This is not a Big Year - Pedro´s 2021

[pedro maia]

A couple fo  species inside the town of Castro Verde

 

#18 Common blackbird

 

#19 Pallid swift

[pedro maia]

A few km west there´s a good spot for a not so common migrant, the Ribeira de Maria Delgada.

 

#20 Azure-winged magpie

 

And I found what I was looking for in this spot

 

#21 Rufous-tailed scrub robin

 

[pedro maia]

Next I just drove around through the rolling plains of the area, looking around and up for other birds (I have a sore neck now ).

 

#22 Carrion crow

 

#23 House sparrow

#24 Spanish sparrow

 

#25 Woodchat shrike

 

#26 Common wood pigeon

[pedro maia]

#27 Black kite

 

#28 Common buzzard

 

#29 Griffon vulture

 

Vultures are allways among my facourites...

 

#20 Red-legged partridge

 

It didn´t want me to get it´s picture.

[pedro maia]

Another stop at Álvares, already in Mértola municipality, where I woyld have another good surprise.

 

#31 Black-winged stilt

 

#32 Common ringed plover

 

 

#33 Little ringed plover

 

#34 Little grebe

 

And the surprise, I had only seen this species in the Lezíria a couple of times, never in this area.

 

#35 Collared pratincole

 

[pedro maia]

Back on the road

 

#36 Short-toed snake eagle

 

#37 European bee-eater

 

#38 White stork

 

#39 Corn bunting 

 

#40 Crested lark

 

#41 Eurasian coot

[pedro maia]

And the last batch

 

#42 Stonechat

 

#43 Eurasian hoopoe

 

#44 Common raven

 

 

And the last of the summer migrants

 

#45 Montagu's harrier

 

 

 

Among the pictures I deleted by accident were Eurasian magpie, Northern shoveler, Mallard and Cattle eggret, which we take the Big Day count to 49.

 

At 17:00 I called it a day and drove home, it was aa full and ver good day, although I missed afew species, such as the most iconic one, the Great bustard, also the little one,the Black-bellied sandgrouse, the Calandra lark and the 3 big eagles, Imperial, Golden an Bonelli´s, but I´ll be back to look for those and other species.

Edited May 9, 2021 by pedro maia

[Galana]

A very good day and much better than the one I had.

Well done.

[Kitsafari]

5 hours ago, pedro maia said:

And I found what I was looking for, a whole colony, in the abandoned station and alongside the road to Castro Verde I saw more than 30, I lost count...

 

#8 Lesser Kestrel

 

 

More than 30??!! wow! this calls for a visit to Portugal too.

[michael-ibk]

Very cool day, so many mouthwatering species, wow! 

[elefromoz]

Welcome back Pedro, Im really pleased to be seeing your Portugal collection again, not surprised you're slowing it down a bit this year. I just love seeing what everyones home and surrounds has on offer, its all new to me and helps me be a bit optimistic about where I may get to one day. If not, that's OK too, I enjoy the Birds and vistas anyway.

[Dave Williams]

No mean feat getting 49 shots even if you hit the delete button by accident ! Well done.

[pedro maia]

Spent a few days in Northern Alentejo and Serra da Estrela (the highest point of continental Portugal), lots of heat (44º passing by Spanish Extremadura), lots of vultures and other raptors but didn´t get to see any of the big eagles I was looking for.

 

At Serra da Estrela I saw a species that´s new for me and that occurs only in the highest parts of the country during summer, the Rock thrush:

 

 

 

 

[Galana]

Good to see you are still with us. Well done on the Rock Thrush.

[Kitsafari]

what a pretty rock thrush!

[pedro maia]

I finally saw one of the big eagles, the rarest of them:

Spanish imperial eagle

 

Bad picture though...

Edited August 30, 2021 by pedro maia

[elefromoz]

On 8/20/2021 at 10:33 PM, pedro maia said:

lots of vultures and other raptors but didn´t get to see any of the big eagles I was looking for.

Well that sounds so exciting to me! Great luck with the Imperial Eagle.

[Dave Williams]

On 8/29/2021 at 8:02 PM, pedro maia said:

I finally saw one of the big eagles, the rarest of them:

Spanish imperial eagle

 

 

Bad picture though...

 

Not that bad Pedro! I'd take that any day.

 

[Peter Connan]

Looks pretty good to me too!

[Kitsafari]

the rarest of them all - and you got it! wheee!

[pedro maia]

15 hours ago, Peter Connan said:

Looks pretty good to me too!

 

You´re too kind Peter, but truth is the picture is bad, it´s not focused, and that´s what happened with all the pictures I took from that eagle. And I had all the conditions to take some nice pictures. I got out of the car to check some birds in a distant waterhole when the eagle took off from the ground on my right side, maybe some 25m/30m from where I was standing, and it flew by from right to left in front of me with the right light behind me, I had time to take as many pictures as I wanted and not a single one was focused, that´s a bit frustrating because you don´t have such a near and clear sighting of an Imperial eagle very often.

Here are a few more pictures, not even one is decent:

 

 

 

 

Edited September 3, 2021 by pedro maia

[Galana]

Unfocussed or just 'Soft' because of handheld shake? Happens a lot to me as you know.

[elefromoz]

I feel your disappointment, but don't beat yourself up, I have had an identical experience many times...

[Peter Connan]

8 hours ago, elefromoz said:

I feel your disappointment, but don't beat yourself up, I have had an identical experience many times...

Same here, many times.

Still not sure if it's technique or atmospheric conditions...

[shazdwn]

On 9/4/2021 at 7:07 PM, elefromoz said:

I feel your disappointment, but don't beat yourself up, I have had an identical experience many times...

Me too