São Jacinto duck pond on November 26.
1st Year Moorhen with an abnormal development of its first plumage. Captured on November 27. Top right wing.
Top right wing.
Top left wing.
Underside left wing.
There currently seem to be quite a few Lesser Black-backed's to be found roosting on nine floating platforms in the Ria de Aveiro, which are used for the farming of Mussels Mytilus edulis, I believe. About 2000 gulls were present there on November 27.
Ringing
of one of two 1st year Little Grebes Tachybaptus
ruficollis that were caught on November 28.
Eurasian
Teal Anas crecca, captured on November 28. Male.
Eurasian
Teal Anas crecca, captured on November 28. Female.
Marked Eurasian
Wigeon Anas Penelope
Paul do
Taipal (Taipal Marsh), November 29.
Purple
Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio
Great
Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo ringed BLUE
116, WHITE inscription. From East Germany.
The Muscovy
Duck Cairina moschata, native to Mexico,
Central, and South America.
An adult female Goshawk caught a Mallard.
Several Marsh harriers Circus aeruginosus tried to scare off the Goshawk from its food.
After the Goshawk left, instead of the Marh
harriers two Common buzzards Buteo buteo
occupied the duck for a while.
The Marsh harriers were obviously lowest in
rank here and failed to drive off the buzzards too.
And then they had to fight over the remains
with each other first…
Just when the Marsh harriers seemed to have
lost their interest in the carcass a 1st winter Goshawk female
showed up at the site and, after having spent an hour observing live prey in
the pond from a tree branch, left off with whatever was left of the duck.
In ecology, a feeding frenzy is a situation where oversaturation of a supply of food leads to rapid feeding by predatory animals, in this case Little egrets Egretta garzetta in Coimbra - Villa Verde.
One of two Hen harriers Circus
cyaneus at the EVOA Project near Lisboa (1st winter). November
30.
About 3000 Eurasian Teals were present in the pond of the EVOA Project.
Which attracted the attention of several Marsh harriers and
a 1st winter Peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus.
