Sociable Plover

On the 28th at Pancas, Tagus estuary... 1st winter Sociable Plover Vanellus gregarius

Red-throated Diver at Peniche harbour

Instead of a Great-northern Diver that was reported at Peniche harbour in the morning I stumble upon with this awesome Red-throated Diver, Gavia stellata

This is Peniche, lots of good birds, you just need the right gear to reach them!!!!

Olive-backed Pipit

Found (2 ind.) by Magnus Robb on the 21 at Cabriz, Sintra, two days later and at least one bird has been relocated at the same place.
Just before the sun came up, at least one Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni circled us twice calling! but only to see her gaining altitude and head north, just to be found again 5 hours later in the lower branches of a small pine tree.

Baltic gull or Baltic origin!?

Another great gull however unringed, this time from Espinho   41° 0'8.67"N  8°38'49.00"W, the jizz is obviously slender, with long primary projection, probably the 150% more as stated for nominate fuscus, exceding tarsus lenght. At distance the strinking dark jet black upperparts, equalling primary color stood out in the middle of the other LBBG present.

Here (above) together with some dark late moulting graellsii/intermedius.

Note the dark upperparts, and very  long primary projection.

Leg color and dark smudge on bill could suggest a 4cy.

Outer primaries old but still in good condition, and showing a small P10 mirror, winter head sreaking restricted to the hindneck  and behind the eye.

P5 new, P6 on the way, dropped P7 and P8 to P10 old, moulted outermost secondaries???  dropped outermost GC and growing outermost MC....I would say primary moult was suspended on P4 still at breeding site, then started moulting again in the wintering grounds, some of the November fuscus seen at Israel showed similar moult score . Western Europe is not on the migration route taken by nominate fuscus unlike graellsii/intermedius, however several ringed birds have been seen on a regular basis in Spain, 1 or 2 color ring readings from Portugal and Morocco.
However nominate fuscus is diclining, estimated 90% since 1970, with 18 000 - 19 000 pairs worldwide (2006),  pesticide ingestion in African wintering quarters are one of the causes with high mortality rate between immature birds due to liver failure, and recent expansion northwards of pale-mantled intermedius into all dark fuscus breeding colonies.

Gulls at Afurada, Porto

At Afurada harbour in Gaia, Porto area 41° 8'34.53"N  8°38'54.11"W ......
1st winter Larus delawarensis

2nd winter Larus delawarensis

Larus canus

Snow Bunting at Cabedelo, Porto

Since I spend most of my time looking at gulls whenever I went to the coast, this was a 1st timer for me...unbelievable I think!!!!

My many thanks to Paulo Leite who kindly showed me the neighborhood.....and gulls of course!!!!

 

 

Berlengas color rings

From the old YLG project at Berlengas, 07.11.2012 ANR ...nice female type YLG "lusitanius" with no winter hood ringed as pullus in 1996.

 CTB ringed in 1997, also CKZ and the non trackable B code from 1995 where also seen on 09.11.2012 at Peniche harbour.

atlantis type gull

The atlantis type gull spotted in Peniche docapesca by Helder Cardoso. It really had a nice hooded pattern, strong and short tarsus, with heavy marked scales.

Note de intermediate grey tone between the YLG and the graellsii LBBG

lets wait for other opinions......

Whooper Swan

8:11 am, an sms from Pedro Ramalho arrived..... so early in the morning, it could only be bird news!!!!! 3 Whooper Swans at Sol village II fields......
Bang...!!!! I put on my shoes, a mug of coffee in 2 minutes, 3 cookies  in 30 seconds, the compact camera without memory card inside my bag and here I go....destination: Peniche

3rd record for Portugal!!!!!

 

2nd winter Larus delawarensis

The 2cy Larus delawarensis stayed the all summer in Almada area, and regularly roosting at an urban park, now on its 2nd winter plumage, with P10 fully grown and already showing small mirrors and no trace of black on tailfeathers.
Last April, at the same location  http://gullsinlusitania.blogspot.pt/2012/04/1-st-winter-larus-delawarensis.html