Month: July 2018

The Algarve is Portugal’s southernmost region and is well known among golfers and sun-worshippers. What it is less well known for is its rich variety of wildlife, particularly in the less touristy areas which are very often located far from the coast or in the hills.

Before I set off I had several places in mind to try for wildlife based on a Cicerone guidebook of the region, which were Fonte de Benemola and the reserve at Feiteira, as well as the area surrounding the house I was staying in outside Tavira. All three are located in the Barrocal, a limestone area between the coast and the mountains, which in general, supports the widest variety of plants and animals.

Our house was located about 6km northwest of Tavira in a hilly area filled with pine, oak, orange, fig and eucalyptus plantations which were surrounded by lavender, gum cystus and sage, hugging the hillsides in thick clumps. By July many of the flowers have gone over for the year, and much of land can appear dry and barren but I must admit I was pleasantly surprised by the wildlife that could be virtually seen from the doorstep. In addition the only plants still in flower were Clustered Carline Thistles, some French Lavender and the odd small Hawkweed, so finding nectaring insects wasn’t difficult. The Southern Gatekeeper was by far the commonest butterfly here and was accompanied by Meadow Browns and Small Heaths fluttering among the strands of grass. In the early morning sun, species such as the Sage, False Mallow and Red-underwing Skippers basked on the hot, stony pathways and fed avidly on the Carline Thistles. They were frequently joined by Common/Southern Blues, Small Coppers and the odd Southern Brown Argus. There were a few Clouded Yellows and Painted Ladies about and I managed to get a sighting of a Swallowtail feeding on the Lantana by the house and a Bath White resting beside the driveway. Whilst walking along the paths and dry riverbeds I frequently disturbed Blue-winged Grasshoppers, which as their name suggests, have distinctive blue wings which they keep hidden away whilst resting. The occasional Dwarf Mantis would walk across the patio by the pool which was always a pleasant sight; maybe not if I was a small grasshopper though! To top off the insects I stumbled across a Striped Hawkmoth, a large southern species which i found hiding in the shade; can’t say I’d blame it.

Bird life in the area was not particularly diverse but sill included many species I’d never seen before, such the Sardinian Warbler, Rufous Bush Robin and the Azure-winged Magpie. We were also visited by a small flock of Reg-legged Partridge, who were foraging just at the bottom of the driveway, which was another lovely sight. All in all not a bad place to be staying in!

The first site I travelled to was Fonte de Benemola, a small spring in the hills outside Loule. With so much of the Algarve being so dry whilst I was there, seeing the running water of the Fonte was almost a strange sight for me but a welcome refuge for many birds, insects and amphibians. The spring lay at the bottom of a v-shaped valley and the hillsides were mostly covered in Maquis, a Mediterranean scrub consisting of a wide variety of small trees and shrubs, such as Strawberry Tree, Oleander, Cork Oak, Mediterranean Buckthorn and Almond. Bramble and some Umbellifers grew along the hedgerows whilst parts of the spring were flanked by giant reeds, which the locals use for basket-making. This site was by far the best for insects on the trip, especially butterflies. Mediterranean Thyme grew prolifically and attracted a whole host of species, especially Small Copper, Common Blue, Brown Argus and the Skippers. Small Whites, Clouded Yellows and one or two Swallowtails were also seen feeding on the thyme.

The site also presented a few new species for me which were seen further along the trail such as the Cleopatra, which was constantly patrolling along the hedgerow. Two Irish species, the Wall Brown and Purple Hairstreak were seen here too and were two more first-timers. The icing on the cake was the sighting of the magnificent Two-tailed Pasha, a huge butterfly by European standards with a very powerful flight. I initially saw it feeding on a pile of dung; a common activity for this species!

As I walked down towards the spring itself there were dozens of Copper Damoiselles; beautiful, dainty dragonflies with distinct dark wings.  I also disturbed a small terrapin by on of the pools, possibly a Spanish Terrapin, which was another nice surprise. As I made my way back towards the entrance, I spotted a large black flying insect which turned out to be a Violet Carpenter Bee; the largest species I’ve seen. All in all it was a very enjoyable walk with plenty of wildlife to see. A must for anyone travelling to the Algarve.

The third location of note was situated deep into the hills and was rather remote. A small hilly valley which surrounded a dry riverbed with abundant Oak trees, it was entitled ‘The Reserve’ and was located in Feiteira. I remember it being a very hot day; over 35 Celsius and being rather hard to find but after a detour lasting about an hour we eventually found it. It was interesting to watch the locals nearby harvesting the cork, which they do by slicing into the thick bark and removing it in deep rings. I must admit I was very glad of the shade provided by the trees, as walking on the hot stony ground in the blazing sun was rather uncomfortable at times.

The shade was also attractive to butterflies it seemed, with several new species for me seen at the reserve. These included the Dusky Heath, Woodland Grayling and the rather impressive Striped Grayling. As I wandered down towards the dry riverbed, there were some clumps of Bramble growing which attracted Common/Southern Blues and Small Coppers, as well as some Honeybees. One new species which I would have been happy not to have gotten close to was the Dark Giant Horsefly, a bumblebee-sized biting fly with a low humming flight which was circling my legs whilst I was trying to photograph butterflies! I didn’t fancy getting bitten so I returned to the trail and continued to follow it as it ascended through the woodland. I found it interesting the the tiny flowers of the Cork Oak were being mobbed by wasps and bees, as they were so small and didn’t carry much scent. I was keen to see if any hairstreaks were basking among the oak leaves and proceeded to shake the branches of several of the smaller trees to try and flush them out, which must have looked rather odd to the local cork harvesters! I managed to glimpse a few but none of them hung around long enough for me to identify them, never mind photograph them. Having said that I was happy with seeing three new species of butterfly as well as a Golden Oriole and a Nightingale, which was fantastic.

Despite the fact that I made the journey during a time when the Algarve was not at its peak, I was chuffed with the wildlife I managed to see, especially the butterflies and birds. I am excited to return someday in the spring, when many of the rare Orchids and beautiful flowers are in bloom and hopefully I get the chance soon. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the natural world and indeed to anyone who enjoys a bit of travelling.