The Bird Watching & Nature Festival in Sagres welcomed a record number of visitors in its 8th year, with the organisers delighted that so many people are attracted to the far western Algarve.
A recorded 2,150 visitors came to the Sagres area to participate in the event, 1,000 more than last year and enjoyed five days full of activities at São Vicente, Fort Beliche, the Sagres Fortress and Cabranosa.
There also was a new record set for the number of nationalities present at the festival with people from 39 different countries, 10 more than in 2016.
In addition to most European countries, there were visitors from Guyana, New Zealand, China, the Philippines, Colombia and Mexico.
Of the 250 programmed activities, many were new - such as the history of Sagres trip, the music workshops, the mobile observatory, musical moments and the wooden birds distributed to schools to be decorated.
This year, 157 species of birds were spotted, including eight rarities including the Pomeranian eagle, (pictured below) and the Lanner falcon.
The various species observed by the participants were inserted in the PortugalAves eBird online website so that the data can be used by others.
The success this year was due in great part to the volunteers and partners who collaborated in this initiative, either by helping with the activities or by offering discounts to the organisation and the participants.
This initiative of Vila do Bispo council is in partnership with the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds and environmental organisation, Almargem.
