Birds
& Nature Tours is the first and only Portuguese company
specifically dedicated to birds and birding field tours. Our guided
field tours are designed to offer you the best of Portuguese birding,
with a specific emphasis on what you want to see. Tours
are adapted to cover a wide range of ability, from novice to expert.
Although focused
on birding, our tours cater for the general naturalist and the
visitor who wants to see something of the Portuguese countryside
as well. The guides are ornithologists and birders with a deep
knowledge of the birdlife of Iberia and the kind of local knowledge
necessary to find those tricky or difficult species. For
those without optics, quality binoculars and telescopes, as well
as field guides, are available.
Birds & Nature
is based in Lisbon, and most field trips depart from and return
to Lisbon. Transport is by air conditioned vehicle (up to 7 participants),
but smaller groups and individual clients are also welcome. The
prices quoted for the tours include guide, transport (including
fuel and tolls) and use of optical equipment, together with participant
accident insurance.
Are
you planning to visit Lisbon?
Lisbon is the only
European capital located near such a rich Bird & Nature hotspot
– the Tagus estuary. About
20 minutes from the city, this huge Nature Reserve, with its extensive
area of protected wetland, offers excellent conditions for the
observation of birds in rich natural surroundings.
The Tagus estuary
is the most important wetland in Portugal and one of the most
important in Europe. It is fascinating at all times of the year:
in winter, it holds over 120.000 waders, waterfowl and other aquatic
birds; during migratory periods, the bird diversity is at its
maximum, and one can expect to observe more than 100 species in
a single day; during the summer, the estuary is alive with breeding
species more usually associated with the Mediterranean.
Besides the Tagus
estuary, we have tours to other exciting locations, namely the
Sado estuary, the Alentejo and the Algarve. Basically the selection
of field trips included in the Birds & Nature menu is designed
to bring you to the best birding locations in Portugal. Some bird
species are so site specific, however, that you might like to
consider a tailor-made field tour to other sites (for example,
International Douro, Portas do Ródão, International
Tagus, Santo André lagoon, Mourão, Moura and Barrancos
area, Óbidos lagoon), or even to places outside Portugal,
like Doñana or Monfrague Parks, in Spain. Please let us
know, as we can then let you have a relevant price list depending
on site distance and duration of the trip.
Birds & Nature
is owned and managed by João Jara, who
also guides the majority of the activities. João
was born in Lisbon and studied biology at the Faculdade de Ciências
de Lisboa, from where he developed his professional career in
the pharmaceutical industry, as senior manager and director of
various multinational companies. With
25 years of field experience, he knows the field of Portuguese
birding intimately and is a member of the board of SPEA (Sociedade
Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves – Birdlife in Portugal),
as well as coordinator of the PRC (Portuguese Rarities Committee).
Author and co-author of several articles about birds, João
has led many field tours (in Portugal and abroad), as well as
bird identification courses for SPEA. Besides birds, he has an
active special interest in amphibians, reptiles and fishes. João
is fluent in English, French and Spanish.