On the way there we encountered a large flock of soaring White Storks, and several large flocks of Lapwings. Lapwing flocks were once a common sight in England but sadly not any more as modern farming methods have caused a dramatic decline in their numbers, they are now Red listed by the RSPB, so it was nice to see them in numbers here in Portugal.


It did not end there as a little later we came upon a pair of Imperial Eagles roosting in the branches of a dead tree. We spotted the male first but then a female appeared from what looked like a very large nest low down in the same tree. We were later informed at the Visitors Centre in El Rocio that we had stumbled upon one of just three pairs of Eagles introduced into Portugal, where they are known as Iberian Imperial Eagles! We hope for their continued success.


Also worthy of note were the two or three Golden Plovers picked out among a group of Lapwings feeding in the fields, these birds are easily missed in their winter plumage without careful scrutiny with the binoculars.