WAGS 25.01.2023: Birds and Boardwalks at Salgados

Perhaps out of modesty, Ingrid and Maria had declined to participate in this walk but they need not have worried; there were no nudists at all on the beach since it was far too cold to be standing there displaying one´s bits and pieces.

Coffees inside a warm café

 Here is Rod´s report.

John & Hazel, Yves, Chris & Antje, with Sasha, and Rod gathered at the Villa Paradise Café on a bright and sunny but distinctly cool morning.

 After the usual coffees, off we set soon after 10.00. Well, Chris set off in his own direction. In fact this was a more or less a repeat of a walk we had last done on Feb 16th, to be precise, last year.   As before, we wandered over to the Salgados wetlands lake to wonder at the birdlife there, and even an otter thought John, although it shyly disappeared before anyone else could see it.

Apparently, there are otters in wetlands such as Salgados

although some observers remain sceptical.

A solitary flamingo named Edith, (by YF)

Treated, recycled water, so we are told.

We then hit the boardwalk  and headed east along the southern edge of the wetlands. The boardwalk has been renewed and as we were later to discover now extended to the west almost to Armação de Pêra. 

On we went as far as the bridge linking it to to the Salgados carpark at which point Yves went off to try to photograph some turtles. He didn´t find any but captured some bird life instead.

Possible a reed warbler ???

A coot

and another coot

There are turtles there; this is one he got earlier

We then headed  towards the beach...well we all except Sasha who had evidently found other things of interest and only then did Antje notice her absence. Antje retraced her steps in search whilst the rest of us rather ungallantly set off along the beach....knowing however she would rejoin the beach later on when Sasha was found, which indeed she duly was.

The beach was fairly crowded....organized groups, hardy types and dogs and the new found craze of cycling along the hard sand at low  tide on fat tyred bikes. 

Passadiço da Ecovia

At the Alcantarilha stream inlet we headed inland and as mentioned found the boardwalk had been completed right up to the edge of the water. The only bit missing now is  indeed the "Alcantarilha" over the water. This is to be completed sometime soon, we are informed,  within the Silves Câmara budget!  Let us see!   When finished, it would appear that access further inland would be blocked  by the boardwalk, or at any rate one would have to scramble under it.

Watch this space

Scramble under it is what we did in fact do and then we wandered uneventfully on along the paths and tracks that more or less form the inland boundary of the wetlands.

And so back to the Villa Paradise where  we were greeted by Chris, Terry and Claire...and good to see Terry looking so much better. 

The Track and Statistics

The fare at the Villa Paradise Café is very commendable with its strong  French influence. 

Lots of choices

Black pork skewers with filou pastry vegetable parcel

Grilled Andouillette, or tripe sausage

Roast camembert

Tiramisu

Apple Pie

Galette des Rois, or King Cake

The galette des rois is a cake traditionally shared at Epiphany, on 6 January. It celebrates the arrival of the Three Wise Men in Bethlehem. Composed of a puff pastry cake, with a small charm, the fève, hidden inside, it is usually filled with frangipane, a cream made from sweet almonds, butter, eggs and sugar. There was no charm in my slice - swizz!

Thanks to Yves for some excellent pictures. He said that he was struggling to get familiar with a new camera but you wouldn´t know that from the results.

The news received on the Tuesday had been that Myriam and Paul were then at Olympia; during our lunch, we tried to contact them to see where next, but got no reply.. Instead her publicity agent sent us this. 

How grand.!

No political satire this week but, in view of the birdlife theme, here is something from Nat King Cole´s early days as a jazz pianist.