Cat problems

Depending on how we look at it, wild cats in Madeira can be either a blessing or a curse. One thing is certain, tho: after a family of these feline fellas decided to call the Pico Ruívo hut and its surroundings their home the local rat community packed their bags, abandoned the neighbourhood and emigrated to other destinations.

Although the wild cats population in Madeira is larger than it should be (eventually endangering the existence of some local species, namely the Zino's Petrel), there's no question for us humans that we still prefer to share our ecosystem with these guys rather than with the others.

A wild cat cub in Pico Ruívo area, this afternoon. These are basically domestic cats (Felis catus) that left the human environment and are living with total autonomy, either in the wild or also in urban areas.

These animals are normally shy to humans, keeping a safe distance from people and avoiding close contact. Their behaviour is not aggressive (except, obviously, if cornered). And the only time that you have their full attention is when you have food in your hands. They are also called "Feral cats" and hunting has no secrets for them.

Picture taken with Nikon D300 and cheap Nikkor 55-200 f/4-5.6 AF-S kit lens. Post-processing in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, ver. 4.1.

Caniçal.

The bucolic fishing village of Caniçal, in a picture taken today, at dusk, from the Caniçal port South breakwater.

A place with a strong religious tradition (like all the seafaring towns in Portugal), Caniçal is still living during these days its yearly celebration that started in the past Saturday with the maritime procession honouring Nossa Senhora da Piedade (Our Lady Of Pity).

A place cherished by Madeira citizens and foreigners alike, Caniçal is a famous weekend destination in Madeira, mostly due to its restaurants and their seafood specialties.

Picture taken with Nikon D300 and cheap AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR DX (uuuff!) kit lens equipped with a Hoya 52mm Skylight (1B) protective filter.

Post-processing of the converted NEF to TIFF file in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, ver. 4.1.

Fore!

I don't play golf. And, as a spectator, I don't even fancy that much the sport. But while at work in Porto Santo, I always use a couple of hours of my spare time to head on to the Porto Santo Golf Club.

The golf course was designed by Severiano Ballesteros and divides the island in half, from North to South, with its 27-hole green field.

Located a couple of kilometres away from the relatively busy main town of Vila Baleira, the PSGC is a oasis of calm within an already quiet island.

Besides the nearby golden beach, this is, probably, the best spot in Porto Santo to drink a coffee, a tea or a beer, while enjoying the late afternoon sun setting westwards.

And for that free pleasure (beer or coffee not included!) you don't even have to be a golfer. It's just enough that you recognize its therapeutic properties.

A detail of the Porto Santo Golf course, photographed yesterday, in the late afternoon light, from the club's restaurant and promenade.

Picture taken with Nikon Coolpix P7100 and converted NEF to TIFF file post-processed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, ver. 4.1

Levada das 25 Fontes

Travelling to Madeira and not hiking the Levada das 25 Fontes it's like visiting Rome and not seeing the Pope. This levada, located in the North-western coast, in the Rabaçal area, is probably - together with Santana's Caldeirão Verde (more on this one soon) - the most famous in Madeira.

And (if you forget the long approaching march, by a two and a half kilometre tarmac road, from the parking lot to the Rabaçal forest house) one of the most enjoyable.

Like I said, after parking your car in the parking lot near the water chamber of Calheta's hydroelectric power plant, you proceed downhill along the tarmac road and heading to the Rabaçal forest house.

Once there you'll catch the trail leading you to the levada level, a couple hundred meters below. From here a shorter route will lead you to the Risco waterfall and the longest one will take you to the 25 Fontes source. My advice: explore both. Just don't forget that's going to be a long way back. So start early.

Whith good parking conditions, on the Paúl da Serra plateau, and therefore easily reached by car, the Levada das 25 Fontes is a good introduction to us, nature lovers, on the biodiversity of Madeira. Along this easy but long walk, you'll have the chance to look around, to your heart's content, for plants...

...insects...

...and birds.

Just make sure that you bring with you, for the trail, either in Summer or Winter, an adequate supply of "bom-dia's", "bon-jour's", "hello's", "guten tag's and guten morgen's, "ciao's" and "hola's" (just to name a few). You'll surely going to need them.

Being one of the most popular in Madeira, the Levada das 25 Fontes can be, sometimes, a little bit crowded. Ohh, well... this is also part of the fun. Picturing the levada's source, on a, somehow, busy Summer day.

All pictures taken with Nikon D40X and Nikkors 18-55 and 55-200 kit lenses. Post-processing in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, ver. 4.1 of TIFF images, converted from NEF files in Nikon View NX2.

Madeira fauna

A few days ago, I went back to the P.R. 1. This time alone, I, once again, trekked the most demanding of all the Madeira hikes: the route between the Pico do Areeiro and Pico Ruívo (see From Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruívo and back in this blog). It was not my intention to beat the times of our most competent trail runners. I don't have the guts for that. However I did manage to hike it (in a fast pace) in about 1h 36min and choosing the longest route (by Pico das Torres). Not so bad, I guess, for an out-of-shape guy. The route is about 7 kms in length and since I had to return to Pico do Areeiro (had the car there), I ended up doubling that distance and it was almost sunset when I finally arrived to the departure point, located close to the Radar Station nº4 of the Portuguese Air Force.

On the way back, and with the mountain in almost absolute silence (at the time I was alone in the trail) I had a surprise close encounter with representatives of the local fauna: a cool band of partridges.

I remember going hunting, when I was a child, with my granddad. Besides wild rabbits, partridges were our most wanted trophies. Back at home, my grandma would then make some nice stews with them.

Although I did love those hunting "expeditions" with my grandfather, as I got older I developed an ecological consciousness that led me away from hunting. But I do miss those days I've spent with him.

So, imagine my surprise when I saw this flock of about a dozen partridges appearing right in front of me, a few minutes after passing the Pico do Gato tunnel. And contrary to what I remembered from my childhood, these were the coolest partridges I've ever seen. So cool that I sat down in the stairs for almost an hour to photograph them, while they were eating some wild flowers a couple of meters away from me. Fearless. Just like domestic chickens.

How lovely is nature when everything is in harmony.

 

 

 

The Radar Station nº4, of the Portuguese Air Force, in Pico do Areeiro (1818 mts above sea level), is both the starting and arrival point of the P.R. 1, the trail connecting Madeira's highest peaks.

All pictures taken with Nikon Coolpix P7100 and post-processed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, ver. 4.1.

The Golden Island

This is the name that we give around here to the island of Porto Santo, nickname given due to the perfect nine kilometer beach with gold-coloured sand extending from East to West along the South coast of the island.

Once the home place of Christopher Columbus and his wife (Filipa Perestrello, the daughter of the Portuguese governor of the island), during his stay in Portugal, Porto Santo now lives from and for the tourism.

As I said once, August is a  month to avoid for vacations in Porto Santo. But this also stands true for many touristic areas along the Southern Europe.

However, during the present Summer things are somehow calm in the island. At least, when we compare it to previous years. There's plenty of people during the day on the streets of Vila Baleira and a good nightlife, And all of that without being particularly oppressive.

A vision of the Porto Santo South coast, from West to East, in a picture taken a few hours ago, near the Miradouro das Flores (Flowers Belvedere), and depicting the city of Vila Baleira already lit for the night time. The golden beach of the island is visible in the picture, in almost complete extension.

Picture taken with Nikon Coolpix P7100 and post-processed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, ver. 2.3 and Adobe Photoshop Elements, ver. 2.0.

Levada do Castelejo

Not all the levadas in Madeira traverse the high mountains and snake only across the pristine primeval Laurissilva forest.. Despite being born mostly that way, many quickly find their path, across gentler mountain slopes, to the lower altitude agricultural fields, thus allowing the trekkers an easier approach to an activity that could be, otherwise and in particular situations, hazardous by nature.

The Levada do Castelejo is one of that kind.

Starting the walk at the small village of Cruz, near Terra Baptista, on the Northern coast of Madeira, you can either go left or right along the levada. If you choose the right direction the levada will take you, in about one and a half hour, to its source, deep in the high valley of Faial. On the other hand, if you choose the left direction you can go all the way to Referta, Porto da Cruz and beyond, along a gentle and humanized landscape, with plenty of agriculture fields and fruit trees along the way. You choose.

The starting of Levada do Castelejo, near the village of Cruz, gives us an idea of how proud Madeira inhabitants are of their irrigation system: the locally-called "levadas". Well-kept gardens and houses abound along the way to Referta.

Contrasting with the monochromatic nature of the levadas built deeply in the Laurissilva forest, the ones crossing the humanized landscapes of the lower altitudes are, most of the times, a colour feast for our eyes.

Water is life. And Madeira is no exception to the rule. Most of the times, in the hills of Madeira island, houses are built (or more correctly... were, in ancient days) along the levadas to take advantage of the nearby fresh water supply.

A small bamboo plantation along the Levada do Castelejo, on the way to Referta. A curious sighting along this levada. And a proof that the gentle Madeira climate allows the growing of almost everything.

A small specimen of the "levadas" fauna. If they are bigger in size and appear to be free, be prudent. Sometimes they consider the contiguous levadas as their own backyards. This one, however, was trekker-friendly and luminous in nature.

All the photos taken with the Nikon Coolpix P7100 and post-processed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, ver. 4.1.