'Lunatic' by Ivor Cutler

'Living creatures, completely unaware of Man's immortal soul see him only as a vicious destructive creature with an infinite capacity for making a mess, unable to relate to The Earth and without aesthetics. As a dying butterfly was heard to whisper: - "He's a fucking lunatic!" '

Aquatic bats

Yesterday my daughter and I joined a group of other enthusiastic people in the village of Aiguafreda for a talk about bats and, more specifically, the aquatic bat species that are found in Catalonia and which are being studied by the Projecte QuiroRius. Specifically this includes Daubenton's bat (Myotis daubentonii) which is called the Ratpenat d'Aigua (Water Bat) in Catalan and the Long-fingered bat (Myotis capaccinii) which, in Catalan, is called the Ratpenat de Peus Grans (the Bat with Big Feet).

After the talk we all went to the Font dels Enamorats where we ate our picnic supper as the sun set and the bats started to appear. Then, with head torches on, we headed off into the woods following the path until a small turning which lead us down to a pool where we saw an aquatic bat racing around above the surface. With our arrival it quickly disappeared but we had been able to hear it on the bat detector.

Some other bats also registered on the bat detectors as we waited there (probably pipistrelles). After waiting a while and realising that no more bats were going to come back (maybe we were making too much noise or showing too many lights), the majority of the party headed off for an excursion in the dark. We decided it was time to head home and on the way back to the car saw a Common Midwife Toad (Alytes obstetricans). In Catalan this species is called the Tòtil. We also heard something large moving around in the bushes but we couldn't see what it was. It was great to be out in nature at night time!

Baby pigeons

Yesterday the kids and I spotted two baby pigeons, that look like they will soon by ready to fledge, flapping their wings frantically on the small ledge that is their nest. While we were watching them, in flew the adult to feed them. I went back a bit later to take a couple of photos but the light was not good and the photos are not of high quality. It is a shame that we hadn't seen them earlier when they were smaller. However they still have some of their downy feathers and do not look completely like adult pigeons just yet.

Hippos don't live in trees, mum!

This morning I saw two hoopoes (Upupa epops) flitting around in the treetops in Corro d'Amunt. As I called out to the kids "Look at the hoopoes in the trees" my daughter replied "Hippos don't live in trees, mum!"

I love these birds as I don't see them very often and they just look so stunning with their wonderful crests and striking colour and patterns. In Catalan the hoopoe is called the 'puput' which is a great name as it reflects the sound that they make. I remember last summer hearing one from the garden but never actually seeing it.

This photo was taken a few years ago in Sant Pere Pescador.

Hoopoe / Puput (Upupa epops)