Nesting 2016

Portugal Wildlife

Nest Box Project: 2016 Nesting Season

Breeding Successes: Juvenile Blue tit. Juvenile Iberian Azurewinged Magpie.

Breeding Successes: Juvenile Sardinian Warbler. Juvenile common blackbird. Juvenile House sparrow.

Status June 2016:

Breeding Successes: Juvenile Sardinian Warbler plus Barn Swallow fledged from our dining room terrace roof-beam nest.

Redlegged Partridge with 7 chicks

Fledgling common blackbird seen drinking at pond. House Sparrow chicks nearly reaady to leave nest-cam nest box. There appear to be four nestlings.

Iberian Azurewinged Magpie nestling in nest in top of ornamental cherry tree

Status May 2016:

Little Owl in rainstorm, perched in nesting-tree Olive ; In Olive ; Eating Insect

Spotless starlings are feeding young. Barn Swallows are expected to have young soon.

Status April 2016:

Several pairs of House Sparrows are nesting. Including a nest in our nest-cam box. Which unfortunately is now largely obscured by lots of straw. Nests in swallow nestcup, sparrow colony nestbox, barn owl box and treecreeper box. They nest in pretty much any nest box they can fit into.

Blue tits are nesting in the same box they used last year, which was moved further down the building when the nest-cam box was put up in its place. They are currently feeding young.

Spotless starlings are nesting again in the swift boxes.

Barn Swallows are nesting in the entrance porch to our house.

Common blackbirds are nesting in the scrub below our cork oak in front of the bird drinking pond. Seem to be feeding young.

Our little owls are nesting in the 80 year old olive tree we planted in front of our living room. So we get to see the owls every morning and evening. The sentry owl sits in the nearest holm oak and chases away cats, iberian azurewinged magoies and spotless starlings.

Little Owl perched in the ± 80 year old Olive Tree which we planted that it is nesting in.

Early Season Report:

Our Barn Swallows already arrived on 27th January.

This year the winter has been very mild so I am expecting early nesting activity.

Nest Cam Project: I now have a Nestbox fitted with a video camera. Photos and Videso can be seen here: Nest Cam 2016

2016 Nesting Season:

Early February :

House Sparrows are building nest in the NestCam Nestbox. Male started nest building and now the Female is visiting frequently to inspect the nest. Other House Sparrows appear to be nesting in Barn Owl Box and on top of plastic Barn Swallow nest cup.

Barn Swallows are starting to build a mud nest inside our villa entranceway.

Common Buzzards are displaying - food passing, diving together, calling, soariing together.

Corn Buntings are singing. Spotless Starlings are visiting nest holes and nest boxes.

Little Owls are duetting frequently. Also have been seen on last years rockpile nesting site.

Eurasian Hoopoe singing.

Links to Portugal Nature Reserve webpages: