Portugal
Portugal Just back from a family holiday in the Algarve. Nice area, and great to see some Mediterranean species that I haven't seen for some years. Around the hotel were Sardinian Warbler, Serin, Spotless Starling, Azure-Winged Magpie, Hoopoe, Waxbill, Red-Rumped Swallow, and Fan Tailed Warbler. A short drive away, the Lagoon de Los Salgados was incredible: in just an hour I had seen a whole array of wetland birds including Audouin's Gull, Greater Flamingo, Purple Gallinule, Purple Heron, Glossy ibis, White Stork, Kentish Plover, Avocet and Black-winged Stilt. I also spent a late afternoon and evening in the mountains inland from Albufeira, and had a good view of Short Toed Eagle, Golden Eagle, plus Southern Grey Shrike and a few Nightingales. Some good Mammals here as darkness fell including European Free-tailed Bat, Kuhl's Pipistrelle, Serotine and Iberian Hare. Alas, I didn't stumble across anything more exotic such as Genet which I would have given my right arm to s