Inês Gomes

Inês has a degree in Veterinary Medicine degree by the Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (Technical Lisbon University). She worked in several Wild Life Recovery Centers in Barcelona and also has a tourist guide in Whale Watching companies in Azores. Recently Inês worked in Quénia, in a Biodivertsity and Conservation Project on marine protected areas.

 Sónia Manso

Sónia has a degree in Marine biology and Fisheries by Algarve University and currently works with Natura Algarve as leading most of the nature tours. Before she has worked in Fisheries Biology in Oporto and in Azores has fisheries observer and monitoring marine species.

Sergi Perez

Sergi has a degree in Marine Biology by the University IUSC (International University Study Center) in Barcelona and Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey. Since 2004 works has marine mammal researcher in Wales, Greenand, Golf of Cadiz and Quénia.

Cassandra and Richard joined us one day walking in Via Algarviana.Here’s her trip report about the day. Many thanks!”It was a breezy, but nice spring morning as we set off on the 13GR hiking route to Alte.The plants were fresh and green, because of the very rain we had been having. We were hoping for a nice ‘rain free’ day, but as expected, about 15 minutes into our walk, we felt the first few drops. We had just enough time to throw down our back packs, and yank on our water proofs, before it really started pouring! As we were walking in this rather wet weather we noticed that the little stones on the ground were moving, but when we took a closer look we saw that they were in fact tiny frogs who had not yet the strength in their legs to jump.After 10 minutes Sonia stopped and showed us a plant called Marioila. Sónia showed that it had very rough leafs and she told us that in the olden days the villagers would use these leaves to wash their dishes, very ecological! As the rain eased and finally stopped we came to a little village, where it seems trees had been built in with people’s garden walls. A field, blood red with poppies stretched out before us.

Some of the villagers were sat outside, drinking in the first few sunny spells of the week. We asked them for directions as we had two very similar looking paths to choose from. As we were walking through the village, we decided to go up to the terrace of an old house to look out over this beautiful landscape. The roof was painted black, and Sónia told us that the villagers use their roofs to dry the freshly picked almonds, figs and alfarrobas.Finally, the clouds broke and the sun came out. We walked along a few little rocky paths which turned to muddy tracks where the mud stuck to our shoes giving us a good extra kilo on each foot. I noticed an oddly shaped dried out plant on the floor and luckily for me there was a biologist on hand! Sónia told us it was a mushroom that had a ball on top (that had long opened) and around it, hard petal like things. Turns out the pelt like things help the mushroom come to the surface so it can release the spoors inside the little ball which are taken on the wind to another place to begin growing. A few steps later, we noticed a little hole in the mud, we stooped to take a closer look. At the mouth of the little hole was an oddly shaped head of some sort of insect, red in colour, with a little flap like thing hanging over its eyes.We decided to try and lour it out with a twig. To our delight it worked. It had a reddish triangular shaped head and its body, black with a white patch on its back and when it was out of its whole, it began to jump around very fast.We walked on, up a hill where the views got better and better with every step. At the top, we saw a valley of wildlife stretching out before us. Suddenly a butterfly fluttered passed our surprised faces and settled down for a little rest on a warm stone. It stayed there very patiently with its wings open flat on the stone, the beautiful reds and yellows outlined by white and black in full view as we took some wonderful photographs. We then watched it happily flittered off over the shrubbery.Not long after, an earthy red grasshopper hopped out entrant of us. It sat there and after a few photographs I let it venture on to my hand. To my surprise it stayed, and stayed, and well, after I had walked on with it still sat on my hand I decided I did not really want a little grasshopper as a pet so let it trundle slowly off my hand on to a nice nearby leaf.  As we were walking, I remembered something I had learnt in school, that was that if one stripped a thistle stork of its leaves and thorns it was edible and tasted like celery. Of course I stupidly voiced my memory and was immediately put to the job of stripping the next thistle we saw and eating it. I did so and invited Sónia and Ricardo to have a try. Ricardo then told me of the clover flower stork that had a nice acidy taste. We came across one while walking down the hill to the half way, lunch stop, village. I liked the flavor of the clover stork a lot and will be adding, it to my list of plants to eat, if i am ever lost in the woods somewhere without food.After a lovely lunch and rest, we carried on our trail to Alte. We passed a nice old church with orange trees growing in, around its courtyard. It had a little bell tower with a very old clock that every minute emitted a loud clanking sound as it changed the time.  The trail then turned out of the village and onto another rocky track. Sónia found a member of the orchid family, it was called ‘Yellow Bee Orchid’ because it looks like a bee is perched in the flower, pollinating it. Suddenly the road was cut in two by a rather large stream (which is normally dried out, but because of the huge amount of rain we had been experiencing, it had grown quite a bit larger than expected). We took off our shoes and socks and gratefully cooled our feet in the lovely clear water while carefully stepping our way across the stream.Shoes and socks back on and off we went again. Nearing the end of our hike, Sónia found another member of the orchid family that this time looked like a man, it was called ‘The naked man orchid’.Finally we walked into the charming little village of Alte where we ended our wonderful day of hiking.”

Cassie

Common name: Killer whale

Scientific name: Orcinus orca

Length: 23-30ft (7-9m)

Weight: 3-6tons

Life span: 29-90 yrs

It is very interesting to know that this species has sexual dimorphism. We can easily distinguish the male by its large dorsal fin, which can reach 2m and the female dorsal fin is lower (max. 0.9 m). The stocky, sleek, black body, white eye patch and prominent dorsal fin are unmistakable. They form family groups that remain stable and united life. Despite being called Killer whale its diet consists of fish, penguins and seals! No Human beings!