where the sun is positioned hence the light problems for pictures (also because I forgot that there´s the exposure setting).

 

Mighty birds, I´m a huge fan of them!!

 

 

 

Cinereous and Egyptian (rarer) also occur in the area but I never saw them there and also didn´t see them this time.

Edited May 9, 2020 by pedro maia

[pedro maia]

I kept scanning the base of the escarpment and the river with the binoculars, a White stork showed up but they are very common also close to Lisbon so it had no special interest for me:

 

 

But scanning paid off because there´s a rare species that occurs in that place and which I wasn´t really expecting to see since I didn´t the previous times I went there, but this time I did and it was the highlight of the day:

 

 

 #160, 8/5, Black stork, Portas/Castelo de Rodão

 

It was a pair which probably means they are nesting in the escarpment.

 

 

 

[pedro maia]

Even if I could have get more ticks to the count it was quite a good day trip and the Black storks the cherry on top of the cake, it was also great to see them together with the Griffons:

 

 

Griffons with the river as background:

 

 

Last year I had a super sighting of a Bonelli´s eagle pair in this place but they didn´t show up this time, what showed up was this Black kite, quite close to the platform:

 

 

 

And that´s all from yesterday.

[Soukous]

2 hours ago, pedro maia said:

Great, now I have homework .

 

Oh yes, and there will be a test !!!

[pedro maia]

8 minutes ago, Soukous said:

 

Oh yes, and there will be a test !!!

 

Now I feel the pressure...

 

Edited May 9, 2020 by pedro maia

[TonyQ]

A very productive trip, and I am sure very enjoyable 

[Galana]

A good day out.

Now it is my turn to suggest your Kite is a Red.

That tail is very forked and the underwing white patch is very, er, "white".

[Kitsafari]

beautiful scenery , topped with the raptors. awesome. 

[PeterHG]

A very good trip, @pedro maia, which got you beautiful additions in a stunning scenery!

[pedro maia]

5 hours ago, Galana said:

A good day out.

Now it is my turn to suggest your Kite is a Red.

That tail is very forked and the underwing white patch is very, er, "white".

 

This kites are all alike, I think that by now red kites should have left but who knows, it’s not important for my count but I’m going to ask for opinions in the Portuguese forum.

[Peter Connan]

A very beautiful area!

[pedro maia]

As @Galana said, it´s a Red  Kite, not a black one.

[michael-ibk]

Fantastic scenery Pedro, and some really cool birds you got there!

[pedro maia]

#161, 10/5, Cory's shearwater, Cabo Raso, Cascais

 

 

 

 

Edited May 10, 2020 by pedro maia

[pedro maia]

#162, 11/5, Common swift, Pancas

[pedro maia]

I think this (duplicate) Great tit is ok:

 

[pedro maia]

And I enjoyed a lot this pursuit:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know it´s speculation but I think that it´s possible that the kite stole the prey from the buzzard.