The 9th Sagres Bird Festival was deemed a success with around 1,160 visitors, including from as far away as São Tomé and Príncipe, Surinam, India, New Zealand, Vietnam, Senegal, Colombia and Canada as well as 35 other countries.
The four-day festival took place at various points around Sagres, including Cabo de São Vicente, the fort at Beliche, the Sagres Fortress, Cabranosa and Monte das Esparregueiras.
The 206 programme activities included recording the sounds of nocturnal migratory birds; drawing workshops; dragonflies; mini-courses in geology and an exhibition on the impact of plastic on the environment.
This year almost 140 species of birds were observed, including a rather rare and delightful red-breasted fly-catcher (Ficedula parva) - below.
The success of the festival also was due to the volunteers and partners who already have pencilled in the first weekend of October 2019 for the 10th festival, organised by Vila do Bispo Council, Almargem and the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds.
