More from the Christmas Cruise. We stopped off in Lisbon for the day on December 30th and given the ease of access to a rich birding area, I decided this was my best choice for proper days birding. I arranged a day out in the Tagus Estuary area with Bernard Barreto of Birds and Nature Tours Portugal. The Estuary holds Internationally important numbers of waders and wildfowl including Black-tailed Godwit, Avocet and Shoveler. Up to 120,000 waders and wildfowl are present in the winter. There are a great variety of other habitats surrounding the estuary including cork oak woodland, flood meadows, reed bed, salt pans and rice fields.

Impressive numbers of Avocets on the Tagus where a variety of other wader species were seen including small numbers of Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper and Kentish Plover.

Black-winged Stilt and Greater Flamingo were more exotic from my point of view, but Common Snipe is always a nice bird to see out in the open.

It may have only been a few days after Christmas, but a pair of Black-winged Kites were already defending a home range around their nest site, frequently  chasing a Common Buzzard.

Marsh Harriers were very common as were Ospreys.

A pair of Hoopoe gave great views as they preened and warmed up in the morning sun.

A ubiquitous bird of Iberia, Zitting Cisticola.