VIII Azorian Bullfinch Days in Povoação were a success

On April 27th and 28th it took the VIII Azorian Bullfinch Days in the Municipal Auditorium of Povoação.

The Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA), through the Priolo’s Environmental Center and within the Sustainable Laurel Life Project, in partnership with the Escola Básica e Secundária of Povoação and the Escola Profissional da Povoação, organized the VIII Azorian Bullfinch Days. This event had also the objective of celebrating the 20^th anniversary of the European Commission Life Program, that had contributed to a great extend to the conservation of the Azorian Biodiversity. 

This year, the Azorian Bullfinch Days took place, once again, in Povoação township, Council where the Sustainable Laurel Life Project is situated, project that comes to an end in the end of the year and that has developed important work on what concerns to the conservation, recovery and sustainability of the natural habitats on the east cost of São Miguel’s island.

Therefore, this event had as a main purpose to help acknowledging the Azorian biodiversity, the conservation work developed by the different entities on the eastern zone of the São Miguel Natural Island Park and the strategies to reach the sustainability of the natural areas and the people that lives nearby.  

These Azorian Bullfinch Days had great adhesion by the school community of Povoação and also from Nordeste, with the participation of several classes from Escola Básica e Secundária da Povoação, Escola Profissional da Povoação and Escola Profissional do Nordeste, in a total of 240 people among students, teachers and other people interested in the subject.

It were presented different subjects, namely about some species of native Azorian plants, the diversity of arthropods from Azores, the work developed in Furnas Lake, the possibilities of the active tourism, the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism, among others.

One of the main focus of this event was the work developed in the recovery of the Azorian Laurel Forest and the peatbogs in Planalto dos Graminhais, which are directly related to the Azorian Bullfinch and that raised curiosity by those attending the event.

This year and as an innovation, the Azorian Bullfinch Days programme extended until Saturday with a guided tour to some of the intervention places from the Sustainable Laurel Life Project, opened to everyone freely. 

During the week from April 23th to the 28^th was opened to the public in the Municipal Auditorium of Povoação the exhibition “ With Bones in your hands”, which allowed the public to get to know better the birds existing in Azores and the importance of their bones to the birds study. This exhibition was visited for more than 260 visitors.