Fonte da Benévola is a privileged spot for birdwatching—home to summer visitors, migratory species, wintering birds, and year-round residents.
Every Saturday, António and a team of volunteers venture deep into the serra, combining scientific research with a shared love of nature.
With great care, wild birds are gently captured, studied, ringed, and released back into their habitat.
Key details—species, weight, age, and sex—are recorded and made available internationally, contributing to global conservation efforts. Handling these birds requires special authorisation, and António is one of the few in Portugal with the expertise to do so.
The day we joined António at Fonte da Benévola, luck was on our side. We witnessed dozens of species up close—from the brilliantly coloured kingfisher to a pair of tiny firecrests, the smallest bird to take flight in Portugal.
