The first thing to say is that August is not the ideal time to go bird watching in the Algarve! Us poor teachers sometimes have little choice! Carrying all the kit, trying not to melt, and fighting the desire to be in the pool or laid out with a beer or two is almost too much for a mere mortal – don’t ask my wife what she thought! On the other hand coming back to Casa Rosa, Roger and Hanny’s company and care - not to mention the cooking – can give one the necessary impetus!

The Algarve, like the rest of Portugal, has been suffering drought conditions so the landscape was pretty arid with the result that many of the birds had moved on quite quickly. The shallower saltpans actually dried up in the two weeks we were present leaving hard baked mud. Many of the roads are lined with Eucalyptus trees; a lot of these were in a poor state with an increasing number obviously dead. Pine trees too, were dropping branches and looking stressed. In the countryside birds tended to occur where there was some form of irrigation, otherwise you could travel for miles without seeing any.

We arrived at Casa Rosa at about 1 p.m not having seen anything on the way as we were too busy getting lost and trying to remember how to drive a car with the steering wheel on the wrong side! [the car had an absolute dislike of going anywhere at all in second gear]. Still everyone took pity on us and overtook at speed!

The apartment [6] has far reaching views to the sea and in spring should enable loads of birds to be seen. We could see Red-Rumped and Barn Swallows, House Martins, Crested Larks, 3 fly over Bee Eaters, Spadgers [Gloucestershire for House Sparrows], two distant Hoopoes on an irrigated lawn and the ubiquitous Collared Doves everywhere. The usual trip to the supermarket followed for essentials [wine and beer really!] which added Feral Pigeon – always good to tick that one off!

Back at Casa Rosa we walked down the donkey track but could only add Blackbird, Sardinian Warbler and Stock Dove, which surprisingly no one seems to have on their lists. A pleasant evening followed, as it did every night at Hanny’s Bistro – excellent food – nothing too much trouble - and I ate it all!

We visited all the sites mentioned in previous reports and Gosney except Ludos Farm – sometimes the heat gets to you and you think ‘Why am I doing this?’ As previous reports have stated directions have changed and a fair amount of guesswork can be involved. No-where is too far away though –1 hr 30m unless you make the mistake of going to Castro Verde via Sao Bras de Alportel along the hairpin route – it took 3 hours! The motorways are great, empty even at this time of year, but do check your mirrors before moving out!

The Ria Formosa is 15 minutes drive but you need the tide to be in to push the waders up into the lagoon otherwise everything except Dunlin, Ringed and Kentish Plover are miles away. Kentish are very common. White Storks, Black and Bar Tailed Godwits, Grey Plover, Redshank, Greenshank, plenty of Black Winged Stilts, lots of Little Egrets. Cattle Egrets, Grey Heron, Little Grebe, Turnstone, Common Sandpiper, Little Terns [very common], Sandwich Terns, Yellow-legged, Black headed and Lesser Black Backed Gulls. On the fresh water pool we had good views of Purple Gallinue, Waxbills, Gadwall, Mallard, Moorhen, Kingfisher, more Egrets, Sardinian Warbler and could hear Cettis Warbler. A Southern Grey Shrike was nearby as was a Woodchat Shrike. There were plenty of Sparrows too but not other small birds – a few Sardinians, Blackbirds, Crested Larks, Linnets and Greenfinches. Several terrapins were hauled out on the mud to bake!

Casa Rosa The main feature here were the Little Owls calling during the day and night. Again difficult to nail down but I did see 4 together one afternoon. A Red necked Nightjar was perfectly silhouetted one night at dinner over the pine tops – very atmospheric. Roger had an excellent close view of one on the donkey track early morning. A small covey of Red - Legged Partridges were feeding in the dried up Almond orchards. A Golden Oriole ‘fluted’ briefly one day and was gone and a Melodious Warbler paused long enough to be identified. A Kestrel, Linnets and Serin passed, as did the Bee Eaters every day – very high!

We made several trips ‘round about’ but birds were few and far between - lots of fly over Bee Eaters but none at short range. Not all the birds we saw may be covered here but a list follows.

We certainly want to go again, because we enjoyed it greatly, [the best place we have ever stayed], but also to sample a different time of year - when it isn’t such hard work chasing the birds!