Espana Tour: Aves y Natura en Espana (or, Birds and Nature in Spain...but sounds so much better in Spanish, doesn't it?) - and click on photos for full/bigger images!

The landscapes in Asturias aren't just spectacular for biking and hiking and vistas; they also provide habitat for an astonishingly diverse range of birds and insects, due to the close proximity of a variety of habitat types.  According to SEO Birdlife (Sociedad Espanola de Ornitologia - website translation available if you click in the webpage address bar at top of page), 2022 data indicates that Spain is home to over 600 species of birds, while Asturias may have upwards of 400 species within the region.  There are both residents and migrants, and all depend on a robust array of insects, wildflowers, high mountains, forests, meadows, wetlands/estuaries, rivers, and ocean ecosystems that are part of those beautiful Spanish views.  In our travels, we have stopped over and over - whether walking, biking, hiking - to simply listen to the orchestra of birdsong around us. It starts before dawn, and ends late in the evening, along with chirps of insects and frogs. We are learning to hear individual songs as well, and delight in the mellifluous tones of the Eurasian wrens, robins, and warblers of various kinds. Some common Asturian sightings are listed here. Wikipedia provides a much more extensive list, for those of you who are bird enthusiasts.

Eurasian Robin - one of the most lyrical songbirds we've heard over here!

As is the case across the globe, bird populations in Spain are plummeting, along with species diversity. Intensive farming using pesticides and fertilizers is a huge culprit (The Guardian, May 2023).  But also loss of habitat - for example, conversion of diverse forested lands to government-subsidized monocultures of eucalyptus, or cattle-grazing meadows (you don't get windfall payments/subsidies from the Spanish government for a few cattle).  And hunting, too.  Spaniards like to shoot - though some signs that there may be small steps towards a different cultural norm. 

Educational display made by children at Ponga Biosphere Reserve Park. Possibly the happiest-looking bees anywhere.

Description of the "Perros Guardianes" - or livestock guard dogs - that are all over Asturias in the mountain areas.  They help in reducing bear and wolf predation of cattle and sheep, and are equipped with spiked collars that "teach" the predators that it's really unpleasant to try and attack the dogs.  Brilliant idea, really.  

From an ecological perspective, the potential to reverse these trends is so high in this region that it jumps out at us at every turn.  Population density is low; development is still contained to a few urban/semi-urban areas (though likely to change); extensive landscapes are already partially protected (such as the nature parks) and thus wonderful candidates for restoration; and there are clear opportunities to move to organic, regenerative, and sustainable agricultural practices that can meet European Union climate goals, conserve water and improve water quality (desperately needed here), as well as boost local economies (green tourism!).  In sum, a place where the tremendous potential for gaining the multiple, short term and long term benefits of restoring vibrant, resilient ecosystems is evident.

This isn't just us talking.  There are local residents who know this.  The owners of our hotel are trying to convert to all-organic, sustainable practices, and restore natural forests on their land. Their neighbor, wildlife photographer and film-maker Luke Massey, has been  implementing a "rewilding" project on his own family's home and farm (Wild Finca) - tree by tree, plant by plant.  And organizations are trying to restore native bear, wolf, and lynx populations across the country, changing the the view of predators and highlighting the importance of co-existence. 

And when we protect, restore, regenerate, nature finds its way.  As we have every day we've been here. I (Juliet) didn't need to go twenty feet down the hotel path before I discovered a Eurasian wren family just as fledging of chicks had begun.

I settled down on a bench as mom (or dad - hard to tell) perched above me, letting me know she was on the lookout.  Apparently satisfied that I wasn't a threat, I watched her rustle through leaves on the ground, pull small bugs off of leaves, and work her way through the hedges nearby.  Then, suddenly, a series of long "cheeeeeeps" in the brush...the parent dropping in for a moment, then back out. What's that?  A tiny chick now emerging - "cheeeeeeeeep!"  "Feed me!"  

45 minutes later I was still enraptured, and the family seemed entirely unconcerned about my presence. By now mom/dad was flying a bit to this bush and back, requiring the fledglings to follow (this is how they learn to fly).  They were in the the early stages, it seems.  More like watching a little balloon filled with a touch of air, then let go without tying the end..."Whoa! Not sure how to turn here! OK grabbing that branch...whooops I didn't..." And so on. 

   Wren chick clinging for dear life to gate slat. It's a tough world when you have to learn to fly in one day.

It's all just a bunch of feathers at this stage.

Incredibly, when we saw them the next day, they were flying around like little rockets...hardly the same birds! But still hungry, and very demanding.

We've seen the European versions (species) of goldfinches, pigeons, vultures, hawks, and even the delightful Wagtail, which I call the "mini-magpie" - their tails flip up and down with rear ends waggling along, as a way of communicating important messages. Or maybe it's just for fun.

European goldfinch (note the brilliant red head!)

Hey! We see this one in Maine, too (sandpiper - I'm pretty sure)!  Plenty of shorebirds here, with Spain's extensive coastline and ocean. But estuaries in Asturias are fuller in winter months, with migration and birds seeking warmer climes.  

Insects make the world go 'round, and despite the impacts of pesticides, they are still abundant in many places here. I've tried to do more "slow walks," not just for birds, but to watch how butterflies move across a meadow, or how dragonflies clean their heads with their tiny proboscis, and how bees climb into a flower, and emerge with pollen sacs bright yellow and full.  This is a whole world - a universe - that holds as much life and wonder as the bears and big cats and wolves that we adore.  We just need to take time to notice.