A Wonderful Day at Tagus Estuary

On Friday my dad and I woke up before sun up and met our birding guide Rui Morgado in a square near our apartment. Rui drove us 30 minutes to Tagus Estuary. We arrived at the first stop where I spotted a nice COMMON WAXBILL, a small tropical species and life bird 254! Recently I got my life bird Eurasian Jay which was life bird 253 (seen a different day not in the estuary). I also photographed this CATTLE EGRET in flight. 

We moved along the same road and stopped at a spot where we will look for waders, on of the best spots today. At that hotspot we picked up many good birds such as SARDINIAN WARBLER, LITTLE GREBE, and PIED AVOCET! All life birds! I will not mention all life birds because it would be way to many, so please read the list at the end of the post for all life birds. In the same spot, we watched many COMMON RINGED PLOVER. In the large group of plovers, Rui picked out 1 KENTISH PLOVER, a bird similar to the common ringed but does not have the same black streaks on the face. Life bird again! Suddenly, we saw a LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER, a great find and an unexpected sight. This bird is less common on the coast where we are and is more common further inland. Next Rui drove us to an area where there were a few little ponds filled with coots. In one of the ponds we also had a nice NORTHERN SHOVELER. 
I also saw this GREATER FLAMINGO coming in for landing.

We walked over a bridge and found many LITTLE EGRET on the other side. We walked back to the car and Rui spotted a very nice SPOTTED REDSHANK on the mudflats under the bridge. We stopped briefly in a forest full of cork trees, which are pretty cool. The bark from the trunk is harvested every ten years, 90% of which is turned into stoppers for wine. The stripping of the bark does not hurt the trees at all.  Here's a photo of a cork tree. 

We had just arrived and my dad pointed out a gigantic nest on top of a electrical pole. Rui said that this nest is a White Stork nest. Then, he spotted 2 WHITE STORK standing on top of a different nest. Here's a photo a the gigantic nest.

We drove through cork woods and my dad found a small bird in a tree. Rui told us it was a bird called a ZITTING CISTICOLA which can also be called a Fan-Tailed Warbler. Rui also points out this COMMON BUZZARD (below) the most common raptor in Portugal. 

We left cork woods and went to the best spot of all. On the way, I photographed this NORTHERN WHEATER (below).

This spot was full of different Types of shorebirds, such as GREEN SANDPIPER, NORTHERN LAPWING, and 5 RUFF.  The sandpiper and Ruff are both lifers! Lifer is a shorter way to say life bird. We scan a pack of shorebirds with a scope and pick out 2 EUROPEAN GOLDEN PLOVER. I also spotted a GREEN WINGED TEAL flyby. We stopped at the last spot briefly. When we were there, I found this WILLOW WARBLER.

We drove down the path and Rui tells us he has spotted a SQUACCO HERON which is a small, yellowish brown heron.

After that, we were almost of the path and Rui spots a PIED FLYCATCHER which I have seen in Ireland with my other guide. After that, Rui drove us home. It was a great day of birding and I got 30 LIFE BIRDS!!! Total we saw a great 52 species, which means that most of the birds I saw were new for me. It was a wonderful day! Thanks, Rui!

Life list 283 (30 life birds that day) + Eurasian Jay (seen recently)

Bird List for That Day

Common Shelduck 1 life bird!
Northern Shoveler 1
Green Winged Teal 1 life Bird!
Little Grebe 3 life Bird!
Greater Flamingo 50 life bird!
White Stork 5 life bird!
Grey Heron 5
Great Egret 15
Little Egret 12
Cattle Egret 25  life bird!
Squacco Heron 1 life bird!
Black Shouldered Kite 2 life bird!
Eurasian Marsh Harrier 5 life bird!
Northern Harrier 1
Common Buzzard 2 life bird!
Eurasian Coot 200 life bird!
Black Winged Stilt 8 life bird!
Pied Avocet 2  life bird!
European Golden Plover 2 life bird!
Northern Lapwing 200
Kentish Plover 1 life bird!
Common Ringed Plover 20
Common Sandpiper 2 Life Bird!
Green Sandpiper 4 life bird!
Spotted Redshank 3 life bird!
Black Tailed Godwit 1
Ruff 5 life bird!
Sandwich Tern 2 life bird!
Rock Pigeon 3
Common Kingfisher 2
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker 1 life bird!
Eurasian Kestrel 4 
Southern Grey Shrike 1 life bird!
Crested Lark 3 life bird!
Red Rumped Swallow 5 life bird!
Eurasian Blue Tit 1
Cetti's Warbler 5 life bird!
Willow Warbler 1
Zitting Cisticola 4 life bird!
Sardinian Warbler 1 life bird!
European Robin 1

European Pied Flycatcher 1
Black Redstart 1 life bird!
European Stonechat 3
Northern Wheater 1
Spotless Starling 1 life bird!
Corn Bunting 1 life bird!
European Goldfinch 2
Eurasian Linnet 1
House Sparrow 4
Common Waxbill 6 life bird!