I will be returning there in the next week and will definitely be using your directions to find the Great Bustards!
It is nice to see that you have enjoyed The Algarve, it is certainly a great birding location!
Inspired to a major extent my Marc Buzzard's posting on this forum a year or so ago, we had a family holiday in Praia da Luz on the Algarve this August.
Highlights included success with my three target lifers - Wilson's Petrel (from a shark fishing trip), Great Bustards a-plenty in the Castro Verde region, as well as 'common' Azure-winged Magpies. There was also a memorable encounter with a large flock of migrating White Storks, and a single Black Stork the same day.
There is a full trip report, illustrated with DLSR pics and a location map for the Bustards, on my website at http://www.stephenburch.com/trips/algarve/algarve.htm
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your trip report Stephen and your pictures are superb! I have visited the Algarve regularly over the last few years and one of my highlights has to be watching the Swallows catching their evening meal over Pera Marsh, they were literally flying within a few feet of us! It must have been a nice surprise to see the flock of White Storks!
I will be returning there in the next week and will definitely be using your directions to find the Great Bustards!
It is nice to see that you have enjoyed The Algarve, it is certainly a great birding location!
Hi Stephen,
Great report thanks.
I've been to the Algarve a few times, but our one and only trip to the Castro Verde area was last October when we had quite a few problems due to previous heavy rain having rendered most of the tracks impassable and numerous fallen branches (and a couple of trees!) across the tarmac-ed roads. All-in-all, not a great day to choose to go, and we plan to have another try one day...
Enjoyed the pics...