Newsletter August 2015

August is fiesta time in the villages of Sierra de la Culebra where previously empty houses become once again family homes as all generations enjoy meeting old friends and celebrating together in each village's individual fashion.

It was also the month of the Festival Territorio Lobo which was a success and the very interesting programme is detailed below.

During much of the festival John and Dave were busy in Somiedo looking for bears ( more details further into this Newsletter),  but we were able to be joined on the evening of 8th August by many people from the festival, when Dave got onto 4 wolves coming out of the forest .  We watched, and were happy to share with all the people, the sight of these wolves mouthing and playing before separating; one wolf to the left and then moving with intent into deeper heather, and the other three disappearing amongst the dark pines.

Certainly Saturday 8th August was a successful day for Dave, as he spent the morning in Somiedo watching 5 bears, then arrived back in Sierra de la Culebra in time to find 4 wolves, after spotting a viperine snake swimming in a water tank during an afternoon stroll! What a productive day!

The earlier part of Dave's tour in Somiedo was hampered by poor visibility, but John and Dave persisted and were treated to good views of the elegant chamois plus a stoat on their first watch on 6th August.

Young Woodchat Shrike

 Red-backed shrike was a notable bird during watches and walks in difficult misty weather, but the highlight of this Bear tour was the final morning of Saturday 8th August when the thick mist lifted as John and Dave resolutely set up at their viewpoint, to be rewarded by fantastic views of five individual bears.

A mother and her two cubs were feeding and climbing trees and another two were also to be seen inspecting the Alpine buckthorn crop on the other side of the valley. A golden eagle could be seen displaying its golden ball dive before resting on a rock and a large flock of upwards of thirty red-billed chough flew across the valley uttering their charismatic call while giving an impressive aerobatic display.  Another bird seen during the bear tour was Egyptian vulture.

Previous to this Saturday 8th August with its excellent combination of wolf and bear on the same day, Dave had enjoyed a tantalizingly fleeting glimpse of a wolf at 21:30 on Wednesday 5th August, which, although only a short episode, managed to give Dave some appreciation of the size and power of this apex predator and served to whet his appetite for future views.

 Certainly Dave showed admirable determination during all wolf and bear watches, never relaxing his view and intent on scouring every minute of available time; an attitude which reaped its rewards with Dave's wonderful sightings of both species during his week with us.

Interesting bird sightings for Dave in Sierra de la Culebra started on the road from Madrid with a clear view of a griffon vulture and there were many more of these for Dave to spot during the day trip to the Douro Gorge where John and Dave were delighted to see the young Egyptian vulture roosting.

Other interesting sights here included golden oriole, crag martin, crested lark and a kingfisher at the old clapper bridge. Short-toed eagle, booted eagle, lesser kestrels and Montague's and hen harriers were seen at Villafafila where Dave and John were pleased to view c40/50 great bustards, along with purple heron, bee-eater,kingfisher, short-toed treecreeper and red-legged partridge en route.

An excellent view of a hunting Montague's harrier close to the road heralded a day of interesting local birds on Tuesday 4th August as a walk around the village area garnered bee-eater, Dartford warbler, common and black redstart, short-toed treecreeper, serin, blackcap, jay, nuthatch, goldfinch, pied flycatcher, Iberian grey shrike, woodchat shrike, stonechat, Bonelli's warbler, booted eagle, short-toed eagle and black and red kite to list but a selection.

A fox was seen when travelling in the car to Villardeciervos after spending some time watching Iberian water frogs

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Dave and John saw wild boar on several occasions during these tours including one time on Wednesday 5th August when Dave must have been standing very still to watch two wild boar because he looked down to see an inquisitive dunnock at his feet! The next morning the total wild boar count was seven and Dave's early return to Madrid airport (02:00!!) on Monday 10th August afforded John and Dave a lovely view of a hedgehog by the hotel and a large wild boar at Boya.

Our next clients for a Watching for Wolf Tour were Jim and Jayne who loved the tranquility of the village and enjoyed a good view of serin early on in their walks around the gardens and plots which are so rich in bird-life. However ...lucky or what?..the highlight of the day was to be the fantastic sight at 21:00 of four wolves arriving onto the firebreak- from where?- and travelling up over the rise. Later in the same evening, we were able to watch a fine dog fox for quite some time but that could not compete with the thrill and excitement engendered by those four wolves and on Jim and Jayne's first day!

After this peak was reached early on in the tour, Jim and Jayne scoured from a couple of promising viewpoints and were able to admire plenty of red deer beginning to rid their antlers of the velvet covering by butting and rubbing against any tree which happened to be available. The night of 15th August gave us good views of two large wild boar grazing in dry, yellowing grassland - a perfect backdrop to enable us to see these shy creatures clearly.The evening finished with a nightjar flying up in front of the vehicle.

While noticing wolf tracks and fresh scat on the Saturday morning, Jim and Jayne also had good views of booted eagle, short-toed eagle, male Montague's harrier, stonechat, woodchat shrike and bee-eater along with red squirrel and Iberian water frog.

On 16th August John spotted goshawk and he was delighted to see four peregrine falcons on the morning of 27th August along with hen harrier.  The same week John also noted two black storks in flight over the moors.

During two watches near the end of August, John was able to show Tim a view of wild boar from a distance on the first evening of Friday 28th August and then on the following night, a very large strong wild boar, probably weighing in at circa 80 kilos, feeding not far from their view, plus the interesting sight of a large red deer stag rolling in the low heather. We all know about that itch on the back that is impossible to reach! The same atmospheric night, John and Tim listened to a nearby pack of wolves howl...and under a full moon too!  This barn owl was out hunting in the moonlight as John returned from one of those "goosebumps" wolf-watch evenings.
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Earlier that day the weather had been atrocious with thunderstorms, lightning and the rest, but poor weather conditions did not stop John from videoing two out of the three wolves seen that morning. .

The first video shows a large male wolf racing across the field while the smaller wolf in the second video is distracted by the second of two cars passing by closely. Perhaps the second car encounter is responsible for the deviation of this wolf from the straight line run by the first, larger wolf a few seconds before.

Continuing with this theme of our Spanish predators and cars, I attach this photograph sent to us by friends Nuria and Xavi who had been conscious of some disturbance outside their campervan while parked in Somiedo earlier this month.  When getting out the next morning they discovered these bear claw marks etched into the side of their pristine van, which has been used to carry beehives and honey in the past. This could have been a little too much of a close encounter and I am sure their insurance claim will cause some interest!




"We just wanted to say a very big thank you to you both we really enjoyed our time with you . We loved the wolf watching and felt very lucky to have seen all the wildlife that we saw, we also enjoyed meeting all your spanish friends and the lovely people   you introduced us to at the bars and restaurants where we had our lunches. It was a perfect few days ending to a fab holiday . We will keep up with activities via your blog and e mail. Once again thanks a lot we thoroughly enjoyed it." Jim & Jayne.

Margaret    ( All photos and videos taken by John during August 2015,with the exception of the bear claw photo,taken by Nuria and Xavi.)

Newsletter July 2015.

July has been an incredibly hot month even up here in the mountains. We could not match the temperatures of the Costas or Madrid which were in the 40's but an afternoon reading of 37'C has been recorded here on several occasions this month.

The only rain was during an impressive thunder and lightning storm on the night of 30th July and certainly it would be realistic to assume that the wolves would be lying up in the heat like us humans. This made us all the more surprised to encounter a wolf crossing the road ahead of our car at 13:30 in searing temperatures on 9th July.

However this was not our first wolf sighting of the month.  Our first July wolf was wonderful, set in rich evening sunlight on 6th July.  Peter and Lynda were by now well into their second day of their tour and on the previous day they had already added photographs of very fresh wolf scat to their holiday snaps.  Despite very dry conditions with pathways caked hard and thereby not giving up much information, John, Peter and|Lynda found some very good wolf tracks.  So it was with keen eyes that we all scoured from the viewpoint on the evening of 6th July and tension rose when Peter was sure he had seen a wolf to our right, describing his sighting perfectly.

Our scopes were concentrated in that direction and sure enough, Lynda drew our attention to not one, but now two, wolves.  We watched as the large dark male and one smaller wolf loped and paused, with tongues lolling in the heat,These were good, clear views as no vegetation was hampering our sight and we were justifiably delighted!

Peter and Lynda also enjoyed good views of red and roe deer plus wild boar and Iberian Hare during their time here in the Sierra de la Culebra and their bird sightings included honey buzzard, woodchat shrike, Iberian grey shrike,black kite, wheatear, corn bunting, Dartford warbler, white wagtail, swift, house martin, bee-eater, cuckoo, griffon and black vultures, red-rumped swallow, nightjar, stonechat, booted eagle and a great view of a short-toed eagle with a snake in its talons.

A delightful finale to a full day for Peter and Lynda was this delightful little owl caught on camera on our way to the local bar. Another memorable encounter occurred when Lynda decided to investigate a hole in the ground,luckily with a stick rather than her fingers, as the hole and the web belonged to a wolf spider, one of the four venomous spiders in Spain, who was not amused at being disturbed, and who proceeded to vent its fury on the obtrusive stick.

At intervals throughout this month three or four wolves have been seen hunting in the evening, on 9th, 16th, 23rd to be more specific, but no cubs were visible although recent tracks of one adult wolf plus cub tracks had been seen in sandy conditions. On the morning of 19th, John was delighted to spot three cubs at a distance along with three foxes and a short-toed eagle on the same watch.  That evening two separate wolves were seen at 22:30 and howling was later heard

Only a pink tongue to be seen!

 This,combined with recent sightings by friend and fellow wolf-watcher Roberto on the morning of 28th July of three cubs within a different pack territory, indicates a successful breeding season here. This wonderful video taken by Roberto and reproduced here with his kind permission, shows the first view of these cubs.

                                           Video taken by Roberto Abadia Sanchez.

Whilst watching a goshawk flying over the moors near to our village,John also captured on video these charming red deer with fawns.


A novel encounter for John was with a yellow-necked mouse whilst waiting silently for larger mammal sightings. Re larger mammals, this month has been good for views of wild boar including this interesting episode with two youngsters sparring.

Although Stephen's timetable only permitted a short time here in the Sierra de la Culebra, his day being guided by John on 31st July was full indeed, starting with good wild boar views plus a fleeting pine marten and the presence of several black and griffon vultures during the morning watch.  Heavy rain from the previous night's thunderstorms meant that it was not easy to find wolf tracks, but John located some, plus very fresh wolf scat. Stephen was also pleased to observe short-toed eagle, bee-eater, Montague's harrier and  hen harrier as well as Iberian water frog and a very large oscillated lizard.

Some orphaned young goldfinches are proving demanding in their instinct for food,but hopefully this action has saved these two fledglings from otherwise certain death.

The over-riding theme this month has been the care of the adult creatures as they prepare their offspring for the world outside. We have been treated to some fabulous sights of young creatures tripping, fighting, playing...just full of a vibrant enjoyment of being alive; I defy anyone to watch such episodes of pure joy and energy without a smile reaching their lips!

Even on our own garden fence is the cycle of life played out, as demanding youngsters are cared for by increasingly harassed adults. A scenario which I suspect may strike a familiar chord with some of you?

Margaret.

(All photos and videos taken by John during July 2015 with the exception of the video from Roberto.)

The Boss Marking his Territory

 John filmed this alpha male marking his territory this morning.

Plus a group of red deer stags sporting their velvet antlers in beautiful morning light.

Margaret.

Today's Wolf...Nature's Camouflage in Action!

An expert in camouflage, this female wolf did not evade John's camera this morning here in the Sierra de la Culebra.


 A male  from the pack came out into the open later this morning along a forest track, as you can see in John's video.

                                                                                                

Margaret 

Wolf Crossing.

Wolf Crossing 

John was caught unawares yesterday morning as a wolf crossed the road from his left only 10 metres away. He managed to get this video, with apologies for the sound of his running car engine!

Margaret.

Red Deer Hinds and Calves.

John caught these beautiful creatures on camera near our home here this morning. 

Margaret.

Newsletter June 2015

Newsletter June 2015.

Sunrise over Culebra

Siesta time in Sierra de la
Culebra

The baking heat felt this month has meant that many of our target animals are spending many hours lying up but John has persisted, being rewarded with some beautiful sights of hinds coming out of the forests with their newborn fawns which gambol and jump around in sheer joy of being alive. The dawn light has been particularly atmospheric, as we can detect in John's shot of these two roe deer below.

We love this photo taken by John  featuring a red deer hind against the morning sun.

The wild boar have been visible too, particularly in the evenings,and we have counted upwards of 15 on occasion this month.

An exciting sight on a couple of occasions this month has been the close view of three, black-winged kites. Of course John noted their presence earlier this year, but to see three so clearly several months later is satisfying indeed.

John managed to photograph a Montague's harrier close to our village as it flew past carrying prey.

Friends Graeme and Rhona were staying with us at the end of the month and they count themselves extremely lucky to have  seen a large dark wolf at 07:15 steadily walking the paths on the first morning of their visit, 28th June

That day gave Graeme several "firsts":- as well as wolf, these included golden oriole, Dartford warbler,wild boar,oscillated lizard, Iberian water frog, bee-eater and nightjar.

The full moon could be seen clearly in the dark skies of our watch.

Earlier this year John was interviewed,along with other people involved with the wolf in this area, by Charles Penty of Bloomsberg Press and we now can read the well-balanced article by Charles which appeared in the Washington Post in April.  We were also happy to provide the newspaper editor with one of our good photographs of a truly wild Iberian wolf.  Many photographs seen on the internet are of captive wolves but certainly none of the wolves we feature are anything other than wild predators. These are obviously harder images to get, but oh so rewarding when you do get them! The article is copied below:-.

"Price of wolves reflect change in Spain

April 13 2015 at 05:30pm
By Charles Penty

BLOOMBERG NEWSA wild Iberian wolf in Spain's Sierra de la Culebra mountain range. Hunting for wolves is on the decline in Spain. Picture: John Hallowell, Wild Wolf Experience

Madrid – Antonio Navarro remembers when hunters paid 14,900 euros ($16,020) for rights to kill wolves nine years ago in Villardeciervos, a village near Spain’s border with Portugal. Now, they can go for about a quarter of that.

The drop shows how hard the Spanish countryside was hit by the five-year-long economic slump from which the country is now emerging, said Navarro, a former economist at power company Iberdrola who now runs a hotel in the region. It may also be evidence that wolf-spotting tours and environmental awareness are leading Spaniards to see the animals as better alive than dead, he said.

While still viewed as an ancestral foe in the Spanish highlands — a wolf corpse was left hanging from an Asturian road sign last month — farmers and conservationists are finding enough common ground to allow the mythical predators to survive in their natural habitat, said Fernando Fernandez, a spokesman on rural affairs for the Cantabrian Regionalist Party.

“Perhaps no other species stirs so much hatred and emotion at the same as the wolf does — it’s part of our Spanish experience,” said Fernandez, who grew up in a region of southern Cantabria where wolves roamed. “It’s an emblematic species and it must survive but mutual understanding on all sides is crucial.”

Canis lupus signatus, the wolf breed native to the Iberian Peninsula, has been able to extend its presence beyond its stronghold in the north west of Spain even though overall numbers may not have risen, said Juan Angel de la Torre, chairman of the Association for Conservation and Study of the Iberian Wolf. A 1980s study by the Institute for Nature Conservation estimated the wolf population at up to 2,000, distributed over 100,000 square kilometers (62,150 miles).

The annual March auction in Villardeciervos of permits to kill wolves and other animals, including roe and red deer, puts the village of 450 on the front line of the cultural debate over the canine predator’s place in Spain. This year’s auction raised about 50,000 euros to be distributed among villages in the Sierra de la Culebra hunting reserve, El Norte de Castilla newspaper reported.

Hunting is the best way to control wolves in the region that now number around 90 prowling in about 10 packs, said Jose Manuel Soto, the official responsible for environmental issues in Zamora at COAG, a farmer’s union.

Castilla de Leon is home to about 60 percent of Spanish wolves and the population in the region rose 20 percent from 2001 to 2013 to about 179 packs, said Javier Munoz, the regional government’s co-ordinator of environmental services. Control of the numbers through hunting is necessary and does not affect the conservation of the species, he said by phone.

“Wolves have always have been here but that doesn’t mean there can’t be any control,” said Soto. “You can’t put wolves above humans because that’s going to end badly.”

Changing attitudes toward wolves have made hunters more discreet about wanting to kill them.

“It could be that fashions have changed and not as many people want to hang a wolf’s head on their wall,” said Antonio Uzal, a lecturer in wildlife conservation at Nottingham Trent University in Britain.

The regional government’s policy of promoting wolf hunts also goes against economic good sense in a remote part of Spain that stands to gain much more from promoting the animal’s presence, said Navarro. He now runs a country hotel offering wildlife activities including “wolf tours” in San Pedro de las Herrerias, a village in the hunting reserve.

“There are more and more people coming here because it’s home to wolves in the wild,” said Navarro, who estimates that 70 percent of his revenue comes from “wolf-spotters” who travel from all over Europe to see the animals. “It doesn’t make sense to kill them.”

Wolves and the legends surrounding them have kept their hold on the Spanish imagination, said Fernandez.

“The hatred comes from the time when Spain was much poorer and if a wolf killed six or seven of your sheep it was a disaster,” he said.

For the tourists who come to Sierra de Culebra to try to see wolves, the animals represent nature in its wildest form, said John Hallowell, who leads tracking trips in the region with his firm Wild Wolf Experience.

“I’ve been fascinated with wolves since I was a child,” he said.

Last month the regional government of Asturias agreed to a plan to manage its wolf population. On the same day, a wolf corpse was found hanging on a road sign in the Asturian town of Lena, according to El Comercio, a local newspaper.

“There are still people out there that won’t accept the presence of wolves of any kind,” said Uzal. “This is their way of saying they’re still here.”

Earlier this year, environmental groups and unions in Cantabria reached agreement on a wolf-management plan that accepts the need to control populations while accepting that the animal is here to stay.

A better response would be a national wolf plan that takes account of local conditions rather than different regional plans, said Uzal.

Wolves can travel 100 kilometers a day (62 miles) and constantly move between different hunting jurisdictions while the species is protected in neighboring Portugal. They are a fact of life in the Sierra de la Culebra and local people know how to live with them, said de Soto of the farmers’ union, who keeps sheep.

“If you’re going to farm sheep here, you must have a good shepherd and you must have mastiffs to keep the wolves away,” he said. “What we can’t have is people from Madrid or elsewhere telling us how to manage how we do things.”

Washington Post-Bloomberg"

Often heard here in June, but seldom caught on camera, John was pleased with his video of  Eurasian cuckoo.

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We enjoyed the company of two former clients,now good friends,Ros and Terry,who spent part of June here in the Sierra de la Culebra. They are now regular visitors here, and yet Ros and Terry found that the 'places-to-be-visited-in-Culebra' list was actually longer at the end of their stay than it had been at the beginning! So we look forward to their company here again in September. We enjoyed lunch at one of our favourite restaurants in the area, where chef Theo always gives us interesting,traditional, local food.

This little-known area of rural Spain seems to exert  a strong pull for many who return to benefit from the peaceful and relaxed atmosphere. However this does not mean that the roads here are busy with incoming tourists hungry for respite. In fact I attach a photo taken by Linda last September depicting a typical Culebra traffic jam.

Photo: L.Musgrove.

(We look forward to Linda's return visit as well in September 2015.)

 It is therefore all the sadder when we come across victims of road kill here. Thankfully this happens only rarely.On 29th June,this young pine marten must have been hit by a vehicle in the early morning

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A sad sight,but be reassured we did not just leave this little creature by the roadside. 

Thank you for reading thus far, and I wish you a continued summer of wonderful weather and fantastic wildlife sightings. We await the appearance of this year's wolf pups here in the Sierra de la Culebra!

Margaret.

All photographs and videos taken by John during June 2015,unless otherwise stated.