The show in Sagres' sky

The show in Sagres' sky
©Gleb Gusachenko/Unsplash

The show in Sagres' sky

28 July 2021

In a couple of months, as the weather starts to change and Summer comes to an end, a wave of birds will once again wash over Europe, from North to South. Among land birds, those headed to Africa have a substancial obstacle ahead: the Mediterranean. On the Western end of the continent, the shortest - and therfore safest - route is across the straight at Gibraltar. But sometimes inexperience or a mishap sends birds off course. They end up in Sagres, the "plain of lost birds". Eventually, they find their way back to cross near Gibraltar, but in the meantime they put a twinkle in birdwatchers' eyes.

The change in seasons brings an incredible variety of feathered visitors to this region. From Bonelli’s and Short-Toed Snake Eagles to Egyptian Vultures, Griffon Vultures and storks, thousands of soaring birds hover in search of a passage to Africa. Also in their thousands, seabirds fly past, in epic journeys that can stretch from pole to pole. Trees, bushes and grasses are alive with pipits, warblers, Northern Wheatears and dozens of other songbirds which are also crossing the peninsula on their way south. And when you least expect it, you spot a truly rare bird, like a Lesser Spotted Eagle, a Yellow-browed Warbler or a Red-breasted Flycatcher.

More about the birds you can spot in Sagres