Ria Formosa Natural Park

The Ria Formosa Natural Park on the southern coast of Portugal is made up of 18,000 hectares of tidal marshes protected by a spectacular 60 km long system of sand-dune islands separating the land from the continuous advance of the ocean. Due to its geographical location, natural richness & high biodiversity the area is vital for wildlife, especially for water birds. Reflecting its international significance, Ria Formosa is included in the prestigious Ramsar Convention, a status given only to the most important wetlands around the world. Furthermore, within Europe, the Ria Formosa has been declared an IBA (Important Bird Area) and is included in the Natura 2000 network of specially protected sites.

In spring/summer, local breeding species include European Bee-eaters, Red-necked Nightjars, Little Terns, Avocets and Kentish Plovers. Booted Eagles, Short-toed Eagles and Honey-buzzards; Griffon Vultures, Blue Rock Thrushes and Black Redstarts are commonly seen and we would expect to see Thekla Larks.

Other species that can be found include (according to season) Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Calandra Lark, Lesser Kestrel, European Roller, Griffon Vulture, Spanish Imperial Eagle, Red Kite, Black Kite, Montagu's Harrier, Common Crane and Little Bustard.

Salt Marsh Nature Reserve of Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo António

The Salt Marsh Nature Reserve of Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo António has 2312 hectares, and is a highly protected nature reserve flanked by the Rio Guadiana bordering Spain in the extreme southeast of the Algarve. Its birdlife makes this site quite unique in the context of Portugal. This extremely valuable area consists mainly of pristine, unaltered salt marshes and transformed marshes, which, in the main, are saltpans, many of them still active and producing high quality sea salt. Breeding birds are well represented and include important populations of Avocets, Black-winged Stilts, Kentish Plovers and Little Terns around the wetter parts.

Castro Verde Special Protection Area

The Castro Verde Special Protection Area (SPA) is the most representative steppe area in Portugal, with a total area of 85.345 hectares.

In this SPA the extensive farming practices are predominant. The fallow lands are generally used as pasture for sheep and cattle, and there are also holm oak groves, scrub forests and small olive plantations. The diversity and abundance of steppe birds is the responsible for the protection status of this SPA, in particular of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda) and of the Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni).

This SPA also holds important populations of Black-bellied sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis), Calandra Lark (Melanocorypha calandra), Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus) and Montagu’s harrier (Circus pygargus) and, furthermore, it is a breeding area for the Bonelli’s eagle (Aquila fasciata) as well as the main breeding area of the European Roller (Coracias garrulus) in Portugal.

During the winter we can find important densities of Cranes (Grus grus), Lapwings (Vanellus vanellus), Golden plovers (Pluvialis apricaria) and Skylarks (Alauda arvensis). There is a regular presence of winter birds of prey such as the Red Kite (Milvus milvus) and the Hen harrier (Circus cyaneus). The fallow lands and pastures are important feed zones for the Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus), the Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus), the Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aquila adalberti) and the Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetus) (ICNB 2006).