Destinations
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This holiday is fully booked for 2010, but we are happy to have enquiries as sometimes these things change, or to take provisional bookings for 2011.
Central Portugal 10 – 17 April 2010
Cork oak country and much more
From limestone hillsides to granite outcrops, cork oak woodlands to estuaries and dry grasslands, central Portugal offers a varied landscape with a rich range of wildlife.
This two centre holiday, starting close to Lisbon, offers contrasting habitats both between and within the holiday’s two bases, one in the west of Portugal, the other in the east close to Spain.
Around Santarém
Here wildlife thrives in a mosaic of abandoned olive groves and farmland around the small and friendly Hotel Rural de Santarém. Black-shouldered kite, bee-eaters and southern grey shrikes compete for attention with a dozen orchid species, including giant and naked man orchids and violet limodor. Spanish festoon, green-striped and western dappled whites and false ilex hairstreak are a few of the local butterflies.
Spoonbills, whiskered terns, pratincoles, flamingos, herons and egrets join the waders – wintering, passage and breeding – on the mudflats and lagoons of the Tejo Estuary. Much of the estuary is adjacent to wood pastures – montados – of cork oak, where nature and man have combined to create a sustainable harvest of cork on which a valuable ecosystem is based. Birds include short-toed and booted eagles, hoopoes, cirl buntings and woodchat shrikes. White storks are common and there are calandra larks, marsh and Montagu’s harriers in more open areas.
The limestone pavements and hills of the Serra de Aires and Candeeiros Natural Park provide a complete contrast. Flowers include specialities like Portuguese iris Iris lusitanica, hoop petticoat narcissus, Portuguese daffodil Narcissus calcicola, wild tulip and some 27 species of orchids. Portuguese dappled white, Lorquin’s Blue, two-tailed pasha and tree grayling are just some of a great variety of butterflies. As well as birds seen in previous days, we should find wryneck, Dartford warbler and choughs.
Marvão and northern Alentejo
After three days near Santarém, two hours’ driving takes us east to Marvão. Our hotel, the Albergaria el Rei Dom Manuel, is within this fortress village, which remains intact from the Islamic occupation in the Middle Ages and has applied to be a World Heritage site. Marvão offers stunning views from the massive quartzite outcrop on which it is set.
In this part of the Alentejo countryside, granite outcrops and the drier climate favour holm oak (rather than cork oak) and Pyrenean oak. Special birds can include griffon vulture, crag martin, black-eared wheatear, Orphean, subalpine and Dartford warblers and rock bunting. After dark, scops owl and red-necked nightjar are possible.
In steppe grassland, more than 100 great bustards display among a carpet of wild flowers. A range of raptors includes Bonelli’s eagles and lesser kestrels. Other steppe birds include little bustard, stone-curlew, roller and great spotted cuckoo.
This was our first holiday in Central Portugal. To see the holiday report, click on the PDF symbol here:
Cork oak
Black-shouldered kite (Steve Fletcher)
Marvão - castle
Marvão - church
We stay at the Hotel Rural de Santarém and Albergaria el Rei Dom Manuel
