Simon spoke about his experiences raptor watching in the Algarve, Portugal.  After some initial explanation of the geography and demographics of the Algarve, he described how he had first become aware of the raptor migration when he had seen a flock of vultures that had been roosting in a field. Although they are only a few percent of the raptors that pass through the Straits of Gibraltar, significant numbers of raptors heading from Europe to Africa end up in the Sagres area near Cape St Vincent in the south-west Algarve. Large soaring birds cannot cross the sea from Portugal to Morocco, as they rely on thermals to gain height and then soar for long distances without using much energy. Once they reach the south-west tip of Portugal, these birds realise they cannot cross the sea and can be stalled for days by winds from the north or east before finding their way along the coast to southern Spain. Research has shown eagles from Italy travelling north and then west and down through Spain to cross at Gibraltar rather than flying across the Mediterranean near Sicily. One of these tagged birds ended up in the Sagres area.
One of the problems faced by large soaring birds is the number of wind farms. Vultures have evolved to watch the ground as they fly, looking for carrion, and they have a blind spot in front of them. As part of the mitigation actions for the building of wind farms in the south-west Algarve, teams of ecologists have been monitoring the passage of flocks of large soaring birds in the autumn and can switch off the turbines, so the blades stop moving to allow safe passage. The birds monitored include vultures, eagles, other raptors and storks. The monitoring means that the timing of migration of different species is now well understood, with some, such as Black Kites, passing through earlier in the season from August, while Griffon Vultures peak in October. The migration also attracts birdwatchers, and an annual Festival of Birdwatching and Nature Activities is held in Sagres each autumn. Simon showed photos of a number of the raptors and other soaring birds that pass through.

Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus)

He then talked about the Autumn Lady’s Tresses orchid, which is unusual in that it flowers in the autumn, and went on to talk about the other orchids of the Algarve that flower in the spring from February through to May, including a number of members of the Ophrys and Serapias families not found in Britain.