The Praia do Barril and Cemitério das Âncoras

Rio Formosa is a preserve of tidal flats that line the Algarve on the South-Eastern coast of Portugal. You can't easily go to the beach in this part of the Algarve - the islands and tidal flats keep you from the ocean side. At Praia do Barril, about six kilometres from our little town, there is a tourist train that takes you across the tidal flats to the ocean and the beach. Also here is the Cemitério das Âncoras or Cemetery of Anchors, a sobering resting place of rusting anchors from the days of tuna fishing. These huge anchors held down the enormous nets that were used to capture bluefin tuna. They were so successful that there are no tuna left. So the anchors rust in their resting place on the shore. Do we ever learn?
The tidal flats are full of migrating birds in the spring and fall but like the tourists, they are long gone - we only spotted one spoonbill and a small ibis finding snacks in the tidal water.