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Waiting for the bee eaters

Filed under: Natural history, Other bits and bobs — Leave a comment
April 5, 2014

In Southern Andalucia we are spared the worst extremes of seasonal change. The cold does not hit us as hard as further north in Europe, and even Spain. But the changes of the seasons are evident from the passage of birds in the skies overhead as they make their way from Africa into Europe in the spring and summer and returning once again in the autumn.

There is one bird which is due to make an appearance soon and which, to me at least, signals the change of season as clearly as a leaf fall in the autumn. This is the bee eater… View full article »

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Fishing Report – 29 March

Filed under: Fish and fishing, Fishing reports, Natural history — Leave a comment
March 31, 2014

It rained heavily last night and the rain continued to fall as I headed out in the late morning to take a look at the river. The weather seems to have been dry for some time now and I was curious to see how the fish would respond to the rainfall. Perhaps the disturbance of the droplets on the surface of the shallow river might animate them a little or, at least, make it a little easier to approach them unseen. I figured one thing was certain, the rain was unlikely to make them any wetter than they already were! View full article »

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Vultures in Spain

Filed under: Natural history, Other bits and bobs — 2 Comments
March 26, 2014

Vultures are in trouble. In India their numbers have crashed by some 75% and the cause of this appears to be drugs used to treat cattle but which prove lethal to the vultures which feed on their carcasses.

One of these, a drug called diclofenac, has been licensed to be manufactured and used in Spain. It is estimated that populations of vultures could crash if even one percent of the carcasses on which the vultures feed are contaminated with the drug.

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Fishing Report of March 23

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March 23, 2014

Today is Sunday and I managed to complete my domestic chores by lunchtime and so headed off to the river for a spot of hydrotherapy. View full article »

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Fishing with the Ninja

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March 21, 2014

Harry Abbott and I organised a rendezvous at the river the other day. It took us a little while to meet up. We both arrived at our chosen spot on the river at different times and Harry wandered off upstream and I ventured downstream! View full article »

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Viagra Falls

Filed under: Folks I know, Other bits and bobs — 1 Comment
March 19, 2014

Sometimes being Irish can be a bit of a drag. For one thing your political overlords are an inept bunch, the economy is teetering, the cutbacks are digging in everywhere. And, of course, the weather is always crap. View full article »

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Harry´s back

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March 15, 2014

My friend Harry Abbott has returned to Spain after a long journey which took in some fishing in Thailand and New Zealand. He told me that yesterday, while I was trying to stuff some understanding of Science in to unreceptive brains of indifferent teenagers, he popped off to the river to see if he could catch a few fish. View full article »

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Giant pike, my arse

Filed under: Fish and fishing, Fishing reports — 2 Comments
March 9, 2014

Earlier in the week I broke a story about a huge pike allegedly caught by a work colleague. It seemed too good to be true. The fish was, after all, absolutely massive. At the weight claimed for it, some 29 kg, this fish would have been one of the largest pike caught anywhere in the world, ever. View full article »

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Giant pike

Filed under: Fish and fishing, Fishing reports, Folks I know, Natural history — 2 Comments
March 5, 2014

Here´s an odd thing. A colleague at work, David Días, told me on Monday morning that he had caught a huge pike. When he told me how big it was I though he was just pulling my leg. He claimed that his fish weighed, wait for it…. 29 kilograms! View full article »

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A Day with Norman and John

Filed under: Fish and fishing, Fishing reports, Folks I know — 4 Comments
March 2, 2014

I normally fish alone but today I was joined by Norman Smith and John Langridge and I could not have wished for better fishing companions. I had not met John before although we have corresponded by email a few times. He is one of these guys who eats, sleeps and breathes fishing and is the author of several fishing books. I have read one of these, Aphrodite´s carp, and highly recommend it, and I am very keen to read the others.

John decided to try bait fishing as well as fly fishing and went off to see if he could interest the fish in some luncheon meat. Norman and I just stuck to the flies. View full article »

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