Villa Tavira Algarve:: Bird Watching

The Ideal Location for Bird-watching

Casa Luzia is located on the edge of Tavira, just a 3 minute drive from the centre of town. However, it has quite a rural aspect overlooking the Rio Formosa Nature Reserve. The “salinas” or salt-pans are a two minute walk from the villa.

As a result, you will encounter a wide variety of species, such as Avocets, Black-winged Stilts, Kentish Plovers and Little Terns breed in the salinas. Throughout the year, Greater Flamingos, Eurasian Spoonbills and large numbers of migratory shorebirds occur. The sapal holds breeding Common Redshanks, Stone Curlews, Yellow-legged Gulls and Yellow Wagtails.

Click here to read some useful reports on other people’s bird-watching holidays in the area - of particular interest is the article by Alec Cheney which details sighting at the saltpans to the rear of Casa Luzia.

Ruddy Turnstones at Albufeira Beach

The Rio Formosa

saltpans

Saltpans behind Casa Luzia

The Ria Formosa is the most important birding site in the Algarve. It covers 60km of coast from Tavira in the east to Ancao in the west and comprises large areas of dunes and lagoons, channels and islands, saltpans, pools, and river mouths.

The Ria Formosa is of great importance for a wide range of breeding, passage, and wintering birds. Rarer species recorded include Bean Goose, Blue-winged Teal, Long-tailed Duck, White-headed and Ruddy Ducks, Marbled Duck, and Crested Coot.

The greatest diversity of species occurs during passage periods with spring seeing the arrival of Great Spotted Cuckoo and passerines including Redstart, Whinchat, Black-eared Wheatear, and warblers such as Spectacled and Sub alpine.

A wider range of passerine migrants occurs in autumn when Tawny Pipit, Blue throat, Pied Flycatcher and various warblers can be seen. Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff and Spotted Redshank are among the many species of wader to be seen here in autumn. Black Tern is a regular and raptors such as Red Kite, Short-toed, and Booted Eagle pass through.

Canal de Tavira

Now a UN recognised nature reserve, is important for numerous water-birds, especially beach-nesting Charadrius alexandrinus and Sterna albifrons and for wintering waders and duck.

Over 20,000 water-birds winter regularly. Ilha de Tavira, an easily accessible tidal lagoon system, is home to Redstart, Melodious Warblers and more common migrants in the mixed vegetation in the dunes, which flood at high tide. Barrill Beach, near Santa Luzia is reached by a miniature railway or a 10 minute walk.

There are many creeks – and the Canal de Tavira – where waders and terns are plentiful. On land, holidaying birders regularly sight Short-toed Treecreepers, the Azure-winged Magpie, Serin, Golden Oriole, Waxbills, Hoopoe, Sardinian Warblers and Nightjars.

cuckoo

Great-Spotted Cuckoo