A Birdwatchers' Guide to Portugal, the Azores and Madeira Archipelagos
Useful introductory pages on Portuguese ornithology, pre-tour and travel information, staying in the country, weather and clothing, health, maps, geography, vegetation and when to go precede the key sections on prime birding sites. In the first edition 32 locations were featured, whereas mainland Portugal alone now boasts 44, spread over 126 pages with coverage justifiably weighted in favour of the centre and south.
Unlike its Atlantic island groups, the mainland has no endemic species. There are, however, comprehensive details and numerous maps to help find such specialities as Lesser Kestrel, Great and Little Bustards, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Red-necked Nightjar, Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin, Western Orphean Warbler, Iberian Chiffchaff and Iberian Magpie (now split from Azure-winged, though this is not noted here).
The Azores section occupies 17 pages, with each of the nine islands and their birds covered in turn. The text gives a good overview of their avifauna and again describes areas to see the specialities, including the endemic Monteiro's Storm-petrel (now widely split despite comments to the contrary) and Azores Bullfinch. Unlike maps for the mainland, however, the scale of those used here is too small to be of practical help. Some text is also missing at the end of the entry for the island of São Jorge.
The final 10 pages of the site section are devoted to Madeira, including Porto Santo, the Desertas and the Selvagens, an archipelago that also boasts two true endemic species — Trocaz Pigeon and Madeira Firecrest — as well as endemic breeders in the form of Zino's and Desertas Petrels. The two maps are again small and lack detail but the text is helpful, though surprisingly there is no mention of the regular pelagics departing from the east of the island which have recently found the at-sea feeding area of Zino's Petrel and also some remarkable rarities, including Black-bellied Storm-petrel and South Polar Skua.
The site sections are followed by selective bird lists for mainland Portugal, Azores, Madeira and non-native species, as well as a full checklist with status keys and simplified lists of amphibians, reptiles and mammals. The book concludes with recommended reading suggestions and useful contacts and websites, making this a very handy overview for anyone planning to go birding in the area of coverage.
- A Birdwatchers' Guide to Portugal, the Azores and Madeira Archipelagos by Colm Moore, Goncalo Elias and Helder Costa (Prion, Cley next the Sea, 2014).
- 212 pages, numerous maps and line drawings.
- ISBN 9781871104134. Pbk, £17.99.
- Available from the Birdwatch Bookshop from £16.99