Family Travel

Birdwatching’s future in Portugal

Friday, 12 March 2010 00:00

recent study confirms that Portugal is an excellent birdwatching destination.This is because Portugal boasts a wide variety of landscapes and a high degree of diversity of natural habitats at short travelling distances (up to 2-3 hours by car), making it possible to carry out birdwatching programs in distinct habitats that harbor a high number of species, in particular, mountains, estuaries, escarpments, cork oak forests, coastal lagoons, and steppes used for cereal crops. There around 330 species of birds that may be observed on a regular basis, many of which are found in very limited numbers in the rest of Europe and the world. It has a considerable number of unique species in Europe such as, the imperial eagle and the azure-winged magpie, and others which, although not unique, are of major interest for birdwatchers such as great bustards, kestrels and bitterns and, also, species that can only be found in Portugal such as the Zino’s Petrel, long-toed Wood pigeon and the Azores bullfinch (source: SPEA). Other rare birds which can be observed in Portugal include: the Ruppell’s Griffon, the Ruppell’s Vulture, the mute swan, the Arctic tern, and the slender-billed Gull. In the archipelago of the Azores it is also possible to observe species of American origin that find refuge in these islands.Today, 21% of Portuguese territory is considered Protected Areas, that have strong natural values and a high degree of biodiversity in terms of fauna and flora together with environmental and landscape quality, offering a range of tourism entertainment activities adjusted to different Nature Tourism segments. The nature reserves of the Sado and Tejo Estuaries, Ria Formosa Estuary, Sapal de Castro Marim marshland, Alentejo, Guadiana Valley, Douro International and Tejo International Park are just some of the natural areas that are rich in ornithological resources. Lisbon is the only European capital adjacent to an area that is extremely rich in birdlife – the Tejo Estuary (only 20 minutes away), where it is possible to observe around 100 different species of birds in a single day.

There are currently 94 special protection zones or Important Bird Areas  in Portugal. These sites have international significance in terms of conservation of birds at a global level. They are identified through application of international scientific criteria and constitute a network of fundamental sites for conservation of all birds classified as having unfavourable conservation status.

Some of the most important birdwatching sites, according to the Portuguese Birdwatching Society are as follows:
Mainland
Norte: Douro International
Centro: Tejo International, Ria de Aveiro estuary
Lisbon: Tejo Estuary, Cabo Espichel, Lisbon and the Estoril coast (not an IBA)
Alentejo: Paul do Boquilobo, Castro Verde, Mourão, Moura and Barrancos, Lagoa de Santo André and Lagoa de Sancha
Algarve: Ria Formosa estuary, Castro Marim, Lagoa dos Salgados and the Southwest Coast

Archipelago of Madeira
Madeira: Ponta de São Lourenço, Porto do Funchal (not an IBA) and Ponta do Pargo
Deserted Islands
Island of Porto Santo (only the West part is an IBA but there are also other locations of interest for birdwatching)

Archipelago of the Azores
Island of S. Miguel: Pico da Vara
Island of Terceira:

Birdwatching companies:

Birds & Nature   www.birds.pt
Ventura do Mar (Madeira)   www.venturadomar.com
Mar Ilimitado   www.marilimitado.com
Madeira Aventura (Madeira)   www.madeiraventura.com
Windbirds (Madeira)   www.madeirawindbirds.com
Rotas da Terra   www.rotastaterra.com
Natura Algarve   www.natura-algarve.com
"Terra Azul"  (Açores)   www.terrazulazores.com
Lands   www.lands.pt
Relevos   www.relevos.pt   
Vertigem Azul   www.vertingemazul.com