It is quite a miracle that I waited so long to go and visit the Montes de Propio of Jerez, a natural area located in the very northern part of Jerez de la Frontera, which includes part of the Los Alcornocales natural park. One of the reasons is that you need to ask permission to do this trail and that it is only open to the public out of the summer season. Getting permission from the townhall turned out to be a very fast and straightforward process, though. I just had to fill out an online form and received confirmation within minutes. Five minutes before arriving, I spotted a wild Boar followed by three piglets, between a forest of pine trees. The first time ever I had seen these animals, an unbelievable moment. I was totally taken by surprise but managed to safely park the car on the side of the road. By the time I had taken my camera out of the boot of the car, the boar and its family had heard me and ran off. I could only take a photo of the adult running into the bushes. Had I had more time, I would have taken some amazing photos, because I found these animals against the soft, orange light of the rising sun. I had never thought they were so beautiful and was a bit surprised about their size: I had expected them to be bigger. Astonished but also slightly disappointed for not having any breath-taking pictures, I continued driving to the start of the trail. A park keeper let me and some other visitors in at the entrance gate and full of energy I commenced the route.
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| One of the many Short-toed Snake Eagles |
Although autumn started two weeks ago, temperatures still easily reach mid-thirties. Together with a strong wind, conditions didn't seem ideal for a ten-kilometre walk, but there was enough protection from the trees which are found along most part of this route.
I had barely started walking when I saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker flying over the path before perching on the top of a tree. I had heard this beautiful species twice before, but this was the first time I was able to photograph it! I had hoped it would jump onto a lower branch, but after overlooking the area from the highest point of the tree, it flew away and I never saw or heard it again. But this was a promising start!
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| Great Spotted Woodpecker on top of a branch |
At first there were few birds of prey, but later, around 2 PM a group of Short-toed Snake Eagles flew south, certainly struggling with the strong Levante wind. There were more than twenty in total. These birds tend to soar high in the sky, but I managed to take some decent photos of a few who dared to descend a little.
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| Short-toed Snake Eagle |
I also caught a glimpse of a Sparrowhawk, but as these birds often hide between the trees or even rest on the ground, they are very difficult to photograph.
Most birds in this vast area were easier to hear than to see. Among them were Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit and Crested Tit. Also Nuthatch and Treecreeper were very present.
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| Nuthatch |
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| Treecreeper |
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| Great Tit |
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| Spotted Flycatcher on the point of catching an insect |
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| Another Short-toed Snake Eagle, or is this image the flag of some exotic country? |
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| The Winner of the Mushroom of the Day Prize |
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Deer or Boar track?
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Here I also found some Arbutus unedo, locally known as Madroño, a tree that is well known for its fruits, which look a bit like strawberries. Only the red fruits are ripe and can be eaten. They have quite a reputation of being able to make you drunk, but more importantly they also seem to have a lot of beneficial characteristics and are frequently used in recipes and medicine. Birds also seem to like them, as you can see in the photo below. |
| Some bird had a taste of this Arbutus unedo's fruits |
There are a few springs next to the track which are of course huge attractions for the birds. Around one of them I heard and saw several Robins and also a Wren came out of the bushes to quench its thirst, happily posing for me.
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| One of the springs, not surprisingly a magnet to the birds |
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| Robin |
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| Another Robin willingly posing near the spring |
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| Wren |
On the way back to the initial point of the track, I ran into a pair of Boars. Again, I was too surprised to take a decent picture but again their surprising beauty made quite an impression. Some people would be afraid of these possibly dangerous animals, but I want to go back one day with the intention of photographing them up close. I will have to use a hide for that, because they tend to be pretty shy. They probably aren't, but they look harmless to me. At least I prefer them to the huge spiders that I saw next to the trail, hiding behind their enormous cotton-like webs.
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| One of the Boars I caught a glimpse of today |
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| Making my way through an open part of the trail |
I spotted almost thirty bird species during my seven-hour walk, but the encounters with the Boars were definitely the highlights of the day.
Cheers, Henry.
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