Portugal - 28.10.12

The day dawned hot and sunny and all Tom wanted to do was get in the pool! We nabbed some loungers and in he went but screaming that it was very cold! I left him to it and got some sun whilst watching the birds go by. More AW Magpies were in the trees along with a calling Chiffchaff then to my amazement 6 Hawfinches loomed into view and headed off north just as quickly as they had arrived. Just a few minutes later I looked skywards and overhead in a thermal were 43 White Storks!! They disappeared behind the hotel but within the hour another 29 were seen going in the same direction. Not bad considering i've only seen 3 in the UK! After lunch we wandered down to the beach and headed east towards a small group of restaurants but not before i'd seen half a dozen Sardinian Warblers in the woods. After lunch we headed west past the hotel towards some marshes. I had a quick look out to sea and noted just a few Gannets but then I noticed heading from the west a massive tern! It slowly flew past letting me note the short tail, white rump, dark out edges to the wingtips and the giant carrot stuck on its face!! It was a Caspian Tern! It continued east and out of view but half an hour later it flew back west. On the marshes it was a case of normal home fare with Redshanks and Grey Herons everywhere but then mum and Carey suddenly said whats that? A small bird had flown from the path and onto a stretch of shrubs in the marsh. After a few minutes it popped out and there infront of us was a cracking Bluethroat with a full blue throat! Annoyingly it turned round and walked into the shrubs and wasn't seen again. The only other bird of note was a distant Spoonbill doing what they do best, sleeping! We turned round ourselves and headed back to the hotel and in the pines a small bird was flitting about. Eventually it showed and it turned out to be a Crested Tit! My first since i'd seen them in Scotland back in 1991! The last good bird of the day flew past the balcony when I was stood watching the AW Magpies with a Glossy Ibis in with 3 Cormorants.