Portugal Special Protection Area for birds
Pico da Vara / Ribeira do Guilherme - Ilha de S. Miguel
100 bird species recorded; the most in April and in October.
bDom - artiste - www.bdom.info from Enghien, Belgique · CC BY 2.0
This month here
34 species in January.42 species in February.41 species in March.51 species in April.44 species in May.37 species in June.40 species in July.35 species in August.45 species in September.54 species in October.49 species in November.40 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
VU
VU
NT
VU
VU
VU
VUVU
VUVU
VUNTVUNT
VU
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
100 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 100Speciesrecorded more than once
- 24Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 3ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 32,064Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 909 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 5Raptors
- 1Owls
- 14Waders
- 9Gulls & seabirds
- 24Ducks & geese
- 7Herons, ibises & grebes
- 28Songbirds
- 12Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 100 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors5 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
Owls1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Long-eared OwlAsio otus
Waders14 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticola
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimus
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- Hudsonian WhimbrelNumenius hudsonicus
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- RuffCalidris pugnax
Gulls & seabirds9 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis
- Great skuaStercorarius skua
- Laughing GullLeucophaeus atricilla
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Scopoli's ShearwaterCalonectris diomedea
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Roseate TernSterna dougallii
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
Ducks & geese24 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Ruddy ShelduckTadorna ferruginea
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Red-crested pochardNetta rufina
- American WigeonMareca americana
- Mandarin DuckAix galericulata
- White-cheeked PintailAnas bahamensis
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- BuffleheadBucephala albeola
- Black swanCygnus atratus
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchus
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- Black-bellied Whistling DuckDendrocygna autumnalis
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
- Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsis
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
- GadwallMareca strepera
Herons, ibises & grebes7 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
Songbirds28 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Azores BullfinchPyrrhula murinaVU
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- GoldcrestRegulus regulus
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- Fringilla morelettiFringilla moreletti
- Atlantic CanarySerinus canaria
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- FieldfareTurdus pilaris
- Common crossbillLoxia curvirostra
- Common WaxbillEstrilda astrild
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- Turdus naumanniTurdus naumanni
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- RedwingTurdus iliacus
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
Other birds12 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Red-legged PartridgeAlectoris rufaNT
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Chimney SwiftChaetura pelagicaVU
- CootFulica atra
- Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- Grey PartridgePerdix perdix
- European SwiftApus apus
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in April and in October.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan17°/15°60 mm
- Feb16°/15°65 mm
- Mar16°/15°62 mm
- Apr16°/15°53 mm
- May18°/17°41 mm
- Jun20°/19°28 mm
- Jul22°/21°17 mm
- Aug23°/22°26 mm
- Sep23°/22°52 mm
- Oct21°/20°72 mm
- Nov19°/17°63 mm
- Dec17°/16°100 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Pico da Vara / Ribeira do Guilherme - Ilha de S. Miguel.
Protected area in Portugal
Pico da Vara / Ribeira do Guilherme - Ilha de S. Miguel is a Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive in Portugal, 909 m above the sea.
100 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 32,064 open records.
The most recorded are the Azores Bullfinch, the Grey Wagtail and the Eurasian Blackbird.
6 species come for the summer, 16 for the winter and 2 only pass through.
3 are threatened worldwide, including Azores Bullfinch, Chimney Swift and Common Pochard.
The most species are recorded in April and in October.
Get there and watch
- VisitingHours in OpenStreetMap: 24/7Official site↗
- Parque de Campismo das Furnascampsite · 6.1 km · 3 within 10 km
- Quinta Atlantisplace to stay · 4.3 km · 108 within 10 km
- Povoaçãonearest town · 5.6 km in a straight line
- João Paulo II Airport (PDL)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 40 km in a straight lineCar hire at PDL airport (Ponta Delgada)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 2observation towers within 6 km
- 3marked trails within 4 kmPRC07SMI Pico da Vara, Trilho dos Graminhais, Caminho Florestal de Santo António
- 3visitor centres within 6 kmPosto de Turismo do Parque da Ribeira dos Caldeirões, Balneários dos Pelames, Posto de Turismo
- 5viewpoints within 5 kmMiradouro do Pico da Vara, Salto do Cavalo, Miradouro da Ribeira dos Caldeirões and 2 more
- 1car parks within 3 km
- 3campsites within 10 kmParque de Campismo das Furnas, Parque de Campismo da Feira
- 108places to stay within 10 kmQuinta Atlantis, Casa Maria de Deus, Ribeira dos Caldeirões (AL) and 105 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Pico da Vara / Ribeira do Guilherme - Ilha de S. Miguel.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas14 mountains within 25 kmPico do Buraco702 m · 3.4 kmPico da Vara1,103 m · 3.6 kmGafanhoto610 m · 5.8 kmFurnas · 7.6 kmPico da Senhora389 m · 7.6 kmFerro294 m · 8.2 kmCedros518 m · 11 kmÁgua de Pau947 m · volcano · 22 km
Coastya2 beaches within 10 kmPraia do Fogo · 9.3 kmPraia do Lombo Gordo · 9.6 km
Lakeyas1 lakes within 15 kmFurnas Lake1.8 km² · 8.7 km
Darkskyas5 dark-sky places within 30 kmPico da VaraBortle 2 · 3.6 kmFurnas LakeBortle 2 · 8.6 kmLagoa do FogoBortle 3 · 20 kmIlhéu de Vila FrancaBortle 3 · 20 kmÁgua de PauBortle 3 · 22 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Pico da Vara / Ribeira do Guilherme - Ilha de S. Miguel
Portugal
- 50Birdyas Score
- 100Species
- 24Migrants
- 3Threatened
Complexo Vulcânico das Furnas
Portugal · 8 km
- 67Birdyas Score
- 134Species
- 51Migrants
- 7Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q10395273) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 32,064 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Islandyas, Coastya, Lakeyas, Darkskyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit