Centro Region

Centro Region is a region in central Portugal covering an area of 28,462 km² (10,989 square miles) and is bordered by Norte region to the north, Alentejo region and Lisboa region to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the west and Spain to the east. Its administrative capital is Coimbra. Other important cities inside this region are Aveiro, Viseu, Leiria, Covilhã, Castelo Branco, Figueira da Foz, Guarda and Caldas da Rainha. The region has a low density of occupation with around 2.4 million people.

The Centro is a region of diversified landscapes. The interior is mountainous with some plateaus, dominated by the Serra da Estrela Mountain. It is rich in pine and chestnut forests as well as cork oak. The green, rugged landscape of this region is crisscrossed by rivers. The coastal plain has many beaches, such as at Mira, Figueira da Foz, Ílhavo, Aveiro, Nazaré, Peniche and São Martinho do Porto. Natural landmarks in this region are the Serra da Estrela mountain range (the highest in mainland Portugal with its Serra da Estrela Natural Park, and the Rio Mondego.

Castelo de Almourol – ©Vitor Oliveira CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The Mondego River is the longest river located exclusively in Portuguese territory. Other important rivers and tributaries are the Vouga, Côa, Dão, Tejo and Zêzere. There are also important lagoons and Lakes including the Aveiro Lagoon (Ria de Aveiro), Pateira de Fermentelos, the Lagoa de Óbidos, Lagoa Comprida and Lagoa de Lorigã.

There are several areas where pinewoods border beaches or dunes such as Pinhal do Rei, south of the Mondego River. Included in Centro region are the Berlengas islands, a small archipelago off the coast of Peniche and Almouro; a tiny isle with Castelo de Almourol in the Tagus River.

Birding Central Portugal

This is a region of contrasts. In the vast coastline, the constant interaction between the land and the sea shaped a surprising landscape, of long beaches, woodlands, salt marshes and marshlands like the Ria de Aveiro lagoon system with different habitats; the coast from Mira to Ovar, beaches, saltmarshes, cane thickets, saltpans, fish culture, tidal mud flats, canals, riverside woodland, marshland and cultivated fields. Look for Purple Heron, Glossy Ibis, Spoonbill, Greater Flamingo and Black-crowned Night Heron. The interior is very mountainous with some plateaus, dominated by Serra da Estrela Mountain (the highest point in mainland Portugal) and crisscrossed by several rivers and streams. The Serra da Estrela Natural Park is suitable for Alpine species and rock-loving birds. The Faia Brava Natural Reserve is prime territory for vultures and raptors including Griffon Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Bonelli’s Eagle, Short-toed Eagle and Booted Eagle.

Tagus International Natural Park – ©Sara Jaques CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

One of the main places to visit is the International Tagus Natural Park and Geopark, which is excellent for birding. Here the visitor can observe a wide variety of species of Mediterranean birds along the valley of the river Tagus and its tributaries, rocky outcrops and scarps, sclerophyllous scrubland, holm-oak groves and forests, riverside woodland, dams and reservoirs, cultivated fields, pastureland and fallow land, etc. Some of the rarest and more emblematic specimens of the Iberian Peninsula such as Iberian Magpie, Blue Rock Thrush, Black Stork, Hoopoe, Purple Gallinule, Bee-eater, Eagle Owl and sandgrouse.

Peniche – ©Sergei Gussev CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Peniche is world renowned for its huge waves attracting surfers, but it is also a terrific sea-watching site, particularly during passage times.

The former mining area along the Coa Valley is being rewilded in various places and there are a variety of ponds, channels, seasonally flooded wetlands and the aquatic vegetation that has overtaken attracts all the usual wetland species, surrounding the wetter areas is young, but extensive oak forest which is greatly important for its biodiversity and a magnet for woodland species.

Then steep areas of Portas de Ródão covered in rosemary, broom, heather and juniper are the haunts of Black Stork, and Griffon Vultures. Tejo Natural Park is also rich in vertebrate life with 210 species recorded, 140 of which are birds inhabiting a mosaic of scrub, meadows and oak forest.