Are you willing to pay for conservation?

119 votes so far

If you were asked to pay to enter a nature reserve in the knowledge that the money you paid would go directly towards its conservation, how would you respond

That was the question we asked on our Birding In Spain fan page on Facebook.

Birding In Spain Facebook question

To date the response has been:

I would definitely contribute in that case = 85 votes

No problem. Is there a “Friends of the Park” association I can join too? = 13 votes

How do I know that my money is going towards conservation? = 12 votes 

 It depends on the overall price = 6 votes

It depends on how the conservation is being done =  1 vote

We always pay to enter a nature reserve anyway = 1 vote

No, that’s a government task. We’re paying taxes for that = 1 vote

Pay? No way! = 0 votes

If you would like to follow the debate, or if you would like to have your own say, just follow this link to the question on Facebook or visit the Birding In Spain fan page.

The Bonelli’s Eagle Story and 35 others

This is an excerpt of

The Montsonís Bonelli’s Eagles

Montsonís is a tiny village that clings to a hillside on the edge of the rocky Montsec range in Lleida province, Catalonia. For many years now I have been guiding birders there to enjoy thrilling views of the resident Bonelli’s Eagles*, and with great success.

….after enjoying views of the eagles we can then all saunter along to Montsonís itself, and have refreshments, a cup of tea or coffee perhaps, while admiring the village’s cobbled streets and the distinguished castle.

I was particularly concerned that something might happen to the Montsonís eagles.  I’m a conservationist, and I don’t want the eagles to disappear, full-stop.

… the Montsonís Bonelli’s Eagles hadn’t reared a chick successfully since 2005.

… it was in our hands to do something. So we recruited Ramon. With his regular walks from Montsonís up to the “sacrificial stone” we set in motion a supplementary feeding program with feral pigeons, caught from castles…

Our efforts bore their fruits. Ramon lost a few pounds, there are no more feral pigeons at Montsonís or even nearby Montclar castle, and the local pair of Bonelli’s Eagles raised a healthy chick for the first time in 6 years!

The Montsonís Bonelli’s Eagle story

You can read the full story in the accompanying Pdf – just click on the link above.

And the title of this post? Well, we have a great Raptor Card Game and we think it’s a good idea to have short personal stories that can accompany the cards in a separate booklet. Do you have any stories of your own that concern raptors that can be seen in Spain? Would you like to submit them and perhaps see them published here and/or in the Raptor Card Game booklet?

If so, let us have them!!!