Iberian endemics in the forests of north-east Portugal
One of the great things about visiting old friends in Portugal was the opportunity to experience inland rural Iberia. Their house in north-east Portugal was tucked away between the hilltop city of Guarda and the border with Spain. Tiny near-deserted villages, small fields and stone walls stood between fragments of the vast oak and chestnut forests that would have originally covered this landscape.
I visited the Freixal river valley at dawn on three mornings. It produced some of my most enjoyable European birding. This area, at nearly 1000m above sea level, was pleasantly cool at dawn, but fiercely hot by the afternoon. The oak woods were full of singing Western Bonelli’s Warblers, fluting Golden Orioles and yaffling Iberian Green Woodpeckers. Dartford and Sardinian Warblers were common, Woodchat and Iberian Grey Shrikes patrolled the fence posts. I was in heaven!
The soundscape was magnificent:
Below are some recordings and photos of the birds of this area of north-east Portugal. First, an Iberian Green Woodpecker, competing with a calling Western Bonelli’s Warbler and a singing Iberian Chiffchaff:
Iberian Chiffchaff calls, slightly reminiscent of Common Reed Bunting calls to my ear:
Iberian Grey Shrike, always distant:
Other noteworthy non-endemic birds included Western Bonelli’s Warbler, the commonest warbler here, its trilling song constantly ringing out:
Golden Orioles were everywhere, and incredibly vocal, both calling and singing:
Witness the amazing trilling song of Spotless Starling!
One of the noisiest birds in the woods, Iberian Magpie, here with a burst of Spotless Starling at 0:22 into the recording:
It was rewarding to see European Turtle Doves, now close to extinction in the UK, but there were still birds in central Portugal. This is a fast-flying species, so I was pleased to get flight shots of this bird as it flashed through:
Woodchat Shrikes had bred successfully nearby:
It is always great to see Eurasian Hoopoe, they were recorded daily, but were typically shy:
European Bee-eaters were very regular flyovers, some hawked for insects, but most passed overhead to feed elsewhere:
Dartford Warbler outnumbered Sardinian Warbler here, I also recorded a single Western Subalpine Warbler.
The drier, more open areas held Rock Sparrows, whose two-tone nasal calls were distinctive:
A typically secretive Cirl Bunting, slipping away into the oak leaves:
So this was where all those Woodpigeons and Chaffinches go every autumn. I could see why; I could come here every year.
