Rock-climber bird – the wallcreeper; a unique species residing in Spain
As its name suggests, the wallcreeper is attracted to rock faces – and very high ones at that, climbing with amazing skill to locate its food. During warmer periods of the year, it is found at altitudes ranging from 2,200 metres to 3,000m above sea level. Due to its...
Spectacular cliffs made of ‘sand’
The highest ‘sand’ cliffs in Europe can be found on the south coast of Spain, inside the protected area of the Doñana in Huelva province. It is along the Playa de Castilla, between the towns of Matalascañas and Mazagón, that sheer faces rise to heights...
Trying to preserve Spain’s ‘rarest flower’
A flower which has existed for more than 25 million years and could be Spain’s rarest species of flora has been spotted in Andalucía, more than 40 years after it was last catalogued in that region. Named Gyrocaryum oppositifolium Valdés, it was thought to have...
Torrevieja turtle returns to the sea
When the loggerhead turtle Nuca, as she was later named, was rescued from Torrevieja port in February she was in very poor health. She had swallowed a fishing hook which had become lodged in her esophagus and one of her fins had been amputated in an accident,...
World’s fastest animal is nesting in Spain’s largest cities
The peregrine falcon is the world’s fastest animal; it can reach incredible speeds when it dives to catch its prey. The Science Digest website explains that researchers have been captivated by the bird, ‘conducting experiments to measure their astonishing...
The importance of the wolf
Following the backdoor manoeuvre by rightwing parties in Parliament last month to allow wolves to be hunted in Spain, environmentalists have published a simple graphic to illustrate the importance of this native animal to the biodiversity of the areas it inhabits....
A ‘formidable hunter’; the Eurasian eagle-owl
“The arrival of a new eagle-owl in the vicinity causes panic amongst other birds of prey and a general re-arrangement of territories usually follows as its new neighbours try to give it a wide berth,” says the Owls Trust. Their size (wingspan of between...
Following in the footsteps of the ice men
This is a route steeped in history, as well as incredible natural beauty. In the spring wildflowers abound, adorning fields around the villages and mountain slopes and ridges. Delicate flowers grow in seemingly impossible places after seasonal rain has worked its...
Following in the footsteps of the ice men – part 2
The Senda dels Nevaters (the ice men route) heads up the lane leading out of Plaza del Font in Famorca. It is 375m in distance up this wide track to reach a signpost, which points the walker off to the right onto a path. This is the start of an ascent that is fairly...
Egyptian vultures with an Iberian home
The Egyptian vulture is the smallest of the four species of these carrion feeders which inhabit Spain, with a wingspan of between 1.5 metres and 1.7m. Most of the Spanish population spends the winter in Africa and returns to Iberia for the nesting season, according to...
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