Week-long Birdwatching Programme in Northern & Central Portugal
Lisbon Estuaries, International Tagus, International Douro & Villafáfila
Portugal offers a fantastic diversity of habitats and consequently of birds in a relatively small area, so the birding programmes designed by Birds & Nature Tours Portugal enable you to visit several species rich areas without needing to travel long distances.
In practical terms, the Tagus Estuary Natural Reserve is a mere 20 minutes’ drive from Lisbon’s city centre and its International Airport. This remarkable protected wetland area has an extensive bird list that include Greater Flamingo, White Stork, Eurasian Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Little Bittern, Squacco and Purple Herons, Booted Eagle, Black-winged Kite, Western Swamphen, Collared Pratincole, Little Owl, Pallid Swift, Eurasian Hoopoe, Common Kingfisher, European Bee-eater, Sardinian, Savi’s and Melodious Warblers, Iberian Chiffchaff, Iberian Grey and Woodchat Shrikes, Iberian Magpie, Spotless Starling, Rock Sparrow, European Serin and an excellent selection of ducks, waders, gulls and terns.
A two hour drive takes you to complementary biotopes and consequently new bird species in the Beira Baixa. Here, you will visit the bluffs and hills of the International Tagus Natural Park, noted for species like Black Stork, Iberian Imperial, Golden and Bonelli’s Eagles, Cinereous, Griffon and Egyptian Vultures, Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Red-necked Nightjar, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Eurasian Crag Martin, Red-rumped Swallow, Black-eared Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Spectacled and Dartford Warblers, Spanish Sparrow and Rock Bunting.
The next region to be explored is the beautiful International Douro Natural Park, for more rock loving birds and especially rewarding for species like European Turtle Dove, Eurasian Scops Owl, Alpine Swift, Black Wheatear, Western Orphean, Subalpine and Western Bonelli’s Warblers, Red-billed Chough, Golden Oriole, Hawfinch and Cirl Bunting. Here, we shall visit the most important open-air Palaeolithic rock art site in the world, the Foz Côa Valley, a World Heritage Site.
The closeness of Salamanca and the Lagunas de Villafáfila Natural Park on the other side of the border, make these Spanish sites a great addition to our itinerary. While the magnificent Plaza Mayor of Salamanca provides great opportunities to see urban birds while having lunch, the steppes with lagoons of the special protected area of Villafáfila are excellent for species like Great and Little Bustards, Red Kite, Montagu’s Harrier, Lesser Kestrel, Eurasian Stone-curlew, Black-bellied and Pin-tailed Sandgrouses, Great Spotted Cuckoo, European Roller, Calandra Lark and Tawny Pipit. The lagoons should also provide some aquatic birds.
*Photos by Pedro Marques
✓ What's included
Guide fees (including a professional historian guide in Foz Côa)
Transfers from/to the airport/hotel, ground transport (in air-conditioned vehicles)
A boat trip on the River Douro
Accommodation (including breakfast)
Meals (lunches in local cafes and dinners in local restaurants, including quality wine at dinner)
Visit to the open air Palaeolithic rock art site in the Foz Côa Valley
Bottled water throughout the tour
Free use of optical equipment (quality binoculars and telescopes)
Field guides
Bird list
Entrance fees to private or protected areas, a contribution of 40 Euros to our Conservation Project in the Guadiana Valley Natural Park (Portugal)
Participant’s accident insurance and VAT.
✕ Not included
Single supplement: 430 Euros.
Flights and items of a personal nature.
