Welcome Spring time! Have you seen this Palm tree? And visited this wonderful Natural Park?

Valley of Guadiana Natural Park

The Valley of Guadiana Natural Park is situated in the southeast of the country, in the middle area of the Guadiana River, in the Baixo Alentejo region and comprises the parishes of Mértola and Serpa, with a total area of 69 700 hectares.

The valley of the Guadiana is the central feature of the park, surrounded by different kinds of habitats (plains, holm oaks woods, cereal plantations, cork oak woods, shrublands) and important tributaries. The region has 4 different Protection Status: Special Protected Area, Special Conservation area Natura 2000, International Important Wetland area- Ramsar and Natural Park. One of its highlights is the Pulo do Lobo, where the river falls down into a gorge and disappears; and, as well, Ribeira do Vascão, important habitat for sweet water fish. The Natural Park was created in November of 1995, due to its high value of flora, fauna, geomorphology, landscapes and historical-cultural importance, aiming for its protection and conservation and to promote a sustainable development of the area.

The climate is one of the driest in the country and the landscape can change a lot through the year and between years (intensive rain and periods of drought). The area is also rich in endemic species (fish and plants) and a very important habitat for emblematic birds like the Great Bustard, Little Bustard, the Spanish Imperial Eagle and winter ground for the Common Crane.

The symbol of the park is a bird which is thought to be a bird of chase, the image came from an Islamic illustration of the XI century found on a ceramic plate.

Silver-stripped Hawk-moth (Hippotion celerio, Linnaeus, 1758)

Family: Sphingidae

Wingspan: 70 to 80 mm

Habitat: Wide variety of habitats, including gardens, fields, waste places, farmland areas and coastal areas

Flight period: Throughout the year

Distribution: Canary Islands, Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Southeast Asia and Southern Europe.

Notes: The larvae feeds on a wide variety of plants: Rumex sp, Vitus sp, Galium sp. The caterpillar can have 2 colour forms: green and brown; for protection they have 2 large dorsal eyes and a spike in the posterior end. The adults are migrant, they feed on the nectar of plants and are important pollinators. In some areas it is considered a pest.

Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus, Linnaeus, 1758)

Photo by Guillaume Réthoré

Family: Accipitridae

Size: 43 to 55 cm Wingspan: 115 to 140 cm

Habitat: Wetlands (coastal lagoons, marshes, estuaries, moors, reed beds) with abundant aquatic vegetation preferably reed beds.

Status: Resident and winter migrant (in Portugal it is more common on the estuaries of the western coastal area, where it breeds; during the winter it is more abundant and has a slightly larger distribution).

Distribution: Europe, North-western Africa, part of Middle East and Central Asia

Notes: The hunting is done with low flight and with its long wings in a V flattened shape. The population decreased a lot between the XIX and XX century, due to habitat loss, habitat change and human activity.  In Portugal this species has a conservation status of Vu (Vulnerable).

• February should be a quite month for birds, but it seems like Spring is getting earlier each year! Some birds arrivals: House Martin (Delichon urbicum), Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis daurica), Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava) and Spotted Cuckoo (Clamator glandarius). Get ready, March will bring some of our summer visitors!
• This year, A Rocha will again organize the Pollinators week, between 20th and 25th of March. Soon the full program will be available on our social networks. For more information contact: paula.banza@årocha.org

Ornamental trees

In our parks and gardens it is possible to see amazing trees, although most of them are exotic! Plants native from other parts of the world used as ornamental. Maybe you have seen some of them….

Canary Island Date Palm (Phoenix canariensis Chabaud)

Photo by Filipa Bragança

Family: Arecaceae

Type of plant: Evergreen tree

Size: 10 to 20 metres

Distribution: Native from Canary Islands, widespread in all temperate areas

Flower bloom time: April to May

Where to see: Lagos avenue close to the river

Curiosity: Can tolerate a wide range of exposures: deep shade, a wide range of soil types, maritime climates and above zero temperatures (not less than -10° C, for short periods of time), severe drought, and flooding. This species resists strong wings without breaking due to the flexibility of its trunk. The Red Palm Weevil (Rhynchophorus, ferrugineus) is a kind of snout beetle which decimates the Canary Island Date Palm, it is now considered a plague in Portugal.

2^nd, 9^th, 16^th, 23^th and 30^th March – Cruzinha Bird ringing display & Moth Talk (10 am to 12 am). Book here

8^th March – International Woman’s Day

19^th March – Father’s Day

20^th March – Spring Equinox

20^th to 25^th – Pollinator’s week

26^th March – The clocks change British Summer Time (forward by one hour)

What makes a good Birthday present?

Sustainability, Innovation, Discover!

You can find all of that in the Gift Friendship for the Friends of A Rocha Portugal!!

Use less ink

• Switching your font from ARIAL to CENTURY GOTHIC save 30% ink when printing
• This is such an easy thing to do. Obviously it is always better to go paperless, but sometimes you need to print documents. Century Gothic is thinner and naturally uses much less ink.

LETS BE GREEN – LETS BE GREEN – LETS BE GREEN

Visit the website here

Guillaume Réthoré (Gui)- My life with birds: Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus)

Every winter some of the A Rocha Portugal team participate in a citizen science program called ARENARIA. The aim is to count shorebirds walking along the coast. Usually, we do not see much but the walk is nice. However, sometimes, you get surprises! On January 9^th, as I had just finished a transect near the trig point at Luz, I was having a rest when what I thought was a falcon appeared nearby. It came close to the cliff and flew up in front of me. A Peregrine Falcon?  I thought since they breed in the area. This bird, however, looked different and a little voice was telling me “ I think it’s a Lanner?”. I took several pictures (quite bad since the weather was grey), studied them and shared them with a colleague who confirmed my identification. It could be the same bird seen near Barão de São João in September.

The Lanner is a rare species in Portugal. The closest breeding birds are found in Morocco and Italy.

Text and photo by Guillaume Réthoré

Editor: Filipa Bragança

English proof reading: Helen Rodda

Portuguese proof reading: Lena Soares

Production controller: Helen Rodda

Email: friends.arpt@arocha.org

www.arocha.pt

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Hope to see you soon!