The first pipe of the fence is up!

The Scots arrive

Hello, we are Karen and Katherine, better known on Corvo as "The Scottish girls"! We are on sabbatical from RSPB to help the SPEA project team. I (Karen) work in Perthshire in Scotland as an Advisory Officer working with farmers and landowners to provide the best habitats for birds and wildlife. Katherine is Warden at the RSPB Lakenheath Fen reserve in Norfolk, England, where she looks after the wetland/reedbed habitats and species.

Since we arrived on sunny Corvo on the 12th September, we have helped with the mammal monitoring, including placing, collecting and analysing waxcubes; helping Sandra and Pipa check the mice and rat traps and analysing the mice and rats caught. We have also helped in the greenhouse, weeding and re-potting native plants and spreading seed on the lower reserve. One of the best jobs so far has been to help Pipa check the Cory´s shearwater nests. It was fantastic to see the fat fluffy ´Cagarro´ chicks and the reason that this project is so important. We also had a close up encounter with an adult Cory´s Shearwater that had been found in the village caught up in fishing line. We went along with the project team to release the bird in the harbour and had a magnificent view of it fly back off to sea.

We have enjoyed our time on Corvo with the SPEA project team and with one more week to go hope to continue to help with the important work to help bring back the populations of seabirds on Corvo.

Karen & Katherine

3rd day of the Sustainable Entrepreneurship Workshop

On the last day of the workshop we made one more call, as a result of bad weather that hit the island, this time with Dr. Elizabeth Davis who demonstrated to the participants how to pass the "Entrepreneurship to the Business Idea." This lecture consisted of a theoretical and practical component, we also thank Azucena Martin who collaborated on the practical session in the afternoon.

We could talk about one of the most successful workshop moments, a vegetarian meal made ​​with products from the island, by Catarina Ferreira, the owner of "O Rotas" restaurant. Recently considered the best for this type of food in the Azores and Portugal. Finally, to make the mouths water of those not present, here's the menu: Cheese fondue and spinach and cheese cakes for starter, Feijoada pineapple as a main dish and for dessert the famous "Segredo".

2nd day of the Sustainable Entrepreneurship Workshop

The second day of the First Workshop on Corvo Sustainable Entrepreneurship was opened by Luis Silva with the following theme "Pathways and trails of Corvo", followed by Dr. Paulo Felix with "How did the Graciosa cheesecake emerge?" and finally Dr. Manuel Paulino da Costa from SRAM emphasized the importance of the "Biosphere Reserve" brand.

For lunch we tasted typical dishes from the island. "The liver sauce" made ​​by "O Caldeirão" restaurant was also enjoyed by a couple of German tourists. In the afternoon a practical exercise took place to discuss the islands potential and how to develop it sustainably.

With the bad weather the Flores / Corvo boat trips were cancelled, which made it impossible for the Flores speakers to attend. They were still able to take part using the telephone. Then Mrs. Ilda Henriques explained to us how her traditional cheese factory in Fajãzinha worked. Finally, Jose Benedicto replaced Pierluigi Bragaglia for the quality tourism lecture. At dinner, we enjoyed one more dish, "Couves da Barça" from "O Traineira" restaurant. The day ended with coffee and lively conversation at "Os Metralhas" cafe.

Workshop in RTP Açores

Sustainable development was debated on Corvo island last weekend. The initiative was from the project "Safe Islands for Seabirds" which includes the SPEA - Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds, the SRAM - Regional Secretariat of Environment and Sea, and the Corvo Hall .

The project aims to reconcile the experiences and values ​​of the island and provide examples of success elsewhere in the marketing, promotion and dissemination of sustainable regional products.

The organization expected a greater number of participants in Corvo but still this should bear fruit.

News video: Telejornal RTP / A"

1st day of the Sustainable Entrepreneurship Workshop

Last monday, 09 September, held the first day of the Sustainable Entrepreneurship Workshop on Corvo. It began with a island tour, and ended with a new model visit by the participants and trainers on the Environmental Interpretation Center.

We went at night to the Cory's Shearwaters viewpoint colony, to show the full developed chicks to the participants. We were lucky because the beautiful moonlight and excellent weather.

For most participants this was a unique experience, because it was the first time that they saw a Shearwater juvenile.

Executive meeting

It was a "full house" week. From Wednesday until Friday, the project team increased, as there was a meeting of the Executive Committee of the project. Participants included representatives from SPEA, the Regional Maritime Affairs, the Island Nature Park, City Hall and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Over the three days, we visited different areas of activity of the project and we noted the strong progress in all of them.

There were long days in the office in which we evaluated what has been done and what remains to be done in the near future. The financial situation of the project was analyzed and the most urgent tasks planned such as the delivery of the progress report and the hard work of building the anti-predator fence.

The American rarities arrived!

Yesterday afternoon, we had the first sighting of a Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) just returning from his long migratory journey that begun in North America and ended in Europe. Soon, the usual bird watching tourists will also come to spot these rarities on Corvo.

One more recent sighting

Yesterday, Sunday, on 04 September were observed three individuals of sanderling, Calidris alba. The migratory cycle of birds starts to be more visible. Bring your binoculars and reach rarities!

Seabird predation by cat

After three years of project and countless failed attempts, this pictures show what the team feared and what the project wants to counter. Words for what? The video speaks for itself. Now is expected that this confirmation will promote the importance of seabirds conservation.

Corvo's Honeymoon visible in all browsers

Now the http://cagarro.spea.pt site that emits live Corvo's Honeymoon nest, was redesigned and enhanced to be visible in all browsers. We had technical problems with the ActiveX software reading in Firefox and Internet Explorer. Fortunately we can now follow the Cory's Shearwater development on any computer!

We have already 22,994 visits from 77 different countries, this shows the true interest of the population about this bird.