21 days in Madeira

After 21 days living in Madeira I write my first post on this blog called "Voluntários na Madeira". I would like to say something about my hopes working as a member of SPEA Madeira research team before telling you how these first weeks have been along.

When I was studying in the university, one of my most important complaints was that we never used to go outside and learn in the field. We were always studying for exams and tests but we didn't even know which trees were surrounding the campus. My favourite subjects are conservation and ethology and my dream is to dedicate my professional career to them, I want to work hard in order to achieve this goal. That's why I believe my internship in SPEA Madeira will be so important, we work in the field and learn every day. In barely few weeks we have learnt so many thing about Madeira's flora and fauna: Fea's petrel and Zino's petrel, the biggest colony of Cory's shearwater is located in Savage Islands, the beautiful Common tern, the tiny Madeira firecrest, Madeira wall lizard (you can find them everywhere), the endemic Madeira laurel pigeon, the evasive Madeira sparrowhawk, laurissilva forest and its amazing trees, Madeira orchid, Massaroco and Monarch butterfly...

Massaroco and Monarch butterfly on it

The days pass so quickly here. I work in a project about conservacy and protection of Madeira sparrowhawk, it's called Project LIFE Fura-bardos. We have already started to search new nest, nowadays is the time of hatching. The female remains close to the nest, taking care of the eggs and hatching them while the male can go further to prey on. We have visited Serra d'Auga, Quinta das Eiras, Porto Novo, Canhiço... many levadas and veredas (traditional walks through the island of madeira that bring water from the north to the south) that allow you to be in so wonderful and secret places where tourist usually don't go. Breathtaking landscapes that impresse you because of the contrasts of Madeira: the endless beauty of the ocean and the magnificient mountains, from sun to rain.

Serra d'Água

An arboreal fern

This internship is going to allow me to stay in Madeira for six months, to learn and enjoy. But most of all to continue this project I started 5 years ago in Santiago de Compostela, when I made up my mind to study biology. I feel so truly thankful to SPEA Madeira team because they gave me an incredible chance and I will take advantadge of it!!

Vereda do Larano