I enjoyed spending some time with the camera and a selection of images are included in the gallery below.
1. Mallard
2. Gadwall
3. Cormorant
4. Cattle Egret - Small numbers near the salt pans.
5. Little Egret
6.Grey Heron
7. Spoonbill - Up to 15 at the salt pans.
8. White Stork - Odd singles.
9. Greater Flamingo - Up to 49 around the salt pans.
10. Osprey - A single carrying a fish at the salt pans.
11. Short-toed Eagle - A single near the villa.
12. Booted Eagle - A group of four over the villa one afternoon with at least 11 the next morning.
13. Kestrel
14. Black-shouldered Kite - Slightly surprised to see a single between the villa and the town of Tavira.
15. Water Rail - At least three at the salt pans.
16. Moorhen
17. Oystercatcher
18. Black-winged Stilt - Easily seen at the salt pans.
19. Avocet
20. Stone Curlew - A single flew over the salt pans.
21. Ringed Plover
22. Kentish Plover - Up to 30 around the salt pans.
23. Grey Plover
24. Knot - Up to 8 at the salt pans.
25. Sanderling
26. Turnstone
27. Dunlin
28. Curlew Sandpiper - Up to 40 at the salt pans.
29. Little Stint - Up to 12 at the salt pans.
30. Sanderling
31. Common Sandpiper
32. Redshank
33. Greenshank
34. Black-tailed Godwit
35. Bar-tailed Godwit
36. Whimbrel
37. Curlew
38. Black-headed Gull
39. Slender-billed Gull - A single adult flew over the salt pans.
40. Mediterranean Gull - Up to 60 at the salt pans.
41. Lesser Black-backed Gull
42. Yellow-legged Gull
43. Sandwich Tern
44. Collared Dove
45. Little Owl - Fairly common around the villa.
46. Tawny Owl - A pair heard calling at the villa.
47. Great Spotted Woodpecker
48. Hoopoe - Just two sightings of single birds in flight.
49. Swift - A single with a flock of hirundines.
50. Woodlark - Singing near the villa.
51. Crested Lark - Common
52. Sand Martin
53. Barn Swallow
54. Red-rumped Swallow - Small numbers included several over the villa.
55. House Martin
56. Yellow Wagtail - Just odd sightings including individuals of the forms flava and flavissima.
57. Grey Wagtail
58. Redstart - A couple near the villa.
59. Stonechat
60. Whinchat - A single near the villa.
61. Wheatear - Odd birds around the salt pans.
62. Robin
63. Blackbird
64. Fan-tailed Warbler (Zitting Cisticola) - Fairly common.
65. Garden Warbler - Small numbers around the villa.
66. Blackcap - Singles on a couple of days around the villa.
67. Whitethroat - One near the villa.
68. Sardinian Warbler - Abundant.
69. Willow Warbler - Singles near the villa.
70. Western Bonelli's Warbler - A single in the garden of the villa.
71. Chiffchaff - Odd singletons.
72. Pied Flycatcher - The drizzly conditions on arrival were doubtless responsible for up to 20 around the villa then. Numbers declined during the week with just odd birds present by the end.
73. Spotted Flycatcher - Singles on two days.
74. Long-tailed Tit
75. Blue Tit
76. Great Tit
77. Southern Grey Shrike - One at the salt pans.
78. Short-toed Treecreeper
79. Azure-winged Magpie - Common although tricky to photograph. Often in large flocks (up to ca 30).
80. Magpie
81. Jay
82. Spotless Starling
83. House Sparrow
84. Common Waxbill - Odd birds around the villa.
85. Greenfinch
86. Goldfinch
87. Serin
88. Corn Bunting