Check out this short but rather good video of Hvala tucking into a roe deer corpse, left in front of a bear cam by the Vall d’Arán authorities. Hvala was one of the bears released into the Pyrenees from Slovenia six years ago. The Vall d’Arán have contracted the services of a shepherd this year to gather together and protect the flocks of sheep of 17 farmers.
Interesting 30-minute radio discussion here from Canal Ser on wolves. Taking part are Carlos de Hita (naturalist and wolf sound recordist), Carlos Sanz (Spanish wolf expert), Rodrigo Peñalosa (cattle farmer affected by wolf attacks in the Sierra de Guadarrama and José Ángel Arranz (Castilla y León government), along with an interview with Andy Tucker (Nature Trek) on wolf tourism. Note: The images of wolves you'll see have nothing to do with the radio programme.
Steve is giving us all this week a basic education in dragonflies and damselflies. "Dragonflies spend a lot of time around water for a couple of reasons...
Some rather nice photos of Mediterranean seabirds here from Jesús including this great skua.
The first Iberian lynx are set to be transferred in 2010 to the new lynx breeding facilities in Zarza de la Granadilla, Extremadura, for their later release into the wild.
With the cold, the first of this year's cranes have arrived in the dehesas of Cáceres and Salamanca, and the lagoon of Gallocanta in Aragon. La Crónica Verde reminds of the Castillian saying:
"cuando las grullas van para Castilla, coge el hacha y haz astillas” When the cranes set off for Castilla, get your axe and start chopping firewood.
Flocks of lapwings are also arriving.
The Aranese authorities have captured some excellent images of the bear Hvala with her 19-month old cub. It is unsual for a "cub" (no longer so small) to stay with its mother for so long.
Nothing to do with nature but I loved this astronaut relief on the façade of Salamanca's 12th century cathedral. Photo: Maria Read how it got there on the forum
