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Finding Birds in South Portugal takes you to the best birdwatching sites in the Algarve and also the plains of Castro Verde and the wetlands within a day’s drive of Lisbon. Nothing else gives you a such a realistic ‘feel’ for what it’s like to go there.
The best sites – whether you want to see swamphens and Little Bitterns in wetlands along the Algarve, or seabirds off the coast of Sagres, bustards on the Alentejo plains or the exotic species now breeding around Lisbon, Finding Birds in South Portugal shows you what the best places are really like
The best birds – sit back and enjoy footage of over 70 species, including many of the specialities, all filmed using high-definition digital video cameras
The best information – find out more about the sites and their birds, including tips on how to separate eagles from vultures, Crested Larks from Thekla Larks and what to listen for if you want to find birds like Little Bittern and Iberian Chiffchaff.
Travel around the country with Dave Gosney showing you what the birding is like at all the most popular sites and giving you a chance to enjoy footage of the best birds: Little and Great Bustards displaying, Little Bittern, Black-shouldered Kite, Spanish Imperial Eagle, Balearic Shearwater, Montagu’s Harrier, Iberian Chiffchaff, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Rock Bunting, Black-headed Weaver, Yellow-crowned Bishop and Crested Myna
This DVD has been produced in conjunction with a book of the same title so it’s easy to find out all you need about every site in the film. The DVD is ideal for showing you each place and its birds and the book is perfect for giving you lots more information, including detailed maps, in a portable format – together they make the complete guide.
"This latest offering from Dave Gosney explores three areas that have been overshadowed by neighbouring parts of Spain, but have a great deal to offer in their own right – the Algarve, the plains of Castro Verde and the wetlands around Lisbon. Dave introduces each of the sites with his own personal comments and then explains how a typical visit might develop. The video footage of birds is excellent with over 70 species being featured. The booklet (which can be bought separately) provides really good maps with GPS co-ordinates that can be used to ensure that there is no risk of confusion about where to start.
The sites start with the Tejo estuary which lies close to Lisbon and offers excellent winter birding. The city is also home to a number of exotic escapes, so if you really want to see these, a trip to Barroca d’Alva is recommended. For impressive numbers of Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus and raptors Dave visits the Sado estuary, while not far from there are the Santo Andre Lagoons. Heading south to the Algarve, raptor passage is best watched from the Sagres peninsula where seabird movements can also be observed. Advice is given on how to succeed with both. Other nearby sites include the Alvor estuary and Lagoa de Salgado, two of the best wetlands in Portugal. There is also Vilamoura which offers the best chance of getting close to Purple Swamp-hen Porphyrio porphyrio and Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus. In addition both sides of the Ria Formosa are featured. Moving inland we are shown Castro Marim and the Castro Verde plains where Great Bustard Otus tarda, Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax, Black-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis, Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus, Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus and Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila adalberti can be found. A back-up site at Elvas is also shown where some of these species can also be seen.
The great strength in Dave Gosney’s approach is that he gives a personal feel to the DVD based on what he has seen. His commentary includes sound advice on how to get the most from each site and also how to be sure you have correctly identified some of the more challenging species such as Crested Galerida cristata and Thekla Larks G. theklae."
- Keith Betton, 10-02-2014, www.britishbirds.co.uk
