Birdwatching day in the Ria Formosa Natural Park

An excellent day’s bird watching in the company of Guillaume who proved a knowledgeable and observant guide. From the freshwater lake at the Quinto do Lagos golf course to the salt pans of Olhao and Tavira, we saw an amazing number of species, 58, and learnt a lot about identifying tricky wading birds. Grey, common Ringed and Kentish plover, shelduck, shoveler, Gadwall, Wigeon, Pintail, Teal and Mallard ducks and many more species. Guillaume was considerate towards a couple of oldies, helpful and we would recommend this tour to anyone to wanting to experience the amazing bird life of Ria Formosa.

Previous reviews indicated that it would be a great birding outing with an excellent guide, and we found those reviews to be not only accurate but perhaps understated. Guillaume really knows his stuff! His skills at finding specific birds in a mixed flock was amazing, and his ability to verbally direct our eyes to see them also was much appreciated. As casual but motivated birders in new (to us) territory, it was wonderful to go with a highly knowledgeable and experienced guide and have him tell us what we were seeing. We went to two different wetland sites and saw 48 species, some of which were firsts for us. In addition to his birding skills, Guillaume could share information on any topic that we wanted to ask about, which made the drive to the sites very interesting and personalized. He is also a very good driver, and as a host, attentive to the personal needs of his group (nutrition breaks, bathroom breaks, pacing the speed of the walk to our ability). He even brought along camp stools to sit on for our lunch break. Our family of three Canadians, two seniors and an adult, wholeheartedly recommend this tour, both for the suitability of sites and the skill and personal qualities of the guide, Guillaume. It was a mostly overcast day, with intermittent showers, which was likely to our benefit as there was little glare for viewing and photography. I half suspect that Guillaume was instrumental in arranging the showers for when we were in the car or in hides. He was very good-natured about my incessant questions, great sense of humour, an all-round good sport.

Nous avons passé une très bonne après-midi avec notre guide, Guillaume, qui nous a fait découvrir les richesses de Rio Formosa. Nous avons eu l’occasion d’observer une quantité incroyable d’oiseaux et d’apprendre plein de choses sur leurs modes de vie, leurs migrations, etc… dés les premiers pas dans la réserve naturelle. Nous n’y connaissions rien mais Guillaume est très pédagogue. Nous sommes repartis émerveillés par tant de beauté et de diversité. Nous conseillons cette expérience et n’hésiterons pas à revenir à une autre saison. Floriane