Black Stork spotted in Soria!

Today we passed the little lake "La Serna", near the village Hinojosa de la Sierra. In springtime (if the lake is filled with water…) you can spot big quantities of White Storks (Ciconia ciconia) here, feeding on frogs etc. During the years I live in Soria (since 2004) I never have seen the lake as big as this year; a result of abundance rainfall this winter. As expected there were a lot of White Storks but to my surprise I also saw a pair of Black Storks! (Ciconia nigra).
My first encounter with this for Soria rare bird! The juvenile couple still had dark green beaks and light-coloured legs.

Our "Críalos" or Great Spotted Cuckoos have already arrived from Africa. We saw two on our land yesterday, calling loudly as is their custom each spring. The magpies go crazy and chase them all the time (because they parasitize their nests).

Holm oaks dried up all around us this summer. It happened quite suddenly, towards the end of August, but the swathes of brown trees are most evident now, against the new green grass. Worst hit seem to be southern facing stony hillsides. In some places all the Holm oaks have dried, leaving only junipers which seem unaffected.

For a map and some photos copy and paste this in your browser:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/albumMap?uname=sierradesanvicente&aid=5406122918345053057#map

I'm reading many reports in the press about similar events in neighbouring Extremadura and Madrid. Also thousands of Holm oaks have reportedly died in the southwest of peninsular Spain due to the combined effect of Phytophthora fungus and drought.

Sad times for our precious Mediterranean oak forests.

A day to the beach in November

The mild autumn weather in combination with a beautiful sun in a blue sky is ideal for a trip to the beach. Also in Soria province, in the heart of Spain, you can go to the beach. We have got Playa Pita, ‘the beach’ at the large reservoir of the Duero. Around the lake are vast pine forests and because of the presence of water, the air humidity is slightly higher than in the rest of the province: an ideal spot for mushrooms!

Looking for mushrooms
These woods, mainly with Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), are the habitat of among other things the Porcini (Boletus edulis) and Trumpet Chanterelle (Cantharellus tubaeformis). Especially the search for chanterelles requires some exercise of the eyes, but then suddenly you see them in bundles! Also this morning we found several mushroom species, Saffron Milkcap (Lactarius deliciosus), another tasty autumnal delicacy of the wood namely the Wood Blewit (Lepista nuda) and a beautiful large specimen of the Scaly tooth (Sarcodon imbricatus).
This particular mushroom, with spines under the cap, is mainly used as a flavour enhancer. Take a part of the hat and cut the meat into very small pieces that are left to dry. Dried and ground into powder it has a very strong odour. A little bit is enough to flavour a sauce or soup with a mushroom aroma.

A mycological menu
Picking mushrooms one morning means preparing a mycological meal the next morning. We invited some friends and prepared a delicious mycological menu. With every mushroom we prepared another dish.
Starters:
- Mushroom with goat cheese from the oven
- Caviar of Saffron Milkcap on tomato slices
- Omelette with Trumpet Chanterelles
First course:
- Fresh chicken soup with porcini mushrooms
Main course:
- Steak with a sauce of Wood Blewit and baked potatoes

DELICIOUS!

First cranes flew in this week. Several flocks of several hundred birds each. Always a joy.

More sinister is the sight of thousands of holm oaks which have dried up quite suddenly in the surrounding hills. The long hot summer has presumably pushed the water-stressed trees (10 years of drought, off and on) over the edge. Will try to post pictures soon...