Down by the river

I left my camera trap by the river with some sardines and got a few nice videos this week including lots of birds, genet, wild boar, fox, stone marten and mink. Here are some of the highlights (in the stone marten video, if you look carefully, you can see him depositing a little poo for our viewing pleasure!!!):

Cavalls del Vent

Cavalls del Vent (Horses of the Wind) is a 82km hiking route in the Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park and takes its name from the Tibetan Lung ta prayer flags that are strung up outside the mountain “refugis” (hostels) which offer hikers various places to stay along the route. My friend Lys and I decided to do half of the official route going from Coll de la Bena (Gisclareny) to the Sant Jordi Refugi, the Prat d’Aguiló Refugi, the Lluís Estasen Refugi and back to Coll de la Bena (walking past the Gresolet Refugi). 

I do not want to write a travelogue here about the journey but, rather, would like to just make a few comments about the nature we encountered on the route. The weather plays a huge part during any outdoor activity and even more so in the mountains. On our first and last days we had sunshine and so we were accompanied by many many butterflies of all different colours and sizes. There was a constant chirruping of crickets and, on some of the paths, they were constantly jumping out of the way as we trod on the ground where they rested. We saw beetles and lizards, bees and flies. The insect-life was truly abundant. 

Iberian Marbled White / Escac ibèric (Melanargia lachesis)

Six-spot burnet / Zigena de sis punts (Zygaena filipendulae)

In the wooded areas we heard birds but I must say that I didn’t see very many. Eagles (I’m not sure what species) appeared a couple of times and on the foggy morning when we departed from Prat d’Aguiló we saw a murder of crows swooping and cawing giving the scene a chilling wintry feeling. I saw a jay from the bedroom window of the Lluís Estasen Refugi but, on the whole, there was not too much birdlife to be seen. Of course, this was partly because on the two middle days of our trek, the weather was not as kind to us.

On the day we departed from the Sant Jordi hostel, we were soon caught in wind and rain which was not really conducive to wildlife spotting. In fact, we walked quickly that day to be sure to reach the next refugi before getting caught in a thunderstorm. The next morning started so foggy that there really was nothing to see! The only animals in sight were the horses and cows which pasture up in the hills. 

As for mammals and amphibians; well we saw the scat from some mammals and, on our last day, we saw large tadpoles in a stream and also a dead salamander. 

The wild flowers on the mountains are impressive and, of course, we saw different species in different areas. I’m no expert on wild flowers, but I shall share a few photos and attempt to identify them. As for forests, we passed through beech forests, through areas dominated by pine trees and, in the higher areas, there were few trees due to the wind and weather conditions. I was overcome by just how beautiful the whole area is and filled with a desire to go back and explore further. 

Mediterranean seal holly / Panical blau (Eryngium bourgatii)

Overall it is a wonderful area to connect with nature and I certainly hope to return there soon. 

Dofins de Tramuntana (Tramuntana Dolphins)

Last week I returned to the "Dofins de Tramuntana" project in Cap de Creus which is organised by SUBMON. The project aims to make a comprehensive photo ID catalogue of the dorsal fins of the bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Cap de Creus area of Catalonia to help identify how many individual animals there are in this area and whether they are resident all year as well as whether they are seen over subsequent years. I had been lucky enough to participate in the project last July and September and was keen to get involved again this year.

I have to say that although last year was a wonderful experience, it was totally surpassed by the weather and the sightings we had this year. In 2017, the wind prevented us from going out to sea on many days, the seas were often slightly choppy and the dolphins were not always to be seen or only put in a relatively brief appearance. This year was a different story. We were able to get out to sea on 4 days and the weather was incredible. The sea was so flat and calm that it was like a mirror. This, combined with the fact that the dolphins were incredibly friendly this year, meant that we had some truly magical encounters. To be on a boat and to have the dolphins swim up alongside before turning their bodies so they can look right at you is simply breath-taking. We were even able to hear their whistles. It was something I had not imagined and the fact that it happened every day felt like such a gift.

As well as the photo ID part of the project, another key element is the contact with the local fishing boats. The SUBMON project staff are busy getting to know all of the fishermen (in particular the trawlers) from Llançà, Port de la Selva and Roses so that they can work together to help protect the bottlenose dolphins. One of the sightings we had during the week that I was there was thanks to a phone call from one of the fishing boats who told us exactly where the dolphins were. It is really wonderful that the fishermen are interested in the project as they are the ones who are out at sea throughout the year, having regular interactions with the dolphins.

I took a lot of photos and videos during this week and I share just a few of them here.