Private Half-Day Birding Tour around Serpa / September 2025

It is early september, weather is fantastic, and I am very excited to meet with our 3 guests for a private half-day birdwatching tour around Serpa. Coming for the first time in Alentejo to assist a wedding, our guests travelled from London and New York to Portugal. They are great birders.

I created for them an itinerary including a good number of birding hotspots of Serpa county, but also some more secretive places that I know could be interesting at this time of the year. The idea is to explore several types of habitat in the area between Serpa and Vila Verde de Ficalho.

Our first stop is a big artificial lake where we start by spotting an Eurasian Otter! The sighting is fantastic, as the otter calmly swims by the edge of the lake where we are. We also get to see more than 20 bird species, including the European Bee-eater, the Common Sandpiper, the Great Crested Grebe, and even the Iberian Magpie, a species that our guests really wanted to see.

We then go to a small river. Red-Rumped Swallows and Barn Swallows are flying by, along with Eurasian Crag-Martins. I notice a Spotted Flycatcher on a fence, a species that I see every year during fall migration.

Driving through small countryside roads, I later spot 2 Iberian Gray Shrikes in a vineyard. Great sighting of this beautiful and iconic iberian species. Our guests are delighted to see it.

Just before reaching another big lake, we stop by a small pond and this would end up being the best spot of our birding tour. The place is full of birds! First few Northern Lapwings of the season, a Little Ringed Plover, 4 Glossy Ibises, many Little Egrets and Western Cattle Egrets, a Common Kingfisher, a dozen Little Grebes, Red-Rumped Swallows and a couple of Bank Swallows, an Eurasian Hoopoe, etc etc. A beautiful moment in a really beautiful place.

Then by the lake, not much to see. We do not stay long and drive towards Vila Verde de Ficalho. On our way, we see an Egyptian Mongoose crossing the road. We go to a place that I know is quite reliable for the Blue Rock-Thrush, and when we arrive, we are very happy to quickly see the male.

It is just passed noon when I drop our guests at their hotel. We end this birding tour with a list of 50 bird species spotted.

If you are interested in birding in Alentejo with us, feel free to contact us.

Salva Fauna