Winter has
encroached on my mountains; autumn’s soft embrace has released its hand on the
landscape and submitted almost unnoticed to the cold of winter. The
unpredictable has returned, from warm days to biting cold nights, to strong
winds, which can herald the long awaited rains, to ashen clouds cloaking the
high mountains later to reveal white peaks on the most grand of my mountains.
It is a welcomed respite from the searing temperatures of summer that had
parched the landscape, turning the views to golden browns for as far as the eye
could see, though the large forested areas of evergreen oak beautifully frame
the golden colours with their shades of green.
Yet through
November and December, during the onset of winter, there are so many
interesting features to my natural world here in the Serrania de Ronda. These
months see the main rutting period for Iberian Ibex Capra
pyrenaica hispanica, a time for keeping a
sharp eye to the mountainsides. Males now actively seek females, who themselves
are now divided by those able to breed successfully and those immature of 1 to
2 year olds who attempt to avoid contact with active males. Ibex are an
interesting animal, many things attract me to their lifestyle and to give one
example they have a special mechanism in the kidney that stores fat in order to
be used as energy in the colder winter months.
From the every present, high flying and soaring Griffon Vulture, other
birds too are more noticeable, as they flock and are concentrated in areas
where food remains plentiful. Haw Berries and Rose Hips still glisten red in
the day’s sun and are a much favoured food source for thrush and starling
species, of course other birds too are attracted to these berries such as
Blackcap, who are present in their thousands during our winter. The more open
lower slopes and valleys attract huge finch flocks; ground feeders such as
Meadow Pipit, White Wagtail and various lark species join these, whilst Corn
Bunting too is now seen in large, highly mobile, flocks.
It is in
these low lying areas I tend to spend more time during the winter months. The
wild grasses and other plant life are emerging, recovering from the lack of
rains during the summer months, in turn insects are plentiful as well as fallen
seeds from the autumn. Birds are numerous; altitudinal dispersal also brings
flocks of Rock Sparrow to these feeding grounds, with Blue Rock Thrush
appearing around waste grounds. Another attraction is the small stands of water
that appear on these open, flat and uncultivated sites. Here many birds will
visit for bathing and drinking and if for no other reason I love to visit these
sites to witness the bobbing and scuttling behaviour of the hundreds of White
Wagtail, coming to perform their pampering before departing to their roosts.
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