BirdingInSpain

The Raptors game

If a Bonelli’s Eagle confronted a Lesser Kestrel, which one would win?

Any parent of boystrous boys would most likely be familiar with the framework of such a question. “which one is stronger”, “Which is the fastest”, “the best” etc.

Although the answer to this particular question, that of the Bonelli’s Eagle vs the Lesser Kestrel, doesn’t seem too difficult to come by.

“The Bonelli’s Eagle, of course” is what many would probably say. And it’s true, the Bonelli’s Eagle is bigger, stronger, meaner, and I can’t imagine a Lesser Kestrel being much of a match for it. Or maybe it is….

Take a look at these two cards from La Sabina’s raptor game, and tell us what conclusion you reach.

Ophrys orchids

My first discovery of this species was my field guide to the orchids of Catalonia (Guia de camp de les orquídies de Catalunya) and I must admit to some sense of wonder that Catalonia had its own species of orchid. However, I hadn’t actually seen one until this spring.

In early May I was escorting photographers to and from our hides based at Montsonís, in the  province of Lleida. One of these was a keen Belgian photographer and naturalist, Bart Vercruysse, and he alerted us to the presence of these beautiful Ophrys orchids which I had never seen before. On seeing a few flowers in full bloom it was immediately obvious that they were not one of the species I was used to seeing in the area, namely O.spegodes, O.scolopax, O.apifera and O.fusca, and the name Ophrys catalaunica rang a bell in my head.

Ophrys bertolonii subsp catalaunica photos by Bart Vercruysse

Delightful, although I must admit a little disappointment on later discovering that Wikipedia states that O.catalunica is not acceptable, and that the scientific name of this plant should be taken as Ophrys bertolnii subsp catalaunica.

Oh well, it was no less beautiful, even though it’s not accepted as a species in its own right.

A new logo for Birding In Spain

This is the Birding In Spain logo that has served us faithfully on t-shirts, e-mails, webs, etc over the last years:

This is the new Birding In Spain logo, because we think it’s time for a change, and maybe more than just logos: