NATURE NOTES from GUAJAR ALTO

Now that we are into September, although it is still very hot, there are already signs that the summer is coming to an end. The bee-eaters arrived in April and are now preparing to return to Africa; in the last few days large numbers of them have been lining up on the electricity cables, preparing for their journey. They are very agile birds and it is amusing to watch their aerial acrobatics. The evergreen oaks which are a feature of this area have produced lots of acorns this year which are irresistible to the jabali (wild boar); their numbers have increased dramatically over the last couple of years and they have become something of a nuisance. The other night, the barking of our dogs took on a note of hysteria which got me out of bed in alarm. I ran outside and looked over the wall where I saw, illuminated by bright moonlight, two jabalies in the bushes at the bottom of the hill on which our house is built. I shouted at them, threw a stone, and the next moment was astonished to see many more - at least fifteen - come streaming out of the darkness and stampede up the mountain, snorting and grunting with indignation as they ran. It would not be a good idea to take a nocturnal stroll in these parts!
Recently, we made an excursion with some friends to an inland lake, 800 metres above sea level. We drove out of Guájar Alto, through extensive pine forests where we saw some magnificent deer, eagles and other birds of prey, and finally into the gently rolling hills of olive growing country. As always, we marvelled at the diverse landscape of this most beautiful province. The lake, which after months of dry weather was at its lowest, is a popular amenity with windsurfing facilities and boat hire. Because there are no currents, children can play safely on their inflatables and the water, which is warmer than the sea, is ideal for swimming. Also, of course, there are none of the plagues of jellyfish which have been such a problem at coastal resorts for the last couple of years. We parked under the pines which line the shore and enjoyed a picnic lunch; afterwards, I strolled along the shore to inspect the flora and although it wasn’t the best time of year to go botanising, I could see from the dried remains of plants that some interesting species grow there, particularly those suited to arid, sandy conditions. Apart from the pines, tamarisk is the most common plant; it is an attractive shrub with its feathery leaves and pretty, pink blossom.
We made another excursion a few days ago up to the Sierra de Las Guájaras ( note the feminine ending here!) in order to admire the lovely views which can be seen up there. The air is very pure and I can tell from the flora that it’s also very dry. The sky was an intense, transparent blue and all that could be seen in that vast, cloudless dome was a solitary eagle, drifting lazily over the mountain peaks. I picked a bunch of thyme, lavender and rosemary because, although we’ve no shortage of mountain herbs at home, for some reason plants such as these become more aromatic the higher up they grow.
Growing close to our house is a large, evergreen oak of the kind I’ve already mentioned and we’ve made underneath it a pleasant, shady sitting area. However, we haven’t been able to sit there for some weeks now due to the steady rain of a sticky secretion resulting from the milking of aphids by the ants. Like the mature English oak, this type of tree supports all kinds of life including large numbers of jays, which eat the acorns, and a host of small, insect-eating birds, some of which nest in the gaps in the stone wall surrounding the tree. The olives, pines and oaks provide good cover for small birds and although you can’t always see them, you can identify them by their song. Since we’ve lived here I’ve seen several different kinds of warbler, including blackcaps and Dartford warblers; coal tits, great tits, crested tits and long-tailed tits, tree-creepers and green woodpeckers. We don’t use chemicals on our land and I think this is the reason we have such an abundance of birdlife. Also at this time of year flocks of beautiful grayling butterflies, also attracted by the sugary secretion, swarm about the oaks.
English people who settle on the coast often say that they miss the seasons. Here, in the mountains, although winter is never severe, you do at least get a sense of the changing of the seasons. At present, we are still enjoying the balmy, flower-scented nights which are typical of Guájar Alto; in a few weeks, however, although the days may still be hot, it will begin to feel quite chilly once the sun has gone down and we’ll know that autumn has arrived.