The 2nd Sagres Birdwatching Festival spots rare species
- Written by Sue Englefield
The second festival, held from September 30th to October 2nd, dedicated to birdwatching surpassed the organisers' expectations. Over 700 participants spotted 116 different birds including a rare corncrake.
Foreign visitors increased significantly over 2010, with tourists arriving in groups or individually from countries where the activity of birdwatching is popular, including Sweden, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Holland, Germany, United States, Canada, France and Spain.
Local catering and accommodation partners were well able to cope with the demand and were well prepared.
National, regional and international media helped the festival gain a high level of interest with the general public, nature lovers and bird experts. The presence of foreign journalists during the festival will ensure that, even after its closure, this event will be reported on, highlighting the natural values of the region, and resulting in even higher attendance in 2012.
This year's 700 people included many foreigners, and Portuguese from various parts of the country, college students, schools, a seniors group, a group of people with special needs, and several city residents that were interested in the initiative.
The number of bird species observed during the festival was 116, beating last year's 105. Especially exciting were the 16 species of birds of prey and the observation of a very rare bird, the corncrake, now almost extinct in Portugal and in several other European countries.
