Wild Portugal: Birds, Alpine Flora & Prehistoric Art Naturetrek Tour Report 14 – 21 July 2015 Ocellated Lizard Marsh Gentian White-rumped Swift Purple Shot Copper Report compiled by Philip Thompson Images by Tom Mabbett Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Wild Portugal: Birds, Alpine Flora & Prehistoric Art Tour Report Tour Participants: Philip Thompson & Tom Mabbett (leaders) with 15 Naturetrek clients Day 1 Tuesday 14th July With our safe mid-afternoon arrival into Porto airport, the formalities of collecting the minibuses were completed and, eventually, we were on our way for a direct transfer to our first hotel, based in the historic town of Castelo Rodrigo. A refreshment stop on the way was taken; it was something of a shock to the system as we stepped out of the air-conditioned vehicles into 38˚C! Fortunately, this was a very dry heat with non-existent humidity and not too taxing. Having arrived at the hotel, we were soon assigned our various rooms, spread among the three houses that make up the comfortable accommodation. After a pleasant dinner, we retired to rest up and prepare for an early start the next day. Day 2 Wednesday 15th July An early start was taken today in order to make the best use of the cooler conditions at the start of the day, and to enable a return to the hotel in the heat of the late afternoon for a swim and relax. We began with a drive to an area of arable cultivation where a small population of Little Bustards are known to occur. After our arrival and some patient scanning, a bird was very briefly spotted in flight by some of the group. Other birds present included large numbers of Spanish Sparrows, in flocks, mixed with several Corn Buntings, and Southern Grey Shrike. A Hawfinch was calling from a group of pines nearby, and was eventually seen, though rather poorly since it remained in deep cover before flying off. We then moved on to our main objective of the day with a visit to the private reserve of Faia Brava. Here the work and objectives of the reserve were explained to us during our tour of the area. This tour by 4x4 vehicles was quite an adventure, over very rough and stony tracks, as we bounced and swayed along! A number of stops were taken, allowing the group to view and enjoy this wild environment, the first of which comprised a short walk towards a rocky overhang where we were hoping to view one of the only rock art paintings in the Coa valley. This was prevented, however, by the sighting of two pairs of very rare White-rumped Swifts that were still present, breeding in the same spot! After enjoying some excellent views of these recently discovered birds (making them the most northerly breeding pairs in Europe) we moved back to the vehicles. Our next stop was overlooking the Coa valley towards the reserve’s vulture feeding station. After the meat had been left, we relaxed in the shade of some oaks, hopefully to await the descent of the many Griffon Vultures that had gathered, circling overhead. Among the numerous Griffons, a couple of Egyptian Vultures were also present; they are the main reason for the feeding site as they are a declining species in Europe. However, despite the many vultures gathering, they seemed reluctant to settle and begin feeding, so after some excellent, close, overhead views, we moved on to the simple visitor area for our picnic lunch. Once we continued our tour, we were fortunate to encounter a number of the Garrano Horses that have been introduced to the reserve as part of the Rewilding Project that is being initiated in the reserve. We had earlier caught a brief glimpse of the Maronesa Cattle bull, which is also part of this project; the cattle are far fewer in number and not so easily seen. © Naturetrek September 15 1 Wild Portugal: Birds, Alpine Flora & Prehistoric Art Tour Report A stop and walk to a pigeon house, with a commanding view into the Coa valley, was taken next, from where we could see, in the far distance, that the vultures had finally deemed it safe to descend and feed on the previously deposited carcasses and scraps. After enjoying the views, we deemed it apt to return to the vehicles and onward to the hotel, as the temperatures were by now pretty stifling! After a spell at the hotel, the majority of the group then chose to take a further late afternoon excursion, visiting a different area with a visit to the Chapel of Santo Andre. This was reached after driving down a lengthy rough dirt track. A fantastic vista was available from the chapel as we looked across the River Agueda into Spain on the opposite shore. Vultures were again much in evidence in this rocky river valley but were also joined by the brief sighting of a Golden Eagle. Day 3 Thursday 16th July We travelled north to visit the famous Douro valley, for a number of stops and walks. We began with a roadside viewpoint overlooking the Agueda valley and nearby cliffs, where a colony of Griffon Vultures breed. In the rapidly warming morning air, several Griffons were already aloft and rising effortlessly. Other raptors seen included Booted Eagle and a Peregrine. We next moved on to cross the Douro River at Barca D’Alva and on to the walking route of Calcada de Alpajares that runs alongside a spectacular gorge of a tributary stream feeding into the Douro. Within the gorge several Griffon and Egyptian Vultures were seen overhead with a Blue Rock Thrush on the nearby rocks. The route began with a descent to the river, which at this time was reduced to a few isolated pools, where we crossed and began a gentle ascent. Several interesting tree species were seen along the way, although most of the herbaceous plants had finished flowering and were drying rapidly. After the initial gentle climb, the route then took a downward direction following the river gorge. Several Rock Buntings were seen as we went through the wilder areas. As we reached the lower cultivated orchards, we came upon numerous hawking Bee-eaters, which showed beautifully. Back at the vehicles, we took a well-earned drink before we drove on along the Douro, and then took a side road that climbed steeply to the cliffs above. We travelled on to reach a spectacular viewpoint set on top of the cliffs, with a view into Spain and of the hydroelectric dam below. Here we had lunch under some shady trees before spending some time at the viewpoint enjoying the passing vultures. Also seen distantly among the many Common Swifts were a couple of Alpine Swifts. A final stop was taken on the return journey down the steep road to try for Black Wheatear but with no luck. After another successful but hot day, we then returned to the hotel in good time for refreshments and an earlier evening meal, in readiness for our evening excursion to the open air Paleolithic rock art engravings in the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Coa valley. This was a wonderful experience, travelling there as dusk descended into night to then walk by torchlight to view these amazing engravings. During the visit, we were led by one of the local guides who explained and interpreted the images of horses, cattle, goats and deer. The night sky was a reminder of the truly dark skies that we no longer see in the more built-up, urban parts of the UK. Seeing the Milky Way was all very special and atmospheric, surrounded as we were by art made by our very earliest ancestors. 2 © Naturetrek Wild Portugal: Birds, Alpine Flora & Prehistoric Art Tour Report Day 4 Friday 17th July Today we left Castelo Rodrigo to undertake the transfer into the Serra da Estrela. We took a route that passed through some lovely open Montado habitat. We took an early stop at the historic fortified town of Almeida, where we spent an hour exploring this fascinating town with its moats and defensive walls. Numerous Black Redstarts and Northern Wheatears flitted about the grassy outer walls, joined by a feeding party of Bee-eaters. Continuing on our journey, the roadside wires periodically held a mix of Woodchat and Southern Grey Shrikes, Bee-eaters and Corn Buntings. Several Black Kites were seen drifting over this attractive area. The sighting of a vulture in this flat wooded habitat brought about a stop to check its identity, which turned out to be a Black Vulture. A total of six individuals were then picked up as they cruised close by. We stopped for a picnic at a pleasant riverside spot at Aldeia da Ponte. On the rushes in the water, a couple of Viperine Snakes were spotted, coiled above the water and basking in the sun. From here, the habitat changed to a more wooded environment and we continued without further stops, via Sabugal and Belmonte, to pass through Manteigas and climb to our hotel at Penhas Douradas. Day 5 Saturday 18th July Now in the mountains, our focus shifted to include the rich diversity of butterflies and flowers, present alongside the special mountain birds. Our first excursion dwelt on the richly forested lower slopes above the town of Manteigas, with a walk culminating in the popular spot of the Poço do Inferno where we had our picnic lunch.