Autumn Birding in Southern Portugal

Lying at the far south-western tip of mainland Europe, Portugal’s beautiful Algarve region occupies a strategic position on the ‘eastern Atlantic flyway’, and is one of the continent’s top birdwatching destinations in September. Famous for its golf courses, beaches and winter sunshine, there’s another side to the Algarve, away from the high-rise hotels and beach-bound holidaymakers — and on this tour we will take you off the tourist trail, to the windswept cliffs, sand dunes and heaths of the west coast, the marshes and saltpans of the south, and the Cork Oak forests and wide open plains of the Alentejo. Though often overlooked in favour of the much larger neighbouring landmass of Spain, Portugal has a very distinct identity of its own. A relaxed pace of life prevails away from the tourist hot-spots and we are sure you will soon be seduced by southern Portugal — not only by its excellent birdwatching opportunities, but also by its beautiful language, charming people, and delicious food and wine. As we make daily excursions in search of the region’s special birdlife, we will also find ourselves immersed in the rich history and culture of the south, where fine Moorish architecture and the near-medieval subsistence agriculture of the Alentejo provide a stark contrast to the 21st century bustle of the Algarve coastline.

Our tour begins with a flight to Faro (flights available from around the UK) from where it is just a short drive to our accommodation for the next four nights — a superb hotel in the heart of the Ria Formosa Natural Park. This is the perfect base from which to explore the lagoons, reedbeds, saltpans and marshes of the Algarve’s flagship reserves: Rio Formosa itself, Castro Marim and Quinto do Lago. Among the many species that we will search for during gentle excursions each day are Spoonbill, Greater Flamingo, White Stork, Little Tern, Audouin’s Gull and Collared Pratincole. At this time of year the lagoons and saline-rich marshes along the coast provide an important stopover for migrant birds and rarities. While researching this tour we saw both Buff-breasted and Upland Sandpipers, as well as Little Bittern, Squacco Heron, Black-winged Stilt, Glossy Ibis, Kentish Plover, Caspian Tern, Red-crested Pochard, confiding Bluethroats and many more species.

From the coast we will also drive north for a day to the wide plains of Castro Verde in the Alentejo. Within the Castro Verde Special Protection Area we hope to see Europe’s largest flying bird, the Great Bustard, as well as Little Bustard, Black-bellied Sandgrouse and Stone Curlew. Several exciting raptors hunt over these open plains and we will survey the rugged steppe country from the region’s highest point, Sierra de Aracelis, for Hen Harrier, Black and Griffon Vultures, Black-winged Kite, the magnificent Spanish Imperial Eagle, and Little Owl. Next we head towards the River Cobres, a tributary of the Guadiana River, which provides an opportunity to enjoy the Alentejo’s famous ‘montado’ scenery of Cork and Holm Oak woods. Among the birds we will be hoping to find in the steppes and scrub here are Crested, Thekla and Calandra Larks, Corn Bunting and Iberian Magpie.

Having explored the lagoons and wetlands of the central and eastern Algarve, we now travel west to our next base — a very comfortable hotel situated just a stone’s throw from a fort which served as Henry the Navigator’s 15th century School of Navigation. The volume and variety of bird species passing across the southern tip of Portugal each autumn is impressive and makes for some exciting migrationwatching, particularly of raptors. From our strategic viewpoint, and accompanied by Portuguese researchers and other keen birders from around the continent, we will be looking for circling Egyptian Vultures, Honey Buzzards, Booted and Short-toed Eagles, harriers, and many other birds of prey.

The seabird-watching between Sagres and the Cape can be equally exciting and during a morning’s boat excursion from Sagres we should see a mouth-watering selection of species including Balearic, Cory’s and Great Shearwaters, European and Wilson’s Storm-petrels and Great Skua, particularly if we are lucky enough to encounter a trawler. Add to this an exciting encounter with a huge pod of Common Dolphins and this ‘mini-pelagic’ could be the highlight of our autumn week away!