fishydreams

A few days ago I was out walking the dog when we came across a bunch of caterpillars crossing the road. These were processionary caterpillars and are a familiar sight in this part of the world particularly at this time of the year. They walk in a line one after another, a habit that gives them their common name. They produce a trail of pheromones but it is the hairs at the rear of the caterpillar in front provide the main stimulus for the caterpillar following behind. Even though I have seen this behavior many times I had never stopped to consider WHY they should be marching in a procession like this away from the pine trees on which they grow over the winter.

So why DID the caterpillars cross the road? Continue reading →

I have just returned from a trip to the national park at Doñana where I spent a couple of days with some of our senior Biology students, my colleague Dr Jan Walker, and local guides who know the place like the backs of their hands. And even though I am several hours drive away my head is still full of the sights and sounds of that extraordinary place.

Every day I have been there I have seen and learned new things but today was really extraordinary because I was able to see, for the first time, one of Doñana´s iconic animals – the Spanish imperial eagle. Continue reading →

About three weeks ago I wandered off to the river for the last couple of hours of daylight. I was hoping there might be a fish or two around and there were. I managed to catch a small barbel and saw a few carp nosing around in the margins but, in the failing light, I was struggling to present a nymph without spooking them, and they were able to continue eating their dinner untroubled by me.

But what was memorable about that evening was, not the fish but the sight of three wild boar on the riverbank. I suspected that they were around.  I had seen the deep imprints of their feet in the mud and heard noisy crashing among dense banks of canes but I was not expecting to have a chance to see them in the open during daylight. Continue reading →

Every so often we come across a rather enigmatic bird here in Spain called the red-necked nightjar. You are unlikely to see one of these things outside of the Iberian Peninsula but it breeds throughout Spain and Portugal and is the largest nightjar we have in Europe. These are real stunners and I have grown more fascinated by them as the years have gone by.

My dog Bonita is now pretty lame and is not up to her once-daily walk through the campo but she and I have, over the years, seen plenty of these nightjars just as the light is fading in the evening. Even on the edge of darkness, when they are actively searching out insects, their hawk-like silhouette makes them easy to identify. Continue reading →