We decamped en famille to North Portugal during the holidays, we spent a week right by the beach in Apulia. Early morning birding was pleasant along the nearby estuary where Zitting Cisticola, Cirl Bunting, Serin and Firecrest inhabited the open pine belts and scrub. On the river Spoonbill and flocks of Kentish Plover and gloriously copper plated Turnstones were to be enjoyed.
A few seawatches across the shallow bay produced a couple of Cory's Shearwater, Bonxie, Arctic Skuas, a single Manxie and a few distant Balearic Shearwater. On the last morning I went out at dawn to photograph the old windmills atop the dunes and had a quick look out to sea, quite quickly 2 Cory's rolled by really close in, yellow nose visible and then a pack of 10 dusky Balearics even closer. During the hour 70 or so passed North in groups. Within these were 2 birds which looked good for Yelkouan, more research needed though.
A few seawatches across the shallow bay produced a couple of Cory's Shearwater, Bonxie, Arctic Skuas, a single Manxie and a few distant Balearic Shearwater. On the last morning I went out at dawn to photograph the old windmills atop the dunes and had a quick look out to sea, quite quickly 2 Cory's rolled by really close in, yellow nose visible and then a pack of 10 dusky Balearics even closer. During the hour 70 or so passed North in groups. Within these were 2 birds which looked good for Yelkouan, more research needed though.
I kept looking through the Yellow-legged and Lesser-black Backs on the off chance of an extra-extra limital Cape Gull. Unsuprisingly not a sniff but interesting to potter through a range of YLG in different plumages.
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