The Algarve’s 6th Birdwatching Festival held in and around Sagres has been declared a resounding success as the organisers welcomed over 1,000 participants from 20 countries.
The main business of the four day event was the number of bird species spotted, with 150 different observed during the early October event which outshone last year’s with Vila do Bispo council, the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds and eco-organisation Almargem, all delighted at the outcome.
Participated in the activities, which included some notable whale watching excursions, were visitors from Portugal, Spain, UK, USA, Sweden, Russia, Germany, Netherlands, France, Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, Poland, Belgium, Italy, Australia, South Africa, Czech Republic, Ireland and Belarus.
This year the boat trips were a highlight, where in addition to seabirds the participants spotted dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, minke whales, sharks, blue shark, sunfish, flying fish and leatherback turtles.
This is off season tourism as it should be and the Algarve Tourism Association encouraged participation by organising a press trip for overseas journalists and tour operators specialising in birdwatching and nature tourism.
The event has developed in the six years that it has been running and the inclusion of transport between venues, better signage, commercial sponsorship from Intermarché, boat trips and lectures is serving to put Sagres on the off-season October calendar.
The President of Vila do Bispo council, Adelino Soares, of course thanked all the partners who contributed to the success of the event but his belief that international promotion for the festival is the way forward should enable the event to become a ‘must visit’ one for overseas birdwatchers and nature lovers.
