Lake Garda in late May

We had a short 4 days in Lake Garda at the end of May, staying at Torri Del Benaco, which is mid way up the east side of the lake, just at the start of the mountains. We stayed at the very relaxing Hotel Benacus overlooking the lake.
Torri is an old medieval town with it's own old castle and little harbour, very relaxing.

The first bird you notice on the lake is Red Crested Pochard

There are a few pairs amongst the Mallard all along the lake, and they are quite tame, coming close into shore around the cafes. There was also a Mute Swan family that my wife insisted I included.

 

 Italian Sparrows were around the cafes as well. Around the lake front I added Hooded Crow, Yellow Legged Gull, Starling, Swift, Swallow and House Martin.

The hills behind the hotel looked good for birds, but all the roads closest ended in private estates, so I was somewhat frustrated that I couldn't get all the way into the woods. However a lane next to the hotel led me to a small mixed wood of deciduous trees and olives. I had a look here every day at various times adding good views of Serin and Wryneck to Redstart, Blackcap, Green Woodpecker and the usual tits and finches. I did hear Wood Warbler but couldn't pin it down, it seemed to be singing from inside a house !!! I wondered if they were kept as caged birds, like the Goldfinch I could see, or if it was something imitating it ??

A trip up the cable car from Malescine took us to the top of Monte Baldo.
The first bird here was Black Redstart just on the track with the Marmots. Then Cuckoo started singing in the woods below and I picked out Redstart singing at the top of a tree. Tree Pipits were performing their parachute displays and Wheatear flitted about the rocks. I saw a pinkish bird which I first thought White Throat, but it was too big and stipey, I subsequently found that Water Pipit breed here so that's what it must have been. I couldn't find any Alpine Chough or raptors here, maybe the time of day, late morning, or the weather which was a bit drizzly.

Back down at the lakeside we got the bus to Garda and walked to Bardolino, past the small reedbed which has Great Reed Warbler singing, like Reed Warbler but slower and deeper.

  I found Mandarin and Great Crested Grebe here too.

Back in Torri we walked north up the lakeside and a small park which was shaded by trees, Spotted Flycatcher was hunting butterflies here, and I watched it for a while in the shade.
Amongst the House Martins and Swallows which hawked over the water close to shore I spotted a couple of Crag Martins. Then, when we were touring the castle, a Black Kite came floating in over the lake giving good views for a short while.

38 species in 4 days was less than I'd hoped for, but a very enjoyable and relaxing few days. The Bardolino red and Limoncello were excellent.  

Boa Vista, C.V. in February 2014

Our February half-term this year was to Cape Verde, the island of Boa Vista, 6 hours flight from Manchester. 
Boa Vista has only opened to tourism in the last 5 years, there are but 2 hotels on the island of any size, both run by Riu. We said in the Riu Touareg on the very south coast, the road only started about 2/3 of the way from the airport, which was very small. It can only cope with a max. 2 planes a day and has no electric to spare for landing lights, so all flights must arrive and depart in daylight !!!

The first bird seen was the endemic Iago Sparrow at the airport terminal (shed !!)

The transfer took about 35 minutes over mostly cobbled roads and tracks. It was apparent the idea of hiring a car was a non-starter as, when there were tracks, there weren't any signposts !!!

The journey added Brown Necked Raven, Hoopoe Lark, and Cattle Egret. On arrival at the hotel a Swallow and a House Martin were flying round the complex, although this was the only time I saw them.

Booking in was very smooth and efficient, as soon as I'd unpacked I took a stroll to find the grey water lagoons I'd read about and get my 'bearings'.
They were about 10 minutes walk to the east along the beach, although I later found it easier to walk to them along the road out of the front of the hotel.
I visited the lagoons nearly every day in the late afternoon. Black Winged Stilt, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Kentish and Ringed Plover were ever present, as were Hoopoe Lark, Bar Tailed Desert Lark, Spectacled Warlber and Spanish Sparrow in bushes and surrounding scrub.

 On occasion I added Greenshank, Spotted Redshank, Wood Sandpiper,  Ruff, Sanderling and Dunlin representing the waders.
Alexandra Kestrel and a passing Osprey were the only raptors.

Instead of turning right into the lagoons at the end of the road, a left turn up the track takes you to an old rundown farm of sorts, a few enclosed animal pens.

Further up this track away from the farm I found Cream Coloured Courser on some sandy patches, Hoopoe and Bar Tailed Lark in the rocks, and Black Crowned Sparrow Lark flitting about, another Alexandra Kestrel, the ever present Spanish Sparrow and Spectacled Warbler.

All I'd read about Boa Vista advised me to walk to the Isle Ihuela to look for the last pair of Magnificent Frigatebirds in the Western Palearctic, so one afternoon about 2.30 I set off believing it to be about 20 minutes walk along the beach !!!

Wrong !!!

About 45 minutes later after traversing sand dunes bigger than I 'd ever seen and cliffs of rock, good job it wasn't too hot, but the sun was very strong, I found the island.
Unfortunately by now a sandstorm had blown up and I could barely stand let alone hold my scope steady !!! I managed to find some shelter down the cliffs and saw alot of Brown Booby seemingly nesting on the island, I assumed the white ones were young and not Masked Booby.
Suffice to say, no Frigatebird !!!!

 The only way back through the sandstorm was to heroically follow the beach until I sighted the hotel again !!!!

I'll probably never get all the sand out of my optics or my hair !!!!!

Before the storm I had seen Wimbrel, Grey Plover and Turnstone along the rocky coast.




I had wanted to go to the north of the island to see the Red Billed Tropicbird, but our 'island tour' didn't quite take us far enough north of Sal Rei, so I dipped on that too. Still a reason to return one day ??? On the tour I added Little Egret and Grey Heron. I also too this of the wild donkeys that inhabit the island.

So 30 species including 5 lifers wasn't a bad haul. I was disappointed to dip on the Frigatebird, which I think you'd need to be lucky to see, and the Tropicbird, which I think you'd get with a bit more persistence.






A relaxing time, because there's little to do on Boa Vista exept relax, that's no bad thing.
Lovely hotel, lovely friendly people, and warm, if somewhat windy weather.
They are planning to add another 18,000 hotel beds in the next 10 years, so it's going to change, maybe they'll add a few roads ???