Discover marine life
This privileged location is used as a gateway to seabirds and marine mammals like whales. Together with the resident dolphin population, they delight whoever has the opportunity to watch them.
Birds
On land or at sea, the Western Algarve is one of the most interesting Portuguese areas for birdwatching. If, on the one hand, land habitats shelter many Mediterranean birds (e.g., the spectacled warbler, Sylvia conspicillata, or the subalpine warbler, Sylvia inornata iberiae) and even Iberian birds (e.g., the Iberian magpie, Cyanopica cooki), of high interest for European birdwatchers, who are regular visitors, on the other hand, the migratory period turns this area of the Western Algarve into something truly unique. This happens especially during the post-breeding period, which roughly coincides with the end of summer and autumn.
During that period, the coastal region of the Western Algarve, especially Sagres, becomes a traditional crossing point for various kinds of birds, as they migrate from northern Europe along the Atlantic coast. Seabirds, waterbirds (those connected with coastal, estuarine areas and freshwater bodies), passerines (small songbirds), nocturnal birds and soaring birds gather here before heading towards the wintering grounds in Africa.
For soaring birds (raptors and storks), unable to fly over the sea for long periods (they’re mainly terrestrial migrators), Sagres represents a dead end. Due to inexperience, a large number of juveniles of several species instinctively take a southwestern turn in the course of their migration. As soon as they arrive in Sagres, they face the majestic Atlantic water mass, which prompts them to follow the Algarve coast until Gibraltar. For soaring birds of Western Europe, this is the main crossing point to Africa. However, sometimes they gather in impressive numbers on the Sagres Peninsula. For instance, in November, impressive numbers of over 2000 griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) have been recorded, together with the occasional black storks (Ciconia nigra), black vultures (Aegypius monachus) and several species of eagles, including juveniles of the rare Iberian imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti), a species endemic to the Iberian Peninsula.
The passage of soaring birds occurs from mid-August (predominantly the black kite, Milvus migrans, and the Montagu’s harrier, Circus pygargus) until late November. The biodiversity peak occurs between late September and early October, when the booted eagle, Aquila pennata, another famous local species, occurs in greater numbers. Around that time, it is worth attending the Sagres Birdwatching Festival.
Regarding seabirds, at Cabo de São Vicente it is possible to see birds migrating along their north–south route. On some days, it is possible to watch thousands of Northern gannets, Morus bassanus, per hour! The region also includes feeding areas, which important throughout the year. The underwater canyons of Portimão and Sagres provide an abundant supply of food for these birds, for marine mammals, for sharks and for other marine fauna.
Of all the marine species regularly occurring there, the highlights are the Northern gannets, standing out in numbers, the Cory’s shearwaters Calonectris diomedea borealis, the Balearic shearwater, Puffinus mauretanicus (in sharp decline but still easily spotted), and the European shag, Phalacrocorax aristotelis (which nests on the coastal cliffs of the region). During sea trips, you can easily see some very interesting species from an European birdwatchers’ perspective. These include migratory species of the southern hemisphere, like the Great shearwater, Puffinus gravis, the Sooty shearwater, Puffinus griseus (which holds the record for the longest yearly distance travelled in migration: more than 64.000 km) and the Wilson’s storm petrel, Oceanites oceanicus.
The Western Algarve includes a significant portion of the Natural Park of Southwestern Alentejo and the Vicentine Coast, a large classified area under Natura 2000 Network and several “Important Bird Areas” (IBA’s), classified by BirdLife. Some of the areas with ornithological interest in the Western Algarve coast include Ponta da Piedade near Lagos, Pedra da Gaivota near Ferragudo and the wetlands of Ria de Alvor, the Arade estuary and Lagoa dos Salgados, near Pera.
From nearly 400 bird species listed for the Faro District, the majority has already been recorded within this area.
Marine mammals and big pelagic fish
As we leave the land and go out into the open ocean, we realise that the Western Algarve is a prime spot for whale and dolphin watching. Along its coastline, Albufeira, Portimão, Lagos and Sagres stand out as the major operational hubs for a large number of tourism companies. These companies provide sightseeing tours to tourists, allowing them to watch these animals in the wild. In order to do this, they use fast boats or catamarans with a large passenger capacity. A typical trip takes around 1:30–3 hours. In a good day, it is possible to spot several species of dolphins and even some whales. With sighting rates above 90%, the majority of these operational companies offer a quality product that amazes the visitor and contributes to their education and environmental awareness.
In the Western Algarve there are three areas with an apparently larger concentration of marine mammals: the Portimão Canyon, Caneiros (at Ponta da Piedade) and the São Vicente Canyon in Sagres.
The Portimão Canyon is an underwater rift valley located off shore from Praia da Rocha, about 12 miles south of the mouth of the Arade. This is an area with sharp sea floor slopes, where depth suddenly drops from 100 meters to 300 meters, going down to 2000 meters. This formation influences local currents contributing to a phenomenon known as upwelling, a process in which nutrient rich deep waters rise to the surface. This is the starting point of the food chain, allowing phytoplankton to develop. This kind of upwelling phenomenon occurs in a larger or lesser scale in the other two areas, supporting a complex and rich food chain. At the top of it, we can find species such as whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles, large pelagic fishes and numerous seabirds.
About 26 species of cetaceans may occur in Portuguese waters, but 5 of them are more frequently seen in the watching tours of the Western Algarve: Common Dolphin, Bootlenose Dolphin, Grey or Risso’s Dolphin, Common or Harbour Porpoise and Minke Whale
Besides these most frequently observed species, blessed tourists can still be presented with an unusual meeting with other less common animals occasionally appearing in these waters. On a lucky day, you may spot: the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliaea) in its annual north-south migration; the Killer whale (Orcinus orca) chasing after blue fin tuna schools; the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) and the Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis), migrating from and into feeding grounds in the north; Pilot whales (Globicephala sp.) or the ever-frantic Stripped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba).
There are several species of large pelagic fish in the Algarve: from sharks (the Blue shark, the Shortfin mako, the Hammerhead or the Thresher sharks) to other fishes (the Dolphinfish, the Swordfish, Marlins and the eagerly-desired tuna). In a greater or lesser extent, all these species perform remarkable migrations for feeding and reproduction: they cross the Atlantic and they enter and exit the Mediterranean. We highlight two of them, due to their importance to nature tourism: the Blue shark and the Bluefin tuna.
Marine mammal species
Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis)
This is the most regularly seen species in the Algarve. Very active, curious and exhibiting aerial behaviour, it offers unforgettable moments on watching tours. It is quite small, showing a tricolour pattern: white belly, yellow flanks and dark back. It is sighted in groups ranging from a few individuals to several hundreds. In the Algarve, the typically observed group has about 20 to 30 animals. Mothers with their off-springs and very young calves are often spotted, indicating that our waters are used as a birth place. The Common dolphin mainly feeds on small fish, such as sardines and mackerel, and occasionally on squids and other invertebrates.
Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
This is the most widely known dolphin species. They are large and powerful animals, grey coloured, with a short and strong snout. An adult can measure about 4 m and weigh 600 kg. They mainly feed on squids and fish, but they can chase other prey into shallow waters, such as estuaries and coastal lagoons, where they trap them. There are several anecdotes related with groups of bottlenose dolphins, pushing schools of breams, cuttlefishes and croakers into shallow waters. Hence, this is the reason for its common local name, roaz-corvineiro — meaning ‘meagre eater’.
In the Western Algarve, it is common to find them in groups of 10 to 30 individuals. These family groups often include juvenile animals and off-springs as well as large adults. Particularly in the Portimão Canyon area, their connection with the local bottom trawlers is widely known. It is very common to find these groups of dolphins following the trawlers and opportunistically feeding on their catch. In the Cadiz region, it has even been recorded on film their intentional movement in and out of the trawling bag, for feeding, during the fishing operation.
Grey or Risso’s Dolphin (Grampus griseus)
This is a large dolphin, similar in size to the bottlenose dolphin but without a snout. They have grey colour at birth, losing it along their life. Adults are white and show their body fully covered with scars. These scars are not only due to socialization behaviour, but also to feeding. This species can dive to about 500 meters deep, looking for squids and other cephalopods as its main food source. They are more frequently sighted in areas with higher bathymetric slopes and greater depths, such as the submarine canyons of Portimão and São Vicente. They remain underwater for several minutes, sometimes surfacing hundreds of meters away from their dive point.
Common or Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)
The common porpoise belongs to a different family of dolphins. They have no snout and have several distinct anatomic and structural traits. They are coastal animals, small and very shy. Their observation is very difficult because they usually do not approach the boats and show an erratic movement, constantly changing direction. They feed close to the bottom, looking for small fish, crustaceans and cephalopods. In the Algarve, they are often spotted along the coast, at the beginning, or at the end of the tours, scattered in small groups. Most of the time, common porpoise watching is merely an observation of the small dorsal fin which occasionally surfaces.
Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
Although this is the smallest of all baleen whales, it can reach 10 meters in length and weighs 10 tons. Exhibiting a dark blue colour, sometimes it has a white spot on the pectoral fin, a distinctive feature of this species. They usually are very curious and may approach the boats and stay close for several minutes. It is a fantastic sighting, always impressive by its graciousness; it is even possible to watch these animals jumping out of the water. They can be often found in groups of two, but they have already been spotted in groups of five to six individuals. Sometimes, juvenile animals can be seen together with their mothers. They feed mainly on small fish and planktonic crustaceans.
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Big Pelagic Fish
Blue shark (Prionace glauca)
This is an oceanic species which sometimes can be found a few miles away from the coast. As a resident of temperate and tropical waters from all over the world, it is probably the most abundant pelagic shark species in the Atlantic and Portuguese waters. It is possible to distinguish it by its blue colour and its elongated and slender body, reaching a maximum length of four meters. The blue shark usually feeds on cephalopods (squids) and fish.
However, as an opportunist species, it can feed on many other species, if it has a chance. Due to its meat or its fins, this species undoubtedly contributes to the majority of shark catches by commercial long liners (a longline fishing vessel) that target to other large pelagic fish (such as tuna or swordfish). Currently, it is somewhat difficult to evaluate the present status of this resource because of its wide distribution and complex migratory patterns. Nevertheless, there is a general opinion that the more recent fishing effort on the stock cannot be maintained for much longer without causing considerable damage in the species abundance.
Still, the value of this species as a living resource has considerably increased in more recent years. This is due either to recreational fishing (catch and release) or to the development of shark watching and scuba diving. Although the former activity has been taking place in the Algarve for many years, with companies operating in all marinas and harbours of the Western Algarve, shark diving doesn’t have a significant expression, notwithstanding its strong development in other places like the Azores. In the Western Algarve, several fishing companies also offer recreational fishing as a touristic product. In addition, at least one shark diving project with a scientific background was developed in the Algarve, namely, in Portimão: the “We like Sharks” project. It aims not only to raise the community awareness for the conservation of these species, but also to test the viability of this activity as an eco-tourism product for the region. The encounters with small and medium-sized blue sharks were frequent during the experimental trips, showing a great potential for development of this kind of activity in the area. Bearing in mind the motto “A shark is worth more alive than dead”, several institutions and organizations have undertaken efforts towards the conservation of this resource on a local and national level.
It is not clear if this species can be considered dangerous. Despite some reported attacks, these animals are usually calm and curious, with a highly predictable behaviour and barely aggressive. Nevertheless, in cases of feeding frenzy, or a shipwreck with wounded people in the water, they can change their behaviour and become more aggressive and dangerous to humans. The blue shark was accused of being responsible for the majority of shark attacks during the shipwrecks of World War II, due to its abundance and willingness to attack when excited enough.
Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus)
This is the biggest and most valuable species of tuna in the world. It may reach more than 4 m in length and weigh over 600 kg. This is a pelagic species, with a gregarious behaviour. It can usually be found in shallow waters, swimming to greater depths during the day and approaching the surface at night. The Bluefin tuna is distributed throughout the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean. They carry out seasonal migrations, which are known for centuries and were even exploited by the Romans in the Mediterranean, two thousand years ago.
It is estimated that the longevity of the Bluefin tuna exceeds 15 years, reaching sexual maturity around 4–5 years of age. They are carnivorous, feeding on small fish, like sardines, mackerels and herrings. They can be seen in the Algarve during the spawning migration from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, between May and June, and afterwards, during their return, between August and September, to spend the winter in temperate waters. An evidence of these ancient flows has been the presence of several fishing traps, settled along the coast. The well-known village of Armação de Pera takes its name from the presence of a local Bluefin tuna fishing trap. Other places like Belixe, Almadena, Burgau, Torralta, Ponta da Galé, Olhos d’Água, Quarteira, Cabo de Santa Maria, Fuzeta and Tavira also had these structures, a testimony of the life and habits of the people of the Algarve. Nowadays some of these fishing gears are still working. They account for a very interesting number of catches of this highly valued species, though increasingly controlled and regulated. Over the past 4–5 years there has been a gradual recovery of the stock due to strict supervisory measures, with very low fishing quotas. Considering the risk of commercial extinction of this species, which seemed almost certain over the past decade, this could mean that perhaps the worst part is over for the Bluefin. Watching a school of Bluefin tuna is a unique and unforgettable experience, either for the gracefulness and vigour of its movements, or for the impressive size of the animals. Currently, it is possible for tourists to have this experience in one of the existing fishing traps in our coast, while diving alongside with these sea giants.
