Camera shy? Not the stone marten

Sometimes the animals are pretty interested in our camera and they come in for a closer look. I hope that this stone marten (Martes foina) did not get too blinded by the flash!

Stone marten / Fagina (Martes foina)

Spring is here!

Yesterday a walk in the countryside provided some wonderful images of spring with the almond blossom standing out spectacularly against the bright blue sky. The sound of the lambs bleating and the sight of them skipping off to find their mothers added to the idyllic image.

Common Genet

The Common Genet (Genetta genetta) does not feel "common" to me. In fact, I think of it as exotic and exciting. I suppose that this is because I am from Britain (where there are no wild genets). I think it is also because the genet has such striking features. With a spotty body and a long stripy tail, there is no mistaking a genet. Here is a photo I am particularly fond of to get us started:

Common genet / Geneta (Genetta genetta)

The beautiful River Congost

On a sunny January morning I took this photo from the Can Jacob bridge in La Garriga. Uplifting, isn't it?

Badger-watch

Today I saw a dead badger (Meles meles) by the railway line in the Bosc de Malhivern (Malhivern woods). It did not look as if it had been there for very long. Maybe he was hit last night as he went out foraging. It was a sad sight, so to cheer myself up I thought I would share a video that I took with a friend in January 2014 along the River Congost between the towns of La Garriga and El Figaró.

Discovering wildlife on my doorstep

I've been living in Catalonia for 10 years now. During those 10 years I've spent plenty of time getting to know people and places but very little time getting to know the wildlife. It is now time to change all that!

I am embarking on an adventure to discover the wildlife of Catalonia, starting with my local patch in La Garriga but hopefully going further afield in the future.

This blog will serve as a place to record my findings and to share my photos and videos. Maybe others with an interest in nature will stumble across it and enjoy sharing in my adventure. 

Bear with me as I learn how to edit and upload the videos and photos and watch as this blog unfolds over the months to come. 

In the photo captions I will try to identify the species that I can and, if possible, will list the common English name followed by the common Catalan name and then (in brackets) the Latin name. Please let me know if you see any mistakes, as I'm sure I will make many!