Simon I find your comment extremely patronising. Distracted by gulls? What does that mean? And whats the comment about the hotel about? Please explain? Yesterday after 4vdays of flogging birdless Sagres we.............. Im away out now for another day birding around sagrea ever hopefull that it wont be as shite as the previous 4 days.and yes I may look at gulls in the harbour so what? Your more than welcome to come round to the hotel garden to see the 2 willow warbler, my migrant warbler total so far 3 willow warbler, 1 chiffchaff, 1 whitethroat (that maybe even wasnt a migrant) its been absolutely dire, thats hardly stringing on an industrial scale. Will continue to post sightings or lack of them.
This is a pity!
Derek - hang on there a minute matey - I'm actually proud that you have the expertise and patience to grill the gulls - and turn up a few interesting birds. You have totally mis-understood my comments. As I know you I was just trying to be friendly and casual.
My little joke about Thekla Lark was simply because, as one of the most abundant residents on the peninsula (only place where they are coastal in the south Algarve) I was genuinely surprised that you mentioned them as new birds after days here. I could only think that you were spending hours doing the seabirds, which I think is commendable - OK? You have had the only Kittiwake and Razorbill that has been seen up to now this autumn - and I thank you for the additions to the migrants species recorded.
My comment about your "secret garden" at your hotel was simply because - as I have commented to colleagues you are a sharp birder and I wouldn't have been at all surprised if you found something in your garden. If you had found for eg: a RB Fly then myself and all the raptor team at least would have wanted to go for it.
Like any migration hotspot there are ups and downs but at least at Sagres, from the point of view of a foreign visitor there are always some nice resident species to see.
Any advice I have given you is based not only on my many years of experiences here but on the Portuguese ornithologists and birders vast experience of the area (who should not be under-estimated by the way!).
Your comments about the Sagres peninsula are totally unacceptable - its certainly not shite (as you put it) and although things have been unusually slow for migrants while you have been here - you only have to look back on this thread to see how it has been brilliant (and will be) some days - including today.
Derek, the whole reason of this thread is NOT for my benefit - I started it because I feel strongly that the area deserves more attention - something that you seem not care about and frankly your remarks do nothing for the areas popularity. SPEA have been running a bird festival to this end and actually we had some 930 very happy folk from all over the world who, in their own words had a magic migration experience.
I apologise if my comments were patronising or whatever - they certainly weren't meant that way. Please contact me directly if you have any personal issues - this thread is for Sagres not for our private banter.
