We set off on a hike today around Hinajosa de la Sierra, the most beautiful spring day, the kind that you would expect in summer, blue skies zero wind. Hinajosa is yet another one of those villages in Soria that used to be very important during the Middle Ages and in the 15th century, which is evident by the grand Palace and Castle remains. Nowadays we tend to see it empty until the month of August when all the families return to their holiday homes.

The surrounding area is an excellent place for bird spotting around Lake La Serna, which was recently included in the Regional Catalogue of Wetlands of Special Interest, ‘Catalogo Regional de Zonas Humedas de Interes Especial de la Junta de Castilla y Leon’. A bird Observatory was opened here in 2007, where with the correct equipment, you can spot migratory birds such as,

Common Crane Grus Grus
Black Stork Ciconia Nigra
Limosa Limosa Black tailed Godwit
Recurvirostra Avosetta Pied Avocet
Egretta Garzetta Little Egret
Philomachus Pugnax Ruff
Tringa Totanus Common Redshank
Charadrius Dubius Little Ringed Plover
Actitis Hypoleucos Common Sandpiper
Calidris Alpina Dunlim
Podiceps Cristatus Great Crested Glebe
Pluvialis Apricaria Euro Golden Plova
Anas Querquedula Garganey
Himantopus Himantopus Black Winged Tilt
Anas Platyrhynchos Mallard
Gallinula Choloropus Moorhen
Fulica Atra Common Coot
Milvus Migrans Black Kite
Ciconia Ciconia White Stork
Falco Tinnunculus Common Kestrel
Rallus Aquaticus Water Rail

When we arrived at Hinajosa we noticed that a several pairs of White Storks (Ciconia ciconia) had returned to their nests high on the castle walls. Some were perched quietly and looked to have settled in nicely, that was until a flock of around 8 others appeared and circled above them. This is when the bill clapping sound started. Generally the clapping is associated with mating; however these seemed to be doing it as the others flew above, almost as a warning sign. Sometime in May they will lay 3 to 5 eggs, which should hatch by July. By this time there will be an estimated 50 to 100 pairs in Hinajosa alone. They will feed on frogs, insects, lizards and small rodents, to be found within the wetlands.

Spring is in the air!

Last week, when we were out on a few daytrips, we noticed that spring finally has arrived on the northern plateau.

Wild flowers
Everything is in flower and we saw among other things: Euphorbia, Asphodelus aestivus, Ornithogalum umbellatum, Iris germanica and lovely parasites from the Orobanche family.

Birds
On a daytrip nearby the river Duero, we spotted the first big group (around 30!) of Merops apiaster, Bee-eaters, just returned after wintering in tropical Africa.

Mushrooms
But what we enjoyed the most is that, after some spring-showers, we found some beautiful spring-mushrooms! We picked Helvella spadicea (a kind of Saddle) in the banks of the river Duero. In the meadows we found Pleurotus eryngii (King oyster mushroom), Agaricus campestes (Field mushroom) and Marasmius oreades (Fairy-ring champignon). With the ones found in the meadows we made a delicious mushroom soup. In short: spring is in the air!

Surprised by the quantity and quality of birdlife in this historic town. Yesterday a pair of black vultures circling real low over the Plaza de Santa Maria.

Imperial eagles and San Román de los Montes.

I spent an enjoyable evening last Sunday watching the sun set over a pair of nesting Spanish Imperial eagles (Aquila adalberti) in the hills of the Sierra de San Vicente. With a telescope a safe distance of nearly 2 km away it was possible to observe the male fussing around the nesting platform while it's mate whiled away the hours sitting on those most valuable eggs. Valuable not only to the eagles, but also to us, it's human neighbours.

Spanish Imperial eagles invest 8 months a year in their breeding effort, and, with luck, produce a single chick. With a total world population of less than 400, that chick is a rare thing indeed. The eagles have only recently returned to this area, after an absence of several decades, and the Ministry of Environment is keeping close tabs on them. The male has already been radio-tagged.

Imperial eagles are a charismatic species (large, rare and beautiful) which could help put the environmental plight of neighbouring San Román de los Montes more firmly on the map. This pair has one of its main hunting grounds in an patch of rabbit-rich Holm oak "dehesa", equivalent in size to about 500 football fields, in the municipality of San Román. The area is also home to Short-Toed eagles, Booted eagles, Eagle owls, and even occasional Black storks and Black vultures... The problem is the land is legally available for housing development - a crazy situation inherited from the last days of the Franco regime - and earmarked for lucrative building projects which would benefit neither the resident human population nor the amazing local wildlife. Stakes are high and the authorities have already been alerted to the possible use of poisoned baits in the area: criminal but all-too-easy to get away with.

Hopefully the Imperial eagles will provide a much-delayed wake-up call for the regional authorities, which should urgently give protection to the dehesas of San Román de los Montes and the surrounding areas. If anyone out there is as concerned as we are, please send a politely worded email to Sr. Manuel Guerrero Pérez (Delegación Provincial de Medio Ambiente de Toledo, mguerrero@jccm.es ) and to Sr. Jose Luis Martínez Guijarro (Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo Rural de Castilla La Mancha, jluismg@jccm.es).

European Mink found near Ucero.....
I have just read an interesting article in Diario del Soria (23 Feb 2008) regarding the discovery of a European Mink (Mustela lutreola) near the village of Ucero on the outskirts of the Canon Rio Lobos Natural Park in Soria. ‘Ucero’ as he has been named was found in November last year. His discovery came as a surprise to Park staff as the closest known population of European Mink is over 50kms away in the Ebro River basin. Park staff believe his arrival in the area has been made possible by efforts they have put into controlling the population of the introduced American Mink (Mustela vision). Whilst in the past hunting has contributed to the European Mink being classed as one of the six critically endangered European mammals, its loss of habitat and competition from invasive foreign species is also a factor. Let’s hope this is a sign of positive things to come for this semi aquatic mammal.