Authors: Andrey Solovov, Inês Dinis.
With the coming of Winter all we want to do is cuddle up with a blanket and enjoy a movie. But the best motivation to leave our comfy couch is all the birds we can discover this season!
As newbie birdwatchers, we thought it would be fun to share some of our favourite birds we usually see where we live as well as some we'd love to spot this Winter.
If this gets you excited to try birdwatching, just remember birds are most active in the early morning or late afternoon, when they're searching for food. So grab a warm jacket, a pair of binoculars, take your fave tea in a thermal bottle and let's look at birds!
Here are 10 species from our home country, Portugal, which you can try to spot this Winter:
European Robin (Erithacus Rubecula)
These little guys are such perfect round and plump spheres with legs. They hop around while gathering food, but can also be found singing on tree branches. They're curious birds, not too shy and you can usually find them in city parks with lots of trees.
It's the best bird for beginner birdwatchers, they're super easy to spot. We usually go to our local Botanical Garden, take a book and simply sit there for a few minutes. It won't be long until one of these guys shows up.
We met this Robin once at the Botanical Garden in Coimbra. He approached us and posed for a couple photos, so you might be able to spot these birds easily too.
Common Firecrest (Regulus Ignicapilla)
Firecrests are the smallest birds in Portugal, its body about the size of a washitape roll, so spotting them can be challenging. What seems to work decently for us is to find where we can hear them (a super trebly repeated tone), sit down with a book, and wait. Sooner or later, you might see this tiny twitchy sphere moving sideways or even upside down along the branches of a tree.
We've only seen them maybe three times at most, they're not super sociable towards people. You'll hear them far more often than you see them.
Eurasian Blue Tit (Cyanistes Caeruleus)
Before anything, the reason why sitting down with a book seems to work so well is that for a few minutes the resident birds will be checking whether you're a threat or not. If you don't move around too much and stay reasonably quiet, they'll grow more confident over time. That's also why if you want to see a bird up close when on a walk, you should keep walking slowly: don't stop suddenly or else you'll scare them off. Anyway, again, sitting down and reading is the best way for nature to show you some tits.
Unlike the grey wagtails, which are yellow, blue tits are actually blue. In fact their binomial name, Cyanistes caeruleus, roughly translates to "blue blue". You'll usually start hearing them in mid-Autumn: of all the birds around here, their alarm call sounds the most like they're luring a cat. They're quite small, and also like to travel along branches in gravity-defying poses.
Song Thrush (Turdus Philomelos)
So you know blackbirds? Loud, boisterous chonks with striking black plumage and a near-fluorescent yellow beak? Well, song thrushes are their more timid counterparts. While blackbirds are now ostensibly city birds, an unmissable presence in parks and gardens, song thrushes still prefer more remote woodsy areas. Actually, here's a good way to tell if you're hearing a song thrush. It will sound uncannily like a blackbird, but on further listening it can't be: their vocal range and timbre are super similar, but the song structure is nothing alike. If blackbirds are Van Halen, then song thrushes are Fleetwood Mac.
From a distance, song thrushes look a lot like lady blackbirds. If out in the forest you spot what looks like a lady blackbird singing its heart out, it's likely a song thrush. Near the engineering wing of the University of Coimbra there's a large woodsy area, and we've seen song thrushes there a couple of times.
Common Waxbill (Estrilda Astrild)
These arrived from Africa and have formed a stable population here. If you're not expecting them, you might even think for a moment you're spotting zebra finches that escaped captivity. We've only ever seen them around February, flying in groups, grazing wild bushes at the Choupal natural park in Coimbra. Their ray-gun noises are a lot of fun, so hopefully we'll see them again and have more to say about them next year!
Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos Caudatus)
Ghostly critters. Black and white, proportions lollipop-esque. Sound like a mix between a bicycle bell and candy being unwrapped. We've spotted them most often in trees and poles at the top of hills, though we don't know for sure if they were just passing or if that's where they like to reside.
Northern Lapwing (Vanellus Vanellus)
Autumn and Winter are the best seasons to watch these birds. They're very common on marshes and lagoons and can be seen flying in large flocks. They're easy to spot by the crest on their heads. They're quite vocal and their alarm calls sound a bit like a squeaky toy.
A popular birdwatching location is the Obidos Lagoon where you should be able to spot a variety of water birds. If you're thinking of visiting pleeeease take bug spray with you!! We went there this year and really underestimated all the mosquitoes!
Red Kite (Milvus Milvus)
Red Kites are rare in Portugal but in Winter they migrate from European regions and can be seen on the interior-south of the country. They can be mistaken by Black Kites, which are more common here, but Red Kites have long and forked tails.
This bird is on our birding-wishlist, so hopefully we'll get to see them this year too!
Eurasian Teal (Anas Crecca)
The smallest duck in Europe is one of the most common during Winter in Portugal. They're very social and can be found in large flocks and with other species of ducks.
If you're visiting the lagoons of Pateira de Fermentelos to watch the ducks, they have a great spot for a picnic, but make sure to arrive in the morning as most birds there usually nap during lunch time.
Eurasian Bullfinch (Pyrrhula Pyrrhula)
Like seeing a unicorn, we never actually saw one of these birds in real life, so they're on our birdwatching-wishlist!
These round and plump birds are the typical figures in Christmas postcards and children's books. In Portuguese, apparently finches are also ocasionally called "Pintalhão", which translates to something like "humongous chick" which is hilarious.
While not particularly abundant in Portugal, it's possible to spot them on the North of the country in forests and creeks. They're usually found with their bills all dirty from eating berries.
If you're visiting Azores, the São Miguel Island has its own bullfinch species, known as Priolo. It's an endangered species and you can visit the Centro Ambiental do Priolo to learn more about this bird, for guided tours and to support their conservation projects.
If you ever see one of these in Portugal feel free to spam us with photos!
Honorable mention: Pigeon (Columba Livia)
Pigeons are the prettiest and most intelligent species in the world. They make great nests. Other animals can't find their home after traveling 20 miles in an unfamiliar location, meanwhile pigeons can find their home after traveling 20 miles in an unfamiliar location. You can find them everywhere, further showing that they're awesome. You'll find them in cities, at the coast, at other places, etc.
Everyone abides by the days of when we celebrate pigeons. Of note are January 1st, Interplanetary Pigeon Day, when all humans feed their favorite pigeon lots of seed (here's my fav — uh — my pigeon's favorite brand), January 2nd, Also Interplanetary Pigeon Day, when all humans feed their favorite pigeons lots of seed, January, uh, I lost count, I'm not very good with big numbers he he. Anyway, not to brag, but pigeons are undoubtedly the greatest species that has ever lived.
And you? Which birds have you spotted?
We'd love to hear about the birds you've seen this Winter, so go ahead and share your discoveries in the comments!
Useful Sources for Birdwatching
Aves de Portugal - a complete repository with info about the species and their locations
Xeno-Canto - a complete repository of bird vocalizations
Merlin Bird ID - a phone app that you can use to identify birds in real-time by their sounds based on your current location
Centro Ambiental do Priolo - located in Azores, you can learn more about the Azores Bullfinch, also known as Priolo, sign up for tours and help support their conservation efforts
Guia de Aves - O Guia de Campo Mais Completo das Aves de Portugal e da Europa, from Assírio & Alvim - the most complete illustrated guide of birds from Portugal and Europe
Aves de Portugal Continental, by Gonçalo Elias e José Frade - a very good photographic guide
For Bird Lovers
