Our team was so happy to be invited to Nordeste by SPEA (Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves) to the “Centro do Priolo” or in english it would be the “Azores Bullfinch Center”.
We could not refuse!!!
A lot of people may not be aware that in São Miguel there is a very special bird that inhabits the area where the forest has maintained its original vegetation, Laurissilva. Nowhere else in the world one can observe this beautiful chubby little fellow.
The name of this bird is Azores Bullfinch (Pyrrhula murina), it was classified by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Natures) as “Critically endangered”, but thanks to the efforts of SPEA the bird is now classified as “Vulnerable”
São Miguel is a special place regarding the marine mammals that navigate the Atlantic waters, but not only is the island green and beautiful but special because of this unique bird.
We were invited by Maria, a bird expert and Environmental Technician at SPEA to learn more about this fascinating bird and how the efforts to maintain the natural islands vegetation are crucial.
Our Lookout Nicole learning with SPEA’s Environmental Technician, Maria.
Our team composed by guides, skipper and lookouts where thrilled to learn all about the endemic vegetation, the positive economical impact that exist by protecting the Priolo and the importance about educating people regarding the conservation of the bird’s habitat.
Our Team learning as much as possible about the Azores Bullfinch or Priolo in Portuguese.
We could talk hours about what we learned, but I would actually recommend that you visit this special place in Nordeste when the Azores Bullfinch enters it’s mating season, visit Maria and the amazing work that is being done by SPEA.
Who knows you might be lucky enough to see a Priolo. We love our beautiful island and wish to participate as much as possible in protecting its flora and fauna, and a good way of doing so is learning and sharing that knowledge.
We had so much fun with Maria, our Skipper Nuno, our Lookout Nicole and Anais our guide enjoying learning about the Priolo
If you are a nature lover then for sure you need to come to São Miguel and learn more about it’s vegetation, history and unique bird.
If you are still curious about this Bird find the information HERE
