Birding Day Trip in Alentejo with Peter and his familly / June 2025
I meet Peter, his wife Alison, and their son Max in Mértola for a birdwatching day trip in search of the birds of the Alentejo. Our goal is to explore between Mértola and Castro Verde. They are from Canada and this is their first trip to Portugal. To my surprise, Max, only 10 years old, knows birds very well. He has already observed nearly 500 species around the world! He and his father even learned about the bird species of Portugal before coming. It's always wonderful for us to see children love birds. But this is the first time we've guided a young man as knowledgeable as Max.
It's early morning, and the forecast predicts temperatures of up to 39 degrees Celsius. It's early June, and summer is setting in. We begin our tour by visiting a Little Owl territory. Along the way, we observed the White Stork, the Iberian Blue Magpie, the Red-rumped Swallow, and even the Iberian Grey Shrike.
Once there, we are lucky, the Little Owl is here! We stay in the car and watch quietly. After a while, a second Little Owl appears on the other side of the road.
All this while a Red-legged Partridge takes its dust bath on the dirt road just in front of us, the first Eurasian Griffons appear in the sky, and the Larks and Corn Buntings can be heard. The moment is delightful. Max is excited because seeing an owl was one of his greatest wishes for the day.
We then go to observe by the edge of a pond where Black-winged Stilts nest. We also find Egyptian Geese, Gadwalls, Great Crested Grebe, and others. Then we continue towards the national road that connects Mértola to Castro Verde. Shortly before, we stop for a moment by a seasonal river. In a few weeks at most, it will be dry. There are four European Bee-eaters and Eurasian Crag Martins. A Short-toed Eagle is perched on a large electricity pole in the distance. A minute later, a Common Kingfisher landed in a bush above the water!
A few kilometers further on, I noticed a Cinereous Vulture in flight. Magnificent! This was another species Max was really keen to see.
On the national road, we discovered the Woodchat Shrike and our first European Roller, then we found five more on a private property to which we had access. The European Roller is always a thrill for our guests.
Later, I suggested to Max and his parents that we try to see a bird that is unfortunately all too rare: the Rufous-tailed Scrub-robin. They readily accepted. Once there, we had barely gotten out of the car when we heard it singing. Late May or early June is indeed the best time in our region to hear it. After hearing it, we were lucky enough to see it. Superb!
Knowing that they had to go to Lisbon later in the day, we decided to end this birdwatching excursion in Alentejo in the early afternoon. But to return to Mértola where they had left their car, I decided to take a small road instead of the main national road. Bingo! We come across a pair of Montagu's Harriers perched on some wooden stakes near the road. The sighting is exceptional!
We finally arrive in Mértola, where we end our tour with a delicious meal in the best restaurant in town, while observing a Lesser Kestrel circling above the Guadiana River amidst hundreds of swallows and swifts. Max and his parents are delighted to have been able to discover the birds of the Alentejo and observe more than 40 species in just a few hours.
Salva Fauna
