Birding the Tagus and the Alentejo

Portugal is one of my favourite birding destinations and for European urban birding, Lisbon takes some beating. Over the four days of my Lisbon Tourism sponsored trip I spent the time birding the delights of the expansive Tagus Estuary and the wonderful Alentejo Region which spans the landscape between Lisbon to the north and the Algarve to the south.

 Views around the Tagus

 My guide was my old friend Joao Jara and I was also in the company of nature writer and dragoneer (dragonfly enthusiast) David Chandler. As well as exploring the Tagus we also spend a brief day taking a look at the varied habitats in the Alentejo from the gently cork oak wooded hills to the expensive steppes of Castro Verde.

 Black-winged Kite

 Little Owl

Despite the lack of sunshine and occasional spot of rain we saw a load of good birds including a very obliging female Merlin in the Tagus.

 A male Hen Harrier against the backdrop of suburban Lisbon

 Redshank

By far my favourite area for birding was the Tagus. Despite its close proximity to the city it was absolutely stuffed with birds and is a very important wintering/refueling area. In excess of 5,000 flamingos and 7,000 Teal share this food rich habitat with many thousands of waders and other waterbirds.

This is truly a fantastic urban birding venue.

Lisbon & the Alentejo Region 11-14 December 2014

Dabchick

Cormorant

Cattle Egret

Little Egret

Great Egret

Grey Heron

White Stork – Seems that quite a few overwintered. Some already standing on their nests.

Glossy Ibis – c2,000 on the Tagus.

Spoonbill

Greater Flamingo – c1,500 on the Tagus.

Greylag

Shelduck

Mallard

Gadwall

Shoveler

Teal - At least 7,000 in theTagus.

Garganey – 4 separate birds found (2 males & 2 females) amongst 5,000 Teal in the Tagus.

Osprey – a couple seen carrying fish in the Tagus.

Iberian Imperial Eagle – c5 seen in Castro Verde.

Booted Eagle – 1 briefly in the Alentejo.

Bonelli’s Eagle – 1 1^st calendar year bird watched in the open sitting in a tree in the Tagus.

Red Kite

Marsh Harrier

Hen Harrier 

Buzzard

Black-winged Kite

Kestrel

Peregrine

Merlin - A couple seen.

Red-legged Partridge

Coot

Purple Swamphen - A couple seen in the Tagus.

Common Crane

Great Bustard

Little Bustard

Avocet

Black-winged Stilt

Ringed Plover

Kentish Plover

Grey Plover

Golden Plover

Lapwing

Knot

Sanderling

Turnstone

Dunlin

Little Stint

Green Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Redshank

Spotted Redshank

Greenshank

Black-tailed Godwit

Bar-tailed Godwit

Curlew

Whimbrel

Snipe

Black-headed Gull

Mediterranean Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

Great Black-back

Lesser Black-back

Black-bellied Sandgrouse - c50 all told.

Feral Pigeon

Wood Pigeon

Collared Dove

Short-eared Owl - 9 together in the Tagus.

Little Owl

Hoopoe

Kingfisher

Great Spotted Woodpecker (heard)

Skylark

Crested Lark

Thekla Lark - a coupled noted near Mertola, Alentejo.

Calandra Lark

Crag Martin

Meadow Pipit

White Wagtail

Robin

Bluethroat

Black Redstart

Stonechat

Song Thrush

Blackbird

Blackcap

Sardinian Warbler

Zitting Cisticola

Cetti’s Warbler (heard)

Chiffchaff

Great Tit

Coal Tit

Blue Tit

Iberian Grey Shrike

Azure-winged Magpie

Magpie

Jay

Jackdaw - only 1 noticed in the Alentajo.

Carrion Crow

Raven

Common Starling

Spotless Starling

House Sparrow

Tree Sparrow

Chaffinch

Linnet

Goldfinch

Greenfinch

Serin

Reed Bunting

Corn Bunting

110 species