Blue skies & sunshine were the back drop for a terrific walk on Wednesday morning up on top of the hills north of Silves. As we climbed up out of the valley we saw a local farmer clinging to the hillside collecting the fruit from the Arbutus bush (Japanese strawberry tree) - this is a good year and there is a profusion of fruit - later the fruit will be converted to the local fire water (medronho). Once we had reached the top of our climb we watched the vultures circling overhead - a great excuse to catch our breath - their acrobatic display was a sight to behold and we felt very priviledged to be so close to these magnificent birds.
Later we passed a local hunter who was putting down wheat to attract wild boar which they hunt on weekends. He too pointed out the vultures and then showed us where we could see the nests of the Bonelli eagles - he was more than happy to share his local knowledge and we were all more than happy to listen and learn.