17th April - Quinta das Achadas, Odiaxere, Algarve, Portugal

If there were any hopes that the weather forecast would be wrong, they were dashed just after dawn.  The rain fell heavily on the roof of the apartment, and was still falling strongly as we had breakfast.  We took our time over our meal, taking the opportunity to talk with our hosts.  It was now a question of what could we do.  In the end we decided to drive into Lagos with the intention of picking up some food for the rest of our stay, and then seeing what the weather would do.  We had already dispensed with the original plan of driving back to Castro Verde.

As we approached Lagos we had to pass a petrol station, there was a queue, but it wasn't too long so we decided to join it and top up the tank.  As we sat in the line in the car we watched pick ups roll out several fuel Jerry cans and fill those before they filled their vehicle.  Sure enough by the time we reached the pump they were tying up the diesel pumps as they had run out.  I did manage to fill the tank taking the time to squeeze as much into the tank as possible.

We drove on into Lagos took our time around the supermarket picking up essentials like wine and beer.  Heading back we passed the petrol station and it was clear it was out of everything, cones were laid out and the prices were not showing.  We had been lucky.

Back at the Quinta the rain was still falling so we settled in.  I took the time to work on my photographs from the first few days while Helen read.  By late afternoon there were signs that the rain was easing, and eventually it stopped so I took the chance to wander down the road.  The rain can bring out some interesting things, and I still wanted to catch up again with the Woodchat Shrike.

Rain was dripping off everything and over the field swallows hawked just above the grass as the insects started to emerge.  A call from behind the bushes was familiar, that of a Great Spotted Woodpecker, and as I crept around the bush I could see it in the nearby tree.

A male it seemed somewhat agitated and moved backwards and forwards and continuing to call.

I walked down the track and the ahead of me there was a procession of White Storks heading north.  When we had come back earlier we had seen them collected in just one field in the rain, now they were moving about.  This one came over quite low, and had probably been out in the rain and really doesn't look "white" anymore.

At the irrigation canal a pair of Hoopoe were feeding distantly on the edge of the canal, and at least three very flittish Azure-winged Magpies came down to the water to drink.  Overhead I could hear the calls of Bee-eaters but I couldn't find them anywhere

Quail called from the grass field, from the sound it felt like they were on the far side, still no sign of them at all.  Corn Bunting were singing from several locations probably pleased that the rain had ceased.  The other call, or song as it is too was a very annoying "zit zit zit", or maybe "tchip, tchip"it would come from within the grass, but also was delivered from on high as a small brown bird would burst from the grass and fly about calling.

This is a Zitting Cisticola, Streaked Fantail Warbler or just Fan-tailed Warbler, the ultimate L.B.J.  While I had views of the bird as it flew round high above the grass, I wanted a better view.  So I needed to tempt it out, and I did so by playing the call back to it, and almost instantly the bird appeared.

Coming out of the grass and perching on the grass stem.

Its a small bird, with buffy rufous brown upper-parts with dark streaks on the crown and mantle.  The underparts are creamy buff with a pale throat and upper belly.  The flanks being a cinnamon colour.

The tail is distinctively short and rounded with white spots

It came closer 

Fanning the tail in annoyance

Then flew up and landed back amongst the flowers

Then once again closer.

Fanning the tail 

And probably the best shot of the lot.

I left the Zitting Cisticola / Fan-tailed Warbler and walked back up the track, I quickly found the Woodchat Shrike and started a game of hiding behind the bushes and trying to sneak out as close as I could get before it flew off.  Here the female that is sometimes accepted by the male, and other times chased away

Both though would use the high vantage points of the dead trees to scan the grassland below.  Here the male, the weather was closing in and the photographs were very grainy.

The male is a striking bird with black and white upper parts, a chestnut crown and pure white underparts.

I manged to creep up on both birds in the same tree, and was able to use another bush for cover, however the male didn't stay but left the female.

In the female and young birds, the upper-parts are brown and white and vermiculated, but retains the chestnut crown, the under-parts are buff and also vermiculated.

I made my way back to the main track through the wet grass, and as I came out from behind the bushes the male was there again, sitting on a prominent perch scanning the ground below.

The rain was returning, so I decided to return to the dry, I had managed to salvage something from what was a pretty awful day.