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| Azure-winged Magpie |
On October 1st we flew to Faro with our friends Gen, John and Pete. Our holiday cottage overlooked the Ria da Formosa saltmarsh and lagoons with a good variety of waders and sea birds.
The garden is a haven for local birds including Azure-winged Magpie, Little Owls, Spotted and Pied Flycatchers, Great Spotted and Iberian Green Woodpeckers, Waxbill, Hoopoe, and Red-rumped Swallows to name but a few.
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| Bar-tailed Godwit |
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| Griffon Vultures |
We managed to fit in a Pelagic from Sagres for Shearwater and a visit to the Alentejo for Bustards, Vultures etc. as well as visiting the Odiel Marshes in Spain and the Castro Marim salt pans.
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| Red Signal Crayfish at Vilamoura |
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| Monarch Butterfly at Vilamoura | | |
Other sites that we visited included Quinta do Lago and Ludo Farm, the Parque Ambiental at Vilamoura and Lagoa do Salgados.
Our final species count was 156 which included a Sacred Ibis found at Salgados on the last day. A tropical downpour was a refreshing end to a great birding holiday!
