Canaries fire 2 Nasa satellite image
Image from Nasa of the fire on Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Somewhere between a third and a half of Gran Canary’s forest has been burnt.
Nasa satellite Canary Islands Fire
Archive for July, 2007
Canaries fire
The scourge of Spanish summer fires are upon us again with this fire in La Alsandara, Tejeda on Gran Canaria, which has so far burnt more than 20,000 hectares of pine forest. A forest fire guard whose contract was about to run out, and who originally raised the alarm, has confessed to starting the fire and has been arrested. Forest guards are frequently accused of starting fires to guarantee work for themselves. A second fire is also raging on Tenerife. 13,000 people have been evacuated.(El Pais here)
“The fires have burnt at least 24,000 hectares (59,000 acres) of land on the islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife.
Spain’s Environment Minister Cristina Narbona called a state of “maximum alert” and ordered more water-bombing planes to help douse the fires. Hundreds of firefighters are working with planes to quell the blaze. On Saturday, police arrested a forest ranger who admitted to starting one of the fires. The 37-year-old man told police his job contract was about to expire and he wanted to keep working, according to the AP news agency.
Local officials said that 5,200 people had been taken to safety on Gran Canaria and at least 5,700 people were evacuated from homes in Tenerife as the four-day blaze continued to burn.
Hazards Previously, dozens of people had been evacuated from seven areas since Friday. Paulino Rivero, head of the regional government said: “The rugged landscape of these islands makes firefighting very complicated, except from the air. “But while there is a lot of wind and very high temperatures, helicopters generally cannot operate.” A spokesman for Gran Canaria’s authorities said fires were burning on four fronts but attention was being focused on two in the central Fataga area. He added that only two helicopters were able to drop water there because of the “terrible” wind. The fire has damaged 65% of the Palmitos bird sanctuary park. There are fears that toucans and other exotic birds may have been killed. A spokeswoman from Tenerife’s island authorities said some 300 members of fire and other emergency services were fighting the blazes, with the support of 34 lorries, four helicopters and a water-bomber airplane.
Meanwhile, officials in southern Portugal said a major forest fire that broke out on Monday had now been brought under control.” (BBC)
Scops owl chick
Derek of the forum has sent me this photo of one of this year’s batch of scops owl chicks from his hideout somewhere in the Sierra de Madrid. He notes “I’m pretty certain from past clutches that although this is the biggest of the three scoplets a first-hatched fourth had already flown”
This one was the last to leave the nest, much later than other years, perhaps because of the mild temperatures this July in Spain. Read more about Derek’s scops owls here.
Triperias de León
I was impressed by the idiosyncrasy and number of the triperias of the city of Leon on my last visit there. Everything you need to make a chorizo. All things pig.
Fotos de Triperias de León Leon Triperias, León Triperia
Photo of a Spanish Ibex
Xavi Vicent sent me this remarkable photo of a Spanish Ibex (Capra pyrenaica)
More of his work great here http://www.iberphoto.com/
Snow in Barcelona
Snow falls on average just over once a year in Barcelona, though it sticks less than one in every ten. These photos are testament to the remarkable snowfall of 25 December 1962, the heaviest in living memory. More on Barcelona
Explosion of common vole population in Castilla
The explosion of the population of Common vole (microtus arvalis, topillo campesino), estimated at some 500 million individuals, in Castilla-Leon this year has devastated some 400,000 ha of crops. The origins of the population boom are in this year’s mild winter temperature, the cyclical nature of vole populations, and in the long term in its move into the cereal plains where now “there are few natural predators.” Until 20 years ago, the common vole was only found at medium and high altitude meadows in the Pyrenees, Picos de Europa and the Sistema Central. Juan José Luque from the Universidad de Valladolid notes here «We are not entirely sure why, but we can say that the agricultural changes in the cereal steppes from dry farming to irrigated crops has helped their expansion”
Collecting voles in Valladolid
Experts from the Ministry of Agriculture and environmental groups recommend the use of predators, parasites and natural pathogens, but farmers are up in arms demanding and indeed using toxic chemicals, with all the consequent dangers for humans and wildlife (see below). Similar vole explosions occurred in 1988-89 and 1993-94, which then subsided due to natural causes. More here from Consumer
Photo of a common vole
Read Dave’s post on Castilian voles on the Forum. This is first hand experience on the ground and is frankly more interesting than my above piece” This year has been a very mild year in Castilla and Leon, and so the common or garden field vole, has survived in large numbers, something that occurs fairly often, in a similar way to Lemmings. The area south of Leon is called the Tierras de Campo, and covers the provinces of Palencia, Leon Vallodolid and Zamora, and it is called the breadbasket of Spain for obvious reasons, for this is Cereal country. Voles like the young shoots of Cereal crops, and were posing a significant threat to this years crop, and the farmers were worried, and approached the Junta of Castilla and Leon for a solution to the problem, threatening street protest if no action was taken. Continue reading
Wikipedia notes “The population density of Common Vole, Microtus arvalis varies seasonally and exhibits a considerable long-term fluctuation that shows typically three-year or five-year cycles. Densities can range from 100 individuals per ha (very low level) over 500 individuals per ha (medium level) up to 2000 individuals per ha in some years.
The Cenachero
Huge selection of photos of old Spain sent in by the public here.
This one from La Playa de Fuengirola in the 1950s shows a cenachero de Málaga selling sardines. The disappeared Cenacheros were ambulant fish sellers. Today they have been relegated to a folkloric symbol in Malaga
Spanish mantis
Sue of wildsideholidays has some great photos and information on the cone-head mantis and praying mantis in Spain here on the iberianatureforum
Allen’s rule and the Iberian lynx
Leafing through a dictionary of zoology I came across a definition for Allen’s rule. It strikes me that this might apply to the lankiness of the Iberian lynx in comparison with its cousin the heftier Eurasian Lynx. (For size difference see below)
It states (from wikipedia) that:
“endotherms from colder climates usually have shorter limbs than the equivalent animals from warmer climates.The theory behind Allen’s Rule is that endothermic animals with the same volume may have differing surface areas, which will aid or impede their temperature regulation.”
“In cold climates, the greater the exposed surface area, the greater the loss of heat and therefore energy. Animals (including humans) in cold climates need to conserve as much energy as possible. A low surface area to volume ratio helps to conserve heat.
In warm climates, the opposite is true. An animal will overheat quickly if it has a low surface area to volume ratio. Therefore, animals in warm climates will have high surface area to volume ratios so as to help them lose heat.
In a nutshell, it simply means there is a ratio between body surface to body mass.”
Given that the Eurasian Lynx is much larger than the Iberian Lynx, also perhaps applicable is Bergmann’s Rule which “correlates environmental temperature with body mass in warm-blooded animals. It asserts that within a species, the body mass increases with latitude and colder climate. Among mammals and birds, individuals of a particular speciesin colder areas tend to have greater body mass than individuals in warmer areas. ” This is no doubt the case further north and when comparing areas with similar levels of rainfall, but also coming into play is the the extremely limiting factor of the Mediterranean summer drought, which also tends to reduce body size. There simply isn’t as much prey in the Mediterranean summer.
Top, a Eurasian Lynx, bottom Iberian lynx. Not sure if these pictures do justice to my idea.
Origin of the Iberian lynx and relation to Eurasian lynx.
The ancestors of both the Iberian lynx and the Spanish Imperial Eagle came originally from far to the East in the steppes of Asia Minor, and did not arrive in the Peninsula until one million years ago. The Iberian species separated from their Eurasian counterparts around one million years ago at the start of the Quaternary, when a series of intense ice ages swept across Eurasia. As the weather grew colder both south western populations were pushed into the Mediterranean in search of ground squirrels until they finally reached Iberia. With the cold, prey must have become scarce from Greece to Italy and the Eurasian imperial eagle and the lynx died out there. The populations which reached Iberia were saved by the presence of rabbits. The Eurasian lynx then moved back into Europe from Asia as the ices receded. To the north of Spain, the Eurasian Lynx was eliminated in Western Europe during the 18-19th centuries, but unlike its Iberian cousin its range is much greater, once extending from the Pyrenees to Siberia. (The Eurasian Lynx possibly existed in Spain and formed the northern boundary of the Iberian Lynx). Eurasian Lynx are still relatively common in parts of the ex-URSS which is enabling reintroduction programmes in Switzerland, France and Germany. A million years ago there was probably one species from Cadiz to Vladivostok. More on the Iberian Lynx
The 1755 Lisbon earthquake
The 1755 Lisbon earthquake took place on 1st November 1755. Estimated by modern geologists as approaching magnitude 9 on the Richter Scale, it is one of the most destructive and deadly earthquakes in history, possibly killing between 60,000 and 100,000 people. Another 10 000 were killed in Morocco, along with large numbers living on the coast of Andalucia. The quake was followed by a tsunami which rushed up engulfed the harbour and rushed up the Tagus and a fire, resulting in the almost-total destruction of Lisbon and profoundly disrupting the country’s eighteenth-century colonial ambitions.
The event was widely discussed by European Enlightenment philosophers, and inspired major developments in thinking, and also signalled the birth of modern seismology.
Lisbon in flames with a tsunami overwhelming the ships in the harbor (1755 engraving)
1755 Lisbon earthquake
1755 German copperplate image, “The Ruins of Lisbon. Survivors camp in a (rather fanciful) tent city outside the city of Lisbon, following the November 1, 1755 earthquake. The image shows criminal activity and general mayhem, as well as the hanging of quake survivors under constabulary supervision. Priests are present, one holding a crucifix, one possibly a prayer book, so appear to be giving last rites to persons being hanged. ” Wikipedia
See also
earthquakes in Spain
Birding in Cadiz
John C. has posted this excellent trip report on the forum on his birding trip to Cadiz
He notes on crested coots:
It soon became apparent that we had a problem with this coot; JC advised that a lot of the Crested Coots had been neck collared, so all we had to do was find a Coot in a collar and bingo!. No one seems to have noticed an obvious aspect of Crested coot physiology, however. After extensive field work it is apparent that Crested Coots are actually invisible under ultra-violet light, so in daylight, you simply cannot see them. All you see is a sort of shimmering in the reeds. That is why the clever Spaniards put collars on them: find the collar, find the crested coot. Sadly, evolution being what it is, the coots take off the collars during the day and hide them in the reed beds ( or possibly in the mud?). So the best time to look for Crested coot is a moonless dark night, when these all-black birds would be easy to see on account of the white triangular, square-topped frontal shields. As mentioned in the very beginning, JC had identified it as a bright, sunny night, so we had no cooting chance!
Birding Trip Report to Cadiz Province + Here for forum thread
Record temperature in Portugal
The highest temperature ever recorded in Portugal was in 2003 with a record of 47.3 °C in Amareleja. This was part of the famed heat wave to hit Europe. Specifically in Portugal there were extensive forest fires with 5% percent of the countryside and 10% percent of the forests being destroyed, an estimated 4,000 km². Eighteen people died in the fires. More on the 2003 European heat wave from wikipedia
Source Els Temps de Pico and here
Some interesting environmentally aware holidays in Portugal here at wildside holidays
Bears and wolves threatened by EU carrion ban
As previously reported on Iberianature, bears, wolves and other wildlife in Spain are seriously threatened by the EU dead livestock ban arising from the BSE outbreak. 8-10 bear cubs are estimated to have died in 2006 because of the ban. Just in Asturias, 210,300 kg of dead meat are now removed every year which before was an essential food source for many animals, despite the fact that not a single case of BSE has been detected in the region. (El Mundo). The issue is currently being taken up by Spanish MEPS in the EU (Fapas)
Bear eating carrion in Asturias (FAPAS) See also Good news for carrion birds + spainbearnews
Bears return to Belmonte de Miranda
According to Fapas, bears have returned to the area of Belmonte de Miranda. 18 different animals have been detected in the last two years including 4 breeding females. This area of deep valleys and dense forests is now considered vital to the bear’s conservation in Asturias. The lack of carrion because of the prohibition of leaving dead livestock because of mad cow’s disease means it is difficult for the animals to find enough food leading to problems such as raids on beehives. More here from Fapas
Short video here from Asturias TV. Click on the image
Beehives trashed by bears in Belmonte de Miranda
Photos of old Barcelona
I came across this selction of photos from old Barcelona. Here’s a few from Barceloneta and the port.
http://www.juanmabcn.com/barcelona/XIX/1.htm
Man survives viper bite
A hiker has survived a viper bite in La Pedriza, Madrid, which would make it a Lataste’s viper or snub-nosed viper. 3-4 people probably die a year from viper bites in Spain, although this figure may now be lower due to the expansion in rural health facilities and the fact that there aren’t as many people working in the countryside. Sobrevivir a una víbora El Pais
Photo of a Lataste’s viper or snub-nosed viper
Venemous snakes in Spain + Bites and stings from animals in Spain Iberianature
Transhumance in Spain
I’ve put together these two articles on transhumance in Spain:
La Venta del Lobo. Impossibly bleak and ruined resthouse along the Cañada Real through the Sierra de la Culebra. A cherry tree is often the sign of old human habitation.
The most polluted sea in the world
The Mediterranean is the most polluted sea in the world according to various studies done by environmental groups. Pollution hotspots around Spain’s coats are unsurprisingly around the ports of Algeciras and Barcelona
El mar más sucio del mundo (El Pais)
I think we take that “sea” here means open sea, and so excludes bodies of water such as the inland Aral Sea.
The dangers of oleander
Fascinating article by Clive Muir and Sue Eatock on the dangers of oleander (Nerium oleander) which at the start of summer flourishes luridly along Spain’s riverbeds and motorways. Despite its use in municipal planting schemes and private gardens this plant is extremely toxic.
They write “it contains numerous toxic compounds, many of which can be deadly to people - especially young children. The toxins include oleandrin and neriine, which affect the heart, and the bark contains rosagenin, which acts in a similar way to strychnine. The entire plant including the sap is harmful. Even after drying, the leaves are still dangerous. A single leaf holds enough poison to kill a small child. In the past crushed, dried leaves mixed with stale bread have been used as a very effective rat poison…” Read on Olve Press (not for the faint hearted!)
