Outdoors
SPOT THE BIRDIE…
Spoonbills
…And spot the difference. Year round you can find some 250 species of birds on the Algarve and a further 100-plus that come and go. Here’s a practical guide from Carolyn Kain that will help you tell a Whimbrel from a Curlew
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luttering wings and colourful feathers moving in the bushes, a small grey bird skittering along the sand or overhead a Raptor gliding on a thermal. It is rewarding to be able to identify these birds but even with binoculars and a field guide it can be tricky. The range of species seen in the Algarve is extremely varied due to the diverse topography of the region from sea level to the heights of Monchique at 792 metres. Many migrant birds are temporary visitors and since there are around 150 breeding species, becoming familiar with them all is daunting. For the would-be bird spotter one method well worth trying out is to take a series of photographs with a digital camera. Even an out of focus, distant image, enlarged on a computer screen can help to clarify what’s been seen. The system can be more efficient than flicking through a field guide whilst trying to watch the bird or attempting to recall its appearance after it has flown away. For instance, the Blackcap and Sardinian Warbler are regularly seen in local woodlands and country gardens. Similar in size with black, white and grey markings they can easily be confused. However, once frozen on a computer
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screen and compared to pictures in a field guide it is usually possible to tell them apart. Waders are particularly obliging photographic models usually seen on the ground probing their beaks into mudflats or crustacean rich sand. Greenshanks and Redshanks are identifiable by the colours of their legs but when it comes to deciding between a Spotted and a Common Redshank the photo method works. This is equally the case when looking for differences between varieties of Plovers, Sandpipers and Godwits. Seeming similar Spectacular sightings such as Flamingos and Spoonbills are unmistakable but other impressive birds can present the amateur with problems. Is it an Avocet or Black-winged Stilt, a Curlew or a Whimbrel? Aside from obvious features the shape and size of birds’ bills can also be distinctive. Curlews and Whimbrels are fairly similar with subtle differences in their streaking and colouration patterns but when seen on a computer screen the former has a longer curved bill, different from the Whimbrel’s, which is only bent towards the tip. Remarkably, in terms of bill growth Oystercatchers are world champions. Increasing in size by twice its length in a
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