The Algarve is a wonderful place to live and to watch the bird life that thrives here. This Southern-most tip of Europe is an ideal stopping off place for migrating birds in the spring and autumn. There are so many types of birds in the Algarve and countless breeding grounds that it’s difficult to know where to start.
Let’s see, there are wetlands, salt pans and marshes as well as brackish and freshwater lakes, all of which attract birds of one kind or another: well, actually each one attracts many kinds. Then there’s the countryside, the coastal areas, and the cities and towns too, all of which are filled with birds.
I’m not a self-confessed ‘twitcher’ as such, but nevertheless I’m entranced by some of the sights and sounds in my own garden in the foothills above Faro.
Blue Jays are very attracted to my bottlebrush plant and when in full bloom with its bright red ‘bottlebrushes’ it is filled with the startlingly bright blue of the Jays busy hunting and foraging among the branches. This is a brilliantly colourful sight to behold.
As much as I love to watch the strikingly marked Hoopoe, I am not thrilled when they visit my lawn to forage as I have been told it’s a sign of a potential blight in the grass!
So I try to keep the lawn in good shape and enjoy the rare sightings of this eye-catching bird. The stunning white Egrets are not good news either: they are after the fish and frogs in the pond, so I have to rely on them not wanting to socialise with my dogs and staying away from my pondlife. The same goes for the huge Herons I often see flying over my villa, which would enjoy a fish supper too, given half the chance. However, I do enjoy watching all of them soaring above with such grace.
Swifts skim across the swimming pool in the late afternoon for a refreshing drink or a quick wash. They are incredibly fast and agile and never seem to come to grief in their daring exploits. House Martins are in abundance and make their very messy nests in my porch and protect their young babies by trying to dive bomb me as I enter or leave the house.
A Woodpecker regularly comes to hammer away at one of the trees at the bottom of my garden and doesn’t seem to mind or even notice when I go to watch his valiant efforts. I spotted a beautiful, small, pure golden coloured bird the other day, I was told this is very rare and I was privileged to see it. This I can well believe as I just caught a flashing glimpse and he was gone!
There’s another bird that frequents my garden, but I’ve not managed to catch sight of it yet, let alone name it. It yowls like a distressed cat. There have been many occasions when this has caused me to search for a poor kitty trapped somewhere, only to realise it’s a bird call. Does anybody know what this bird is or has anyone heard it themselves?
Blackbirds come to explore, feed, sing and dance to their hearts content and a small Owl sits on my garden fence most mornings, watching me making tea in my kitchen.
It is a joy to have birdsong from dawn to dusk and ‘frog song’ from dusk to dawn.
The Algarve has to be a must-place-to-visit for the ornithologists in this world. This month is the anniversary of the birth of British ornithologist, William John Swainson. Born in London 1789, Swainson travelled as far afield as Australia to engage in his botanical studies.
The annual Sagres bird watching festival has just ended, but the migration season is still going strong. Sagres has its own dedicated bird watching website, full of information about the unique and indigenous species of the area as well as the migration of both popular and rare birds.
There are many bird watching tours on offer here in the Algarve, especially now in the ‘birding season’, so, I have included a few links for the dedicated bird watchers to whet your appetites.
Birds in my Algarve garden
by Sun’s Dragon
The Algarve is a wonderful place to live and to watch the bird life that thrives here. This Southern-most tip of Europe is an ideal stopping off place for migrating birds in the spring and autumn. There are so many types of birds in the Algarve and countless breeding grounds that it’s difficult to know where to start.
Let’s see, there are wetlands, salt pans and marshes as well as brackish and freshwater lakes, all of which attract birds of one kind or another: well, actually each one attracts many kinds. Then there’s the countryside, the coastal areas, and the cities and towns too, all of which are filled with birds.
I’m not a self-confessed ‘twitcher’ as such, but nevertheless I’m entranced by some of the sights and sounds in my own garden in the foothills above Faro.
Blue Jays are very attracted to my bottlebrush plant and when in full bloom with its bright red ‘bottlebrushes’ it is filled with the startlingly bright blue of the Jays busy hunting and foraging among the branches. This is a brilliantly colourful sight to behold.
As much as I love to watch the strikingly marked Hoopoe, I am not thrilled when they visit my lawn to forage as I have been told it’s a sign of a potential blight in the grass!
So I try to keep the lawn in good shape and enjoy the rare sightings of this eye-catching bird. The stunning white Egrets are not good news either: they are after the fish and frogs in the pond, so I have to rely on them not wanting to socialise with my dogs and staying away from my pondlife. The same goes for the huge Herons I often see flying over my villa, which would enjoy a fish supper too, given half the chance. However, I do enjoy watching all of them soaring above with such grace.
A Woodpecker regularly comes to hammer away at one of the trees at the bottom of my garden and doesn’t seem to mind or even notice when I go to watch his valiant efforts. I spotted a beautiful, small, pure golden coloured bird the other day, I was told this is very rare and I was privileged to see it. This I can well believe as I just caught a flashing glimpse and he was gone!
Blackbirds come to explore, feed, sing and dance to their hearts content and a small Owl sits on my garden fence most mornings, watching me making tea in my kitchen.
It is a joy to have birdsong from dawn to dusk and ‘frog song’ from dusk to dawn.
The Algarve has to be a must-place-to-visit for the ornithologists in this world. This month is the anniversary of the birth of British ornithologist, William John Swainson. Born in London 1789, Swainson travelled as far afield as Australia to engage in his botanical studies.
The annual Sagres bird watching festival has just ended, but the migration season is still going strong. Sagres has its own dedicated bird watching website, full of information about the unique and indigenous species of the area as well as the migration of both popular and rare birds.
There are many bird watching tours on offer here in the Algarve, especially now in the ‘birding season’, so, I have included a few links for the dedicated bird watchers to whet your appetites.
http://www.algarvebirdman.com/default.asp
https://www.facebook.com/birdwatching.algarve
http://www.algarve-birdwatching.com/
For more information on activities in the Algarve you may want to see these articles.
Bird Watching in the Algarve
Walking and Hiking in the Algarve
Cycling in the Algarve
Explore the Ria Formosa
Brought to you by Meravista – the place where smart people search for Algarve property for sale.