The 4th edition of the Sagres Bird Watching Festival, which took place from October 4th to 6th, broke the record not only for the number of participants, but also for the number of bird species observed, announced the organizers.
Once again, Sagres was the destination of many birdwatchers, of all ages, professions and nationalities, who gathered at the westernmost point of Europe to celebrate the migration of birds, which at this time leave their nesting sites and head towards to Africa to spend the winter.
This year the Festival exceeded expectations and exceeded the numbers of previous editions: the approximately 900 participants, the 143 species of birds registered and the 100 activities organized in these three days are «a reason of pride for promoters, organizers and partners».
In addition to residents in the Algarve, and from various parts of the country, the Festival received participants from Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Denmark, United Kingdom, Spain, France, Netherlands, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States of America, who took advantage of their stay in the Algarve to travel to Sagres or, in other cases, came purposefully to participate in the event.
«This fact demonstrates that the Bird Watching Festival of Sagres is already known beyond borders!», emphasize the organizers.
In this 4th edition of the festival, 143 species of birds were registered, «which represents a good number at European level, in such a small area», reveals the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA), one of the co-organizers.
Among others, 21 species of seabirds, 22 species of birds of prey, and 69 species of passerines were observed.
Many of these species are trans-Aryan migrants, heading for the
In tropical Africa, others are dispersers and/or winterers, and there are also many resident species and later migratory species that still remain in the area.
The importance of this event for the promotion of Sagres and for stimulating the local economy at a time of year that is no longer high season are factors that lead more and more local establishments to join the Festival's partner network, which this year brought together 19 accommodations and 33 restaurants.
Although the main attraction of the event was the birds, this year the program expanded the themes of the activities to include different nature tourism initiatives and, in this way, respond to the desire of the participants who travel to Sagres with family and friends and want to have the opportunity to enjoy and learn about the natural and cultural values of this place, under the guidance of experts.
From boat trips for bird and dolphin watching, to various themed mini courses, horse or donkey rides, exhibitions, scientific ringing sessions or bird monitoring, many were the pretexts that led national and foreign tourists to choose this destination for a different weekend, in contact with nature.
The Algarve Tourism Association has once again integrated this Festival into the program of the
Press/Fam Trip that it organizes during this period of the year, aimed at journalists and tour operators specialized in Birdwatching and Nature Tourism. alternative or complementary to Sol & Praia.
The Festival took place within the scope of PRODER, the 'Um Another Algarve' project and was one of the actions that aims to promote nature tourism as a strategic sector and a driving force for the development of the territory.
The promoters are the Municipal Council of Vila do Bispo and the Vicentina Association, with SPEA and Almargem being responsible for the organization.
Comments