Wildtalk archives

Wildtalk Spain # 101: Rain, cranes and palm weevils

Wildtalk Spain, an email newsletter from www.wild-spain.com
6 November, 2006 - Issue 101

Soft persistent rain, mild temperatures and seasonal changes. And Stephen
Daly reports on what he considers the best cliff-top walk of the Costa de la
Luz: Barbate to Caños de Meca, Cadiz.

------- News Briefs

. Andalusian palms threatened by imported weevils -
Over 6000 palms in Sanlúcar, Cádiz, could be affected by an imported pest,
the Red Palm Weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus). Red Palm Weevils were first
detected in Spain in 1994 in Almuñecar, Granada, and have since spread to
other points of the south and east coasts. The large insects (up to 5 cm
long) feed mainly on Phoenix genus palms and almost certainly arrived on
imported plants from Egypt and other countries in north Africa. The weevils
have no known natural predators in Spain and once established are almost
impossible to erradicate. Date: November 06, 2006 Source: Ecologistas en
Acción

. Trumpeter finches signal climate change -
Growing numbers of Trumpeter finch (Bucanetes githagineus) in SW Spain are
an indicator of climate change, according to a 3-year study carried out by
the government-funded desert research station in Almería. Trumpeter finches
were first observed in Spain 57 years ago and numbers have grown steadily in
Granada, Murcia, Alicante and Almería. The study concludes that this is an
indicator of higher temperatures and reduced rainfall not only in Spain but
also in the original range of this species, from the Western Sahara to the
Middle East. Date: October 23, 2006 Source: El Mundo

. Black vulture reintroduction in Catalonia -
Six Black vultures from Madrid and Extremadura have been taken to Boumort
National Hunting Reserva (Lleida) for future release into the wild. The
birds will be held in large aviaries for several years to ensure they
recognise the new territory, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, as their own.
80% of Europe's Black vultures live in Spain but they became extinct in
Catalonia a century ago. Date: October 23, 2006 Source: El Mundo

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------- Field Reports

Latest...
- Cemeteries, cranes and green grass (Damian Martin)
- Walk from Barbate to Caños de Meca, Cádiz (Stephen Daly, Andalusian
Guides)
- Rain, cranes and fungi in San Roman, Toledo (Damian Martin)
http://www.wild-spain.com/wsfieldreports.php

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