There are some super cool birds here in the Algarve and I've enjoyed getting in some birding during our month in this region. It's always fun to mark off a new bird on my Merlin app!
One evening we drove to the Parque Natural da Ria Formosa to see if we could catch any wildlife during golden hour. We only walked around a tiny section of this coastal lagoon which is protected by five barrier islands and two peninsulas. This makes it an amazing wetland area for wildlife. Wow did we see a lot in an hour before we decided to escape the onslaught of mosquitos feasting on us. Some of these birds I had seen before but many of them I had not.
Pied Avocets with their incredible long slender upcurved bills.
Common Shelducks which are a large gooselike duck with bright red bills and wonderful colors. They were mixed in with Eurasian Coots and the Avocets.
Wading Black-winged Stilts with their thin, straight bill and long bright pink legs.
The tiny Little Tern which darted all over the place swooping all around. Sometimes it splashed dived straight down into the water to catch little fish. It was incredible to watch it's speed and the way it could maneuver.
There were also Greater Flamingos and Great Crested Grebes but they stayed further away so my images aren't as great for these.
The White Stork which you see everywhere here. They build their nests on the tops of abandoned structures, trees, construction equipment and power line towers. It's hard to get great images because they're typically quite high up, but I was able to capture some pictures one evening. Many of the nests had babies in them being fed and if you look carefully you can see that in a few of these.
I love watching the Rock Pigeons because they have such variety in their coloring.
And last, but not least, the seagulls which we never get tired of watching.
How do some of these birds have such stark white feathers?? How do they keep them so pristine? All of those birds you found at the wetland area have such gorgeous colors. I love the deep contrasts and pops of color on some of their bills and legs. 😍 Also so fun to see the storks again!!
Birds are so beautiful. I love the photos you took of my chickens.