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| Introduction |
| Welcome |
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| Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala, the most abundant and just one of an ample selection of breeding warblers that can be seen in southern Iberia |
NEW! Update on interesting sightings for May, June and July
If anyone has missed me (?) here in the Algarve I have recently returned from 7 weeks away on continuous breeding bird fieldwork in the northern Baixo Alentejo and adjacent Alto Alentejo where I personally censused 400 separate 1km squares.
I am now again available for guided trips as normal and welcome enquiries. Anyone who has had their email returned recently please accept my apologies and if possible send again – I can now reply promptly. Thanks to all for your interest – and great birding!
Simon Wates is resident in Portugal on the nature-rich Sagres peninsula right at the tip of southwestern Europe. He can bring you in close contact with all the birdlife of this region – as well as its unique flora and other wildlife. Using personally acquired and detailed local knowledge his guided tours focus on revealing the more difficult species apart from the well known. Also available are day trips and short holidays to other areas in southern Portugal & Spain where your guide is equally at home.
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| About your guide |
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Starting birdwatching around his hometown of Manchester, UK at the age of 11 Simon moved to live in sunny southern Spain and Portugal 23 years ago. Here his activities span from professional employment in numerous studies & surveys of an environmental character to a broad participation in the new definitive “Atlas of Breeding Birds of Portugal”. He has been responsible for the compilation of exhaustive databases for the birdlife, flora, butterflies and protected habitats for the Lagos county council in the western Algarve & specialises in the distribution & identification of protected habitats & species. |
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| Schoolchildren and mud! – Happily building nesting mounds for Black-winged Stilts during a SPEA project designed to educate youngsters about their local birdlife near Lagos, western Portugal |
Environmental education is one of his personal passions having designed & implemented innovative field trips & activities for local schools, as well as writing and producing photographs for articles about Algarvean nature in books & magazines. Simon is an experienced bird-guide with foreign visitors and has led many field trips voluntarily for the Portuguese Birdlife International partner, SPEA (Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves) & the LPN (Liga de Proteção de Natureza).
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| Guiding preferences |
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| The Hoopoe Upupa epops can hardly be missed in the Algarve. It occurs as a resident, a summer visitor, a winter visitor and a passage migrant! |
Your guide is completely open to any style of birdwatching although he personally favours an approach that concentrates on obtaining satisfying views of the species at hand at a comfortable pace. Some might prefer to focus on seeing the maximum number of species possible, others could be keen to complete a list of elusive target-species that they would like to see. Many birders have an avid interest in seeing other wildlife and flora and may even want to make a special effort to see a rare orchid or a butterfly, for example.
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| The charismatic White Stork Ciconia ciconia is a common resident of southern Portugal and can easily be seen feeding in wetlands and farmland. It nests on chimneys and telegraph posts even in large towns while the population on the west coast does so on tall offshore islands and stacks |
Whatever your wishes it's advisable to contact by email or telephone well before the date booked so that the excursion can be adapted to suit your preferences. Note that the itineraries available on these pages can be altered and trips to other destinations are easily arranged.
Although booking by email or telephone well before the trip is recommended, last minute enquiries are welcomed - but bear in mind that availability is less likely to coincide with your plans.
For more information and bookings contact Simon by email: simonwates@sapo.pt or by phone on (00351) 282 639 418, or mobile (00351) 912 824 053 - (NEW number!)
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| Special Summer Birding Excursions |
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| Purple Heron Ardea purpurea is often easiest to see during the “high season” due to increased activity while feeding young. Furthermore, once the immatures are feeding for themselves the number of individuals is doubled |
Many birdwatcher’s only opportunity to see birds abroad is during family holidays, which often coincides with hot summer weather at high season making long days in the field uncomfortable. It is also often inconvenient for a birding parent to go out birdwatching whilst on holiday because of attending to the needs of the family. To overcome this frustrating summer-time scenario Simon is offering an alternative that may be attractive to people in this situation and at a substantially reduced rate, compared to a full day out in the field:
A 3 morning package designed to cover 3 distinct areas and most of southern Portugal’s birds:
You will be collected early morning (as early as you wish and the earlier the better!) and returned to wherever you are staying in time for lunch. This way one can continue holidaying in a more traditional manner without being missed too much! Note that as with full day trips fees are at a fixed rate and cover up to 3 people. As costs vary considerably according to your place of residence please enquire by emailing Simon, or if you prefer by telephone. Please see above for contact details.
By avoiding the main heat of the day birdwatching will be much more productive at this time of year – around 100 species can be encountered during the course of the 3 morning trips, including most of the more desired breeding specialties of the area. Bear in mind too that by the end of July migration is starting to get interesting, increasing further the number of potential species. “Add-ons” can be arranged for the region’s nocturnal birdlife – please enquire.
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