Slow Down...Wolf Crossing!

Slow Down...Wolf Crossing! 

John was quick on the draw this morning ( 3rd March) to film this wolf crossing the road...you have to be quick to catch it too! Just another example of the traffic encountered here as mentioned in February's Newsletter!

Newsletter February 2015

Newsletter February 2015.

This has been a month of crisp sunshine and clear viewing. It also heralded the return of the storks to our villages with the first sights here being recorded on 8th February. Now the beak clacking is in full swing and new arrivals are establishing their nest choices whilst we also welcome the older birds to their regular nests.



Two days later, on 10th February John had a first for us here in the Sierra de la Culebra...a Woodcock flying up just in front of him whilst out walking the trails. We are also excited to learn of studies being undertaken in the rivers in Sanabria near here to record the presence of  the Iberian desmon. The waters here are so unpolluted that it appears to be providing a safe and productive habitat for this lovely little creature.  John and I have seen old photographs of desmon taken by villagers here,but it is heartening to learn of their continued presence and indeed in such healthy numbers.

Another interesting sight just as we were eating our lunch in the garden on 27th February was our first sandmartin of the year flying over our heads making alarm calls and then progressing to begin mobbing a sparrowhawk which had been displaying above us. One day later,on the last wolf watch of February, John had a lovely view of a nearby sub-adult golden eagle leisurely quartering the valley below him,hunting over the same territory as the wolves. Two apex predators...one avian and one terrestrial.

En route to the viewpoint,he also encountered this super roe deer buck with the velvet of it's antlers clearly visible.

But what of the wolves this month? They have granted us tremendous views as they are still obviously in their full winter pelt and looking in fine condition. Here is a video taken by John this month of a large wolf, This was a fine specimen sporting its full winter pelt and we were able to watch for about fifteen minutes as it went about it's business undisturbed although fully aware of our presence.

The roads here are generally pretty traffic-free, but as you can see from these photos taken in the past fortnight, it is not always the cars you have to watch out for!

Already this morning, 1st March, John has had a weasel running across the road...too quick for a photograph...but we certainly have some interesting encounters on our journeys. You just never know what is going to be using the carriageway!

Margaret.

Newsletter January 2015.

Newsletter January 2015.

One of John's first wolf sightings of the New Year!

Well here we are with the first Newsletter of the year, and indeed the year started auspiciously with a very good sighting of a wolf walking down the  path into the valley before turning into the heather moorland on a cool, but beautifully crisp January 2nd.


 Eva,our daughter,was here in the Sierra de la Culebra for New Year and such a wonderful wolf sighting was a bonus for her!

Over the New Year weekend, the glorious weather meant that we could enjoy lots of walking with Eva and we were able to share close views of Red and Roe deer and red fox.

Although certainly not the rutting season, this January has seen a lot of sparring among young stags here. These two were repeatedly testing each other out:-

The lovely light, sunny days continued for the first part of Chris and Keny's tour in early January and it was truly wonderful that only 2 hours after being collected from Zamora railway station, Chris was watching 2 wolves! As John called out in stage whispers, "Lobo, lobo!" Chris quickly got them in his scope and could savour this magical moment for him as he watched these two predators go about their business.Such a sight will no doubt live in Chris' memory as he reviews his wonderful tour of Spain. Indeed,en route to the Sierra de la Culebra from Zamora we saw our first white stork of the year, soaring high above us in the clear blue sky.Always a welcome sight! During their time here in the Sierra de la Culebra, which was planned as part of a grand tour of Spain undertaken by Chris from Maine,U.S.A.and Keny who had flown in from  India, Chris was.eligible to sign the book and the board having seen 'his' first wolf.

Chris examining some fresh wolf tracks

Good clear tracks and scat made walks exciting and meaningful .

On the first day, Chris and John were delighted to catch sight of crested tit after hearing their clear trill; other birds spotted were coal tit and rock bunting along with many red kites and common buzzards.

. Earlier in the morning wolf watch,Chris and Keny had been able to get excellent views of red and roe deer plus Iberian green woodpecker, in stunning sunrise light. This being Epiphany, our guests were invited to sample the traditional cake eaten at this time and it was appreciated.

Aaaaahuuuuu!

This huge,full moon on our first evening,completed a wonderful evening for Chris and provided us all with a clear light for our return back to the  hotel for one of Antonio's lovely,home cooked,Zamoran rice dinners.

The weather was not so kind on the final couple of days of Chris and Keny's tour, but that did nothing to dampen any enthusiasm  As Chris remarked,"It just adds to the atmosphere of the place!" When walking around the old villages, the open welcome from the local people was apparent to  Chris and Keny who soon realised that you can not go far in these villages without being invited in for a cup of tea or a glass of beer! There is always time here to share stories and we find the villagers are very proud to show their homes and to talk about their lifestyles with our interested clients.

  The calm hospitality served up by Antonio was appreciated here by Chris and Keny,as has been the case with so many of our clients over the years.

The weather has capriciously improved immediately after Chris and Keny's tour, and wolf sightings have been steady this month, sometimes with 7 from the same pack being spotted at one time. The attached video was taken by John on the morning of 14th January...hand held so apologies for the wavering! This was one of 2 wolves seen that morning by John:- 

All this bodes well for our future watches and John and I look forward to 2015 with its opportunities to share this wonderful part of Spain with many of you

Margaret.

".Keny and I had a lovely time.  It was really amazing, the combination of nature, wildlife, the unique atmosphere - thanks!  Your pictures are great... Again, thanks.  will be in touch.  hope to be able to return some day! " 

 . Chris (U.S.A.)

Black-Winged Kite & Southern Grey Shrike

While out wolf watching on a frosty morning today, we came across these two beauties, Black-winged Kite and Southern Grey Shrike, both willing to pose for pictures.

A grey sky, but a bright day for us!











Plenty of wolf news and sightings to report in our January Newsletter published later this month.

Our Resident Otter

Our Resident Otter.

We really enjoyed watching and videoing this grand chap as he enjoyed his fishy meal in the lake by our home here in the Sierra de la Culebra on Sunday evening.

Our Christmas Video!

     

Merry Christmas! 

to all our friends,  Facebook 'likes'. and clients who have made this such a memorable year for us.

I hope you enjoy this video taken by John earlier today, 17th December. This magnificent animal...the wolf, not John!...was out hunting rabbits in this morning's stunning sunrise.

Wishing you all a happy and successful 2015, from John and Margaret.

Newsletter November 2014

Newsletter November 2014.

This has been a month of mists, rain and brilliantly clear days plus a little bit of snow nearby! All good conditions for our wildlife watching here in the Sierra de la Culebra. I start with a video taken at the bridge by the lake which several of you will know. It was here that last week John filmed an otter for several minutes as it sported with its catch.

Regarding wolves...both adults, sub-adults and this year's young have been seen on several occasions this month and they are looking resplendent in their full winter coats.On 4th November John was delighted to watch a group of 6 wolves including at least 2 being this year's young.  Sightings have continued throughout the month, with 3 wolves being watched for several minutes on 25th November at the same site. Some visitors with John also had a wolf running across the road causing an emergency stop in mid-morning misty conditions!

John and I really do believe that the increasing emergence of responsible eco-tourism and greater education about the Iberian Wolf must eventually result in a change of practice and bring greater prosperity to this area, but we are also realistic enough to know that this cannot happen quickly, or by antagonistic means.  I am pleased to pass on to you the very interesting news from Lobo Marley who purchased 2 shooting permits for wolf here in the Sierra de la Culebra with your donations. Now he has been so successful as to provoke interest from National Geographic who are hoping to accompany him in the hides and shoot with cameras, not guns. However, to do this they require permission from the local 'Junta'. who are responsible for the management of the reserve and they are not keen on such a presence. We shall keep you informed re this development and hope all parties can manage to work together to everyone's satisfaction..

I take some space in this newsletter to highlight issues of wolf colonisation throughout the world and its difficulties.  Living here in the Sierra de la Culebra, where communities have lived with the wolf in their midst for generations, farming practices although not totally in favour of the wolf by any means! utilize husbandry methods honed throughout the years to negate as far as possible the friction between wolves and livestock.Where these practices are followed, predation by wolves is not a huge issue, but where the wolf colonises into areas previously unused to their presence, there is need for flexibility and training to minimize confrontation.

The blockading of the Eiffel Tower by French farmers with their  sheep this week serves to accentuate the need for extra resources and education to be offered to people who feel that their livelihoods are being threatened and who will otherwise take the situation into their own,hands with disastrous consequences for the wolf.

"New breed of French protester: sheep

PARIS — Disgruntled farmers have brought their sheep to the Eiffel Tower to protest wolf attacks, and what they call the government's anti-farmer environmental policies.The woolly protesters munched grass near the Paris monument while their owners urged tougher measures against wolf attacks. The government says its existing plan on preventing attacks and compensating farmers is sufficient. Authorities also want to ensure protections for wolves.The march Thursday came as President Francois Hollande spoke at an environmental meeting about plans for cleaner energy and France's plans to host the U.N. Climate Change Conference next year.Protester Franck Dieny said government policies — which include large subsidies to agriculture — are less and less farmer-friendly and "don't recognize ... the role we play maintaining the landscape" that so many visitors to France appreciate."

Gray wolf travels 450 miles to Grand Canyon

For the first time in 70 years a lone gray wolf has been sighted in Arizona. The female wolf originated from the northern Rocky Mountains and has travelled at least 450 miles to the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.

“This wolf’s epic journey through at least three western states fits with what scientific studies have shown, namely that wolves could once again roam widely and that the Grand Canyon is one of the best places left for them,” said Michael Robinson from the Center for Biological Diversity.

Gray wolves face an uncertain future. Almost 100 years ago, in 1915, the federal US government conducted began culling wolves in the western United States, and by the early 1920s most of the wolves had been exterminated and the last one was sighted Arizona in the 1940s. The Gray wolf was added to the country’s Endangered  List and in the 1990s 66 wolves were brought to the Rocky Mountains.

As a result of this conservation work populations are increasing and the US Fish and  Wildlife Service are now, due to the success, are proposing to remove the species from the list. But this has concerned some conservationists as they say without the protection the species could be persecuted again.

“It’s heartening this animal has been confirmed as a wolf.” but I am very worried that if wolves are taken off the endangered species list she will be killed and wolf howls from the North Rim’s pine forest will never again echo in the Grand Canyon,” Robinson.

Earlier this month, the Center released a first-of-its-kind analysis identifying 359,000 square miles of additional wolf habitat in the lower 48 states that could significantly boost wolf recovery which include Northeast, West Coast and southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the Grand Canyon.

“There’s so much more room for wolves in the West if only we extend them a bit more tolerance,” Robinson said. “The Grand Canyon wolf is a prime example of what wolves can do if only we let them.”

 (Wildlife Extra)

The wet conditions here have made for some interesting tracks and just as an example, here are some tracks found by John this month; wolf and badger.



There is  an article about last September's Wolf Festival held here in Villardeciervos in the Winter edition of WolfPrint, the magazine published by the UK Wolf Conservation Trust, and we are already in discussion about the 2015 Festival,so watch this space!

Looking for Lynx.

Thank you to friend Jim for alerting us to this article in the October issue of Wildlife Extra News, about the attempts to preserve this rarest of wildcats We are also aware of the wonderful work being done in Extremadura too, and with this year's rabbit population being depleted, the need for close supervision and the continuation of the efficient breeding programme is paramount for the ultimate survival of this beautiful cat.

Iberian Lynx reintroduced to Portugal

The plan to reintroduce the rare Iberian lynx to the wild in Portugal has taken a giant step forward the country’s environment ministry has announced.

The lynx has been allocated 2,000 hectares in Mertola, 180km southeast of Lisbon to live, hunt and breed thanks to the land owners signing contracts with The Institute for Nature Conservation and Forestry (ICNF).

“It is a decisive step in the project, starting the definition of the geographic setting, working closely with the owners and managers, of the reintroduction site of the lynx in Portugal,” said Miguel Castro Neto, Portugal’s Secretary of State for Planning and Nature Conservation.

The agreement allows the lynx to live and, hopefully, thrive in a protected area, while the land owner will be able to attract tourists hoping to see one of the most endangered feline in the world.

The Iberian Lynx is the world's most threatened species of cat and is classed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. Numbers have declined by more than 80 percent over the last 20 years.

Thanks also to Mike who has alerted me to this fantastic footage on YouTube of Iberian Lynx in the mountains of the Sierra de Morena, where indeed John and Mike enjoyed a successful Looking for Lynx tour in  November 2013 (trip report earlier in this blog). Certainly worth watching this determined female as she brings down a moufflon!

Food for thought in all these paragraphs,and thank you for reading thus far.Please continue to send me your information and comments,either via this blog,or by email at margaret@wildwolfexperience.com