Winter it´s almost here!

Look around when you walk through nature, you never know what you can find!

Douro International Natural Park

The Douro International Natural Park is located in North-eastern Trás-os-Montes region, where the river Douro makes a natural border with Spain. Comprises areas within the parishes of Mogadouro, Miranda do Douro. Freixo de Espada à Cinta and Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, in the County of Bragança and Vila Real. The Park is a deep and stepped valley with 120 km extension and an area of 85 150 hectares.

The orography is due to the Douro River and it´s affluent, Águeda River, which makes unique geologic and climacteric conditions and influences the fauna and flora of the area. Here it is possible to find one of the oldest rocks in Portugal: the gneisses of Miranda do Douro, dated from the Pre-Cambrian. Apart from the lithologic richness, has some important minerals like the wolfram (explored in II World War). The climate varies from the cold in the northern area to a microclimate on the southern part (low precipitation and mild winter temperatures). The flora is important part of the park, with some well-preserved areas especially on the cliffs: the dominant habitats are the oak woods (with different species of oaks) and the Juniper shrublands; on the plateaus there are mainly farmlands with wild hedges, important for some species like the Iberian Wolf (Canis lupus signatus), the Cabrera’s Vole (Microtus cabrerae) and the Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra). The region is very important for the birds, with 170 resident birds species, some of them emblematic and endangered national species like the Black Stork (Ciconia nigra), the Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), the Black Wheatear (Oenanthe leucura), amongst others.

The Natural Park was created in 1998 aiming to enrich and protect the natural patrimony and the ecological balance, including the biodiversity and the sustainability of ecosystems. In 2002 the “Arribes del Douro” Natural Park was created, in the same region but in Spain; the two parks together, forming one of the biggest protected areas in Europe (192 605 hectares). The symbol of the Park is the Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), an Endangered species, which breeds in the park and has an important part of the national population.

Beet Armyworm (Spodoptera exigua, Hübner, 1808)

Family: Noctuidae

Wingspan: 25 to 30 mm

Habitat: grasslands, farmlands and woodlands

Flight period: March to November

Distribution: Temperate and subtropical regions (native from Southeast Asia, naturalized worldwide)

Notes: This species is polyphagous and feeds on a big variety of plants, including many crops; it is considered an aggressive agricultural pest and can harm many plants (soybeans, potatoes, sugar beet, cotton). Can undertake long-distance migrations and it is resistant to pesticides.

Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus, Linnaeus, 1766)

Photo by Guillaume Réthoré

Family: Threskiornithidae

Size: 55 to 65 cm Wingspan: 88 to 105 cm

Habitat: Wetlands – marshes, dumps, rivers, lagoons, rice fields

Status: Resident (can be seen all year round although breeding here is rare)

Distribution: Worldwide – Central America, East and Central Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Notes: In the last years the number of Ibis in Portugal increased considerably, it is, nowadays, a very common species in the Algarve wetlands. At a distance it looks completely black, but a close look in light reveals its beautiful colours: green, purple, bronze.

• Heather Coats was back again this year for another migration ringing season! The weather was wet, but was possible to catch some migrants on their way to Africa: Garden Warbler (Sylvia borin), Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca), Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochillus) and some usual winter visitors, like the Robin (Erithacus rubecula), Eurasian Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla), Common Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) and some not so usual like the Common Firecrest (Regulus ignicapilla).

• Volunteers are very important for the continuity of A Rocha’s work. Let’s find out who they are:

I’m Nina, a volunteer from England and the Netherlands. I’m spending my gap year here through the ESC program, focusing on the microplastics project. So far, I have really enjoyed getting involved in all of the work done at A Rocha Portugal, including the bird ringing, moth trapping and beach cleans. I’m so excited to continue learning about nature and work towards protecting it!

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….

Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla, (Salisb) Franco)

Family: Araucaraceae

Type of plant: evergreen tree

Size: up to 50 metres

Distribution: Native from Norfolk Island (Eastern Pacific, between New Zealand and New Caledonia)

Flower bloom time: May to June

Curiosity: This species  is used as ornamental, tolerates the wind and the sea air. Belongs to the conifers, together with the pine trees. First discovered by the Captain James Cook. The wood is easy to work and was used for shipbuilding. The scientific name “heterophylla” comes from the Greek and means different leaves, referring to the difference between young and older leaves.

1^st of November – Public Holiday All Saints Day, Anniversary of the day that Mexilhoeira Grande became a village (1999)

3^rd to 5^th November – Walk & Art Fest, Barão de São João

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

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!!

Water is essential to life! And we are running out of it. In the end of September 27% of the Portuguese territory was under extreme drought, located mainly in the southern region. The reservoirs are without or very little water. Every one of us can do something, it  is time to save water!

1. Take fast showers and close the tap when you soap
2. Avoid to flush the toilet unnecessary. If you don’t have double flush put a full bottle of 1,5 litters inside
3. Use the washing machine and the dishwashing machine with the full capacity and choose ECO programs
4. Make sure you close the taps and beware of any dripping or leakages
5. Don´t leave the tap open, close it when you wash your hands or shave
6. Reduce the number of times you wash your car and choose automatic cleaning
7. Use taps with low flow rate
8. Water the plants with reuse water and outside the hottest hours

LETS BE GREEN – LETS BE GREEN – LETS BE GREEN

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Guillaume Réthoré (Gui)- My life with birds: Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi)

This species has an afro-tropical distribution but has colonized Europe since 2013. It is found now breeding in Spain, France and Portugal. The first sighting in Spain was in 2007 and in France in 2017. This species was sighted in the Algarve a few years ago in the eastern part of the region. Slowly the species has been found further west.

This year, in July, during a birdwatching tour at Estombar ricefieds, since there were few birds, we started looking at dragonflies. I noticed this red dragonfly (not something rare as we have several red species), however, its way of perching (in obelisk) caught my attention. After taking a few pictures and checking them, I confirmed the identification as Orange-winged Dropwing, my first sighting!

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!