Yesterday near Silves I spotted my first returning Short-Toed Eagle. Towards the end of February is very typical to start to see them return. A very common Eagle in the Algarve and easily identified as apart from a few black patterns it is totally light underneath. It also may hover Kestrel-like while it spots its favourite food, Snake! In fact, it is often called the Snake Eagle too.
I was enjoying a midday Coffee today in the garden when a Short Toed Eagle came soaring past, even though I felt faster than Usain Bolt, by the time I grabbed a camera (D7100 Crop with 80-400mm), it was just a little too far away.
Here is a shot I managed to get albeit very cropped. I watched it hover and hunt for about 10 minutes before it went out of sight. The Short Toed Eagle often hovers in the same way a Kestrel does which is an impressive sight to see such a large bird capable of doing so.
