Enjoy summer time!

Have you seen this beautiful red-billed gull and this amazing shrub with red berries?!

Filipa

Tagus International Natural Park

The Tagus International Natural Park is located in an area where the Tagus River forms a natural border between Portugal and Spain, and comprises the parishes of Castelo Branco. Idanha-a-Nova and Vila Velha de Ródão. This Park extends to the Spanish territory but has different administrations. The valley within the Portuguese Administration has a total area of 26 484 hectares. This area it is considered a Cross-border Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.

The cliffs and the “montado” of cork oak and holm oak are the main characteristics of the area; alongside with the water courses, the low demographic pressure and the agriculture system. The Tagus River it’s a border between the arid and dry climate from the south and the humid and mild climate from the north. In this area it is possible to find 17 kinds of habitats, 3 of them prior to conservation: still waters, dry grasslands and temperate forests. Here were identified 610 species of plants, which 51 are endemic and 200 species of vertebrates, like the Wild cat (Felis silvestris), the Black Stork (Ciconia nigra), the Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) and the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos.).

The Natural Park was created in 2000 aiming to protect the high natural values, including some endangered fauna species. The symbol of the Park is a Black Stork, an endangered species with a very localized distribution in Portugal.

Devonshire Wainscot (Leucania putrescens, Hübner, 1824)

Photo by Isabel Soares

Family: Noctuidae

Wingspan: 32 to 36 mm

Habitat: Grassy habitats in open landscapes and cliffs near the coast or alongside rivers and lakes.

Flight period: July to November

Distribution: Southern Europe, Northern Africa and Western Asia.

Notes: The hostplants are grasses from Poaceae Family. This species can undertake small migrations.

Audouin’s Gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii, Payraudeau, 1826)

Photo by Filipa Bragança

Family: Laridae

Size: 44 to 52 cm Wingspan: 117 to 128 cm

Habitat: Rocky and sandy protected bays, small rocky islands, marshes and salt pans

Status: Summer breeder, winter migrant, resident

Distribution: Mediterranean Region, winters in Atlantic Africa

Notes: Until recently this was one of the rarest gulls of the Mediterranean and a rare species in Portugal. In the last decades the population increased in the south of the country. This species was nesting in Ria Formosa and Castro Marim. Nowadays it’s much more common and it’s possible to see it in Ria de Alvor all year round.

Ellie and Alaster Miatt

• We are in the dry season, and you might already notice that things are really dry… Do you have a terrace or small garden? Maybe you can put some water in small pots, with a stone in the middle and help birds and insects. They will appreciate it!

• This summer, Cruzinha, the centre of A Rocha Portugal, will receive an English couple as volunteers for house sitting: Ellie and Alaster Miatt. During this period they will do some house maintenance as well, apart from the usual housekeeping. We appreciate your help 🙂

• 

  Red Fox

  We had an unusual visitor at our centre! It doesn’t seem to be worried with our presence! A juvenile Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)!

• Time flies! In august birds start to move around, maybe you can spot some nice ones! Be aware, look around 🙂

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….

Silky Oak (Grevillea robusta, A. Cunn)

Family: Proteaceae

Type of plant: Perennial tree

Size: 20 to 30 metres

Distribution: Native from East Coast of Australia

Flower bloom time: May to July

Where to see:

Curiosity: The generic name “Grevillea” is in honour of the English botanist of the XVIII century C.F. Greville. The wood of this species is similar to oaks but they are not related. The inflorescent is yellow to bright orange, very showy. This tree is used widely as ornamental and as a windbreak, but its wood was used in the past for furniture and external windows.

3^rd, 10^th, 17^th, 24^th and 31^st August – Cruzinha Bird ringing display & Moth Talk (9 to 12 am) – Ciência Viva no Verão. Book here

There will be no Moth Monitoring on the  17^th and 24^th August

15^th August – Public Holiday – Nossa Sra da Assunção (Religious Festival)

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!!

Buy Local, Organic Food and Grow Your Own

• Buying locally grown and organic food not only reduces the transportation pollution (and saves money!), but also supports farmers who use sustainable growing practices that protect wildlife habitats, conserve water, and prevent soil erosion.
• You can plant your own vegetables even in small pots on your terrace!

Prepare Your Own Meals at Home

• By cutting out restaurant or takeout meals, you can significantly reduce your food waste and packaging usage, and also save money in the process.
• At home, you can use reusable containers to store food and leftovers, choose environmentally friendly cooking methods like using a pressure cooker or an air fryer instead of an oven, and buy fresh produce that has been locally sourced whenever possible.

LETS BE GREEN – LETS BE GREEN – LETS BE GREEN

Save the Date – The Birdwatching Festival is back from  5^th to 8^th  October

The biggest nature event in Portugal is back in Sagres! Take a few days to enjoy the best that nature has to offer. Field trips, boat trips, thematic mini-courses, dolphin watching, hikes, environmental education workshops, ringing sessions, photography courses are some of the proposals. Participate in activities for free and/or pay discounted festival attendee prices with our local partners.

Full programme available soon.

Visit our website here

Guillaume Réthoré (Gui)- My life with birds: Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin (Cercotrichas galactotes)

The first time I saw this species, it took a lot of work. A good friend and me had to walk along a small river in the Alentejo, in the sun, in summer but we managed to have nice views of this species. On that day, we even saw two. I now know a regular place, easier to access, to see this bird. For the last few years, it has not failed. At least one bird is usually around, sometimes singing.

The Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin is one of those iconic species many people look for in the Alentejo. However, it has been decreasing a great deal without anybody noticing since it is a discrete species. In Spain, the population decreases about 95% since 2004. Although there are no figures for Portugal, the situation is very likely to be the same.

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

Thank you for supporting us!
Hope to see you soon!