Things get pretty crowded and hectic in the Reserva Natural do Sapal. In the autumn, some 150 species of birds gather there in the nature preserve on the Algarve's eastern coastal region, either to spend the winter or to rest awhile before flying further southwards.

Hundreds of flamingos alone will be staying until the following April in the some 2,000-square-kilometre sanctuary in the delta of the Rio Guadiana river. The season is the ideal time, and the preserve the ideal spot, to go bird-watching - whether on foot, by bicycle or by boat.