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Alvor Estuary Boardwalk

Algarve  >  Portugal

Fantastic 5 km birding trail on paths and boardwalks along salt pans, salt marshes, mudflats, sandbanks and the Alvor lagoon.

Ajouté* par Thomas de Vries
Dernière actualisation 15 octobre 2024

Description

The Alvor Estuary is an essential staging area for many wintering and migrant waterbirds. The Ria de Alvor is limited by the ocean and by an extensive dune system; surrounding the central neck of land, four different freshwater streams feed the shallow Alvor lagoon, as well as numerous salt pans, mudflats, sandbanks, and marshy areas. An extensive boardwalk crosses salt marshes, a vast dune system, and Alvor Beach, offering great opportunities to observe sea and shorebirds. All seasons offer good birding opportunities; however, there’s a lower number of birds and bird species between July and August. Waders are best seen at high tide (see the link to the tide table below) as they tend to congregate in only a few places.

Among the birds you can observe are Héron garde-boeufs, Échasse blanche, Gravelot à collier interrompu, Sterne naine, Flamant rose, Spatule blanche, Pie ibérique, Hirondelle rousseline and Goéland d'Audouin. The world’s largest tern Sterne caspienne winters in the estuary between late summer and March-April. The Balbuzard pêcheur is a also wintering species with some records during spring and summer. Other wintering birds are Gorgebleue à miroir, Pipit farlouse and Hibou des marais. Élanion blanc is a resident that breeds in the area.

Détails

Accès

The boardwalk starts just south of the town of Alvor. There are several parking lots. Press a P on the map for directions. If the birding is good it takes at least 2 to 3 hours to complete the 5 km walk. On warmer days take plenty of water, since there are no bars or cafés at the end of the walkway.

Terrain et Habitat

Zone humide , Mer/océan , Plage , Dunes , Vasières

Conditions

Plat , Paysage ouvert , Niveau d'eau élevé probable

Boucle

Oui

Avez-vous besoin d'une longue-vue?

Non

Saison idéale pour observer

Toute l'année

Meilleure période pour une visite

Migration printanière , Migration automnale , Hiver

Itinéraire

Sentier large

Niveau de difficulté de l'itinéraire

Facile

Accessible via

A pied

Observatoire/hutte d'observation

Non

Liens

Voir les sites d'observation voisins publiés sur Birdingplaces

Carte

Top 5 oiseaux

Autres oiseaux que vous pouvez observer ici

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