Birds we added to our land list in 2023
2023 has been a fantastic year birding here. We have seen 98 bird species in total, and had so many great highlights. Here is the list of the 20 new birds we have spotted on our land in Alentejo in 2023:
Eurasian Siskin : we spotted a small flock of Eurasian Siskin feeding in our oak trees between our pond and our dirt road.
Dartford Warbler : we heard and saw a Dartford Warbler in the bushes above our pond for several days!
Peregrine Falcon : we just spotted it flying over our land.
Eurasian Spoonbill : only a fly over as well.
Blue Rock-Thrush : we spotted a Blue Rock-Thrush at the very bottom of the land, only for a couple of minutes before it took off and went away.
Alpine Swift : one Alpine Swift flew over the land, feeding for a while.
Spotted Flycatcher : the rather discrete Spotted Flycatcher was a great surprise. It is the second flycatcher species we have on the land.
Iberian Chiffchaff : we heard and saw the Iberian Chiffchaff only once so far, let’s hope it comes back!
Western Yellow Wagtail : only a fly over but it might actually enjoy our pond and our vegetation, so we will look for it in the future.
Purple Heron : only a fly over as well, let’s dream that it can come feed on our pond someday!
Black Kite : we see the Black Kite almost every day in season.
Long-eared Owl : we heard the fledging Long-eared Owl call at the bottom of our land one night in spring.
Little Ringed Plover : a Little Ringed Plover came to our pond for a couple of days.
Black-headed Gull : a nice flock flew over the land several times.
Eurasian Wryneck : we saw the incredible Eurasian Wryneck twice, both times in the same area above our pond.
Eurasian Jay : we see the Eurasian Jay regularly, and we are very happy that it helps us plant more trees!
Little Egret : spotted twice in 2023.
Tawny Owl : we can sometimes here the call of the Tawny Owl in the distance during breeding season.
Common Buzzard : it seems odd but the Common Buzzard is not the raptor we see the most often here on our land. We only see it occasionally.
Western Marsh Harrier : it turns out there is a pair of Wester Marsh Harriers breeding on our neighbour’s pond! So during breeding season, we see them everyday.
If you are a birdwatcher as well and are interested to see the birds of our area here in Alentejo, feel free to contact us!
