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19 de May de 2024

Peripapus ater

The Coal tit Periparus ater is a species of passerine bird in the Paridae family found in Eurasia and North Africa. It is quite...

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18 de May de 2024

Parus major

The Great Tit Parus major is a species of passerine bird in the paridae family. About 14 cm, it is unmistakable due to the...

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10 de April de 2024

Viernes Santo. El Santo Entierro

The insolent storm that has punished Cuenca these days has had the deference to respect the mourning of the Holy Burial Procession, a funeral...

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6 de March de 2024

Sylvia melanocephala

The sardinian warbler Sylvia melanocephala is a species of passerine bird in the family Sylviidae that measures about 13 cm in length. The iris...

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18 de February de 2024

Falco tinnunculus

The common kestrel, Falco tinnunculus, is the closest and easiest to see daytime bird of prey. It prefers an open field and bush habitat,...

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13 de February de 2024

Vulpes vulpes

The cunning of this chicken-coop troublemaker can be sensed in his gaze, and is beyond any doubt. Its small size forces it to resort...

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13 de February de 2024

Pájaro de otoño

Pájaro de otoño by JOSE MENA, one of the winning works in the XX International Exhibition Virtual Museum MundoArti New Year 2024 On January...

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10 de February de 2024

Muscicapa striata

The Spotted flycatcher Muscicapa striata is a species of passerine bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is small in size, with a length of...

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27 de January de 2024

Tarentola mauritanica

Most people tend to show a special revulsion towards reptiles. Perhaps it is because of that disturbing touch of poikilothermic or cold-blooded animals: a...

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21 de January de 2024

Timon lepidus

The ocellated lizard Timon lepidus is a species of lizard characteristic of southwestern Europe, associated with Mediterranean ecosystems. It is distributed throughout the Iberian Peninsula, southern...

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18 de January de 2024

Turdus merula

The common blackbird Turdus merula is a species of passerine bird in the family Turdidae. The male is completely black, with a yellow beak...

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14 de January de 2024

Fringilla coelebs

The Common chaffinch Fringilla coelebs is a species of passerine bird about the size of a sparrow. It belongs to the Fringillidae family, and...

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9 de January de 2024

Aquila chrysaetos

Since ancient times, human beings have felt a great fascination for eagles, for their beauty, power… Not in vain, since time immemorial, their emblematic...

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31 de December de 2023

Arte rupestre en los montes de Tous

This article titled Cavidades con arte rupestre en los montes de Tous. Un patrimonio para conocer y estimar, is part of chapter 4 of...

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25 de December de 2023

Turdus torquatus

The Ring ouzel Turdus torquatus with a size of 24 cm is very similar to the common blackbird, from which it differs by the...

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20 de December de 2023

Loxia curvirostra

The Red crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) is a species of small passerine bird in the finch family (Length / Wingspan: 15-17 cm / 27-30 cm)....

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17 de December de 2023

Serinus serinus

The European serin Serinus serinus is a passerine bird of the Fringillidae family, of which at 11-12 cm it is the smallest species. Stocky...

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9 de December de 2023

Chloris chloris

Cagarneres en la lloma, verderols en el paller, les perdius en l’estepar, teuladins en el carrer. The European greenfinch (Chloris chloris) is a small...

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2 de December de 2023

Limonium mansanetianum

Limonium mansanetianum (M.B Crespo & M.D Lledó) Saladilla (Limonium mansanetianum) is a species of perennial plant from the Plumbaginaceae family, with a green or...

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29 de November de 2023

Lophophanes cristatus

The European crested tit (Lophophanes cristatus) is a species of passerine bird in the family Paridae. About 11.5 cm in length, it is easily...

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21 de November de 2023

Autumn portraits

Autumn has settled in the Font Roja. From the sea of orange trees in my town in the Ribera Alta, I pass without respite...

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7 de November de 2023

Carduelis carduelis

“Això era i no era, bon viatge fassa la cagarnera…” The goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) is a bird from the finch family, very lively and...

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1 de November de 2023

Strix aluco

Sin Dios y sin Santa María, por la chimenea arriba!… parten las brujas volando en escobas o transformadas en cárabos… rumbo a Cernégula… The...

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28 de October de 2023

Passer domesticus

The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is an emblematic bird of the Spanish urban landscape, extremely linked to man who has always been with us...

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26 de October de 2023

Carduelis spinus

When the cold arrives in our region, many species of birds that have migrated south have already left us for a few weeks, such...

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16 de October de 2023

Athene noctua

The European Owl (Athene noctua) is a nocturnal raptor that has been part of the Valencian agricultural landscape since time immemorial and for which...

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3 de October de 2023

Chrysoperla carnea

In this entry I am going to talk about a beautiful arthropod that is worth knowing. It is quite common, but on many occasions...

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30 de September de 2023

Coccothraustes coccothraustes

The grosbeak cocothraustes cocothraustes is the largest of the Spanish finches. A bird that mostly winters in our latitudes, it visits us very irregularly...

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17 de September de 2023

Oriolus oriolus

During my long walks in early spring, in any corner of the forest, I am accompanied by an unmistakable and peculiar fluted song (tiri-oliuuu),...

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10 de September de 2023

Acherontia Atropos

The skull or death sphinx (Acherontia atropos) is a very large moth, with a wingspan of between 9 and 12 cm. It has a...

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23 de August de 2023

Hirundo rustica

The Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica is part of and heralds the good weather in our towns and fields. Insectivorous bird with a fast and...

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20 de August de 2023

Behind the trail of bats

Summer of 2012 ran when I found myself immersed in a passionate photographic project for the ‘Generalitat Valenciana’ about bats, by then I had...

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22 de May de 2023

The long-eared and the garlic

During the last weeks I have returned to a place that brings back intense and nostalgic memories of a wonderful time, in which I...

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1 de May de 2023

Macroglossum stellatarum

The sphinx hummingbird, Macroglossum stellatarum (Carolus Linnaeus, 1758) is a species of ditrisian lepidopteran in the family Sphingidae. It lives in southern Europe, including...

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10 de April de 2023

Nazarenes II

 At this time, in any corner of our geography, in the intricate streets of our towns and cities, we can attend the Holy Week...

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25 de January de 2023

Black redstart

We are at the gates of winter, with the trees already practically devoid of their leaves, where the days are shortening and everything seems...

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23 de January de 2023

The Aitana mountain

Today I have prepared to climb to the summit of the Sierra de Aitana, which with its 1558 meters, is the highest in the...

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18 de January de 2023

The ravine of the Hoz

The La Hoz ravine, already in the last foothills of the Caroig Massif in the Sierra de Enguera, is an extensive mountainous area predominantly...

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15 de January de 2023

European robin

The european robin, from the turdid family and with the scientific name Erithacus rubecula, is a small, round-shaped bird about 14 centimeters long. Its...

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9 de October de 2022

Night reflections

The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy full of stars and interstellar clouds, where the solar system and the Earth are located. It is...

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1 de October de 2022

The bellow

When the afternoons shorten and the summer comes to an end, coinciding with the drop in temperatures and the passage of storms, one of...

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26 de September de 2022

The snake in popular culture

In this blog entry I am going to talk about the two kinds of snakes that inhabit the Iberian Peninsula, snakes and vipers, but...

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16 de September de 2022

The chiropteran project

In Jules Renard’s natural histories I read that …there is no corner where a piece of night doesn’t penetrate…shreds come off of it, intertwined...

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29 de August de 2022

The great mediterranean cat

Photograph of Iberian lynxes in the wild and native fauna, on a sunny day in late August. Penalajo. Peñalajo, in the northernmost foothills of...

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7 de August de 2022

The Cazuma river

The Cazuma, whose waters supply the town of Bicorp, is one of the three rivers that, together with the Fraile River and the Ludey...

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31 de July de 2022

Fraile River

The Fraile River is one of the most emblematic streams of the Caroig Massif and the best preserved in our geography, almost in the...

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8 de July de 2022

About the revealed II

Continuing with the thread of my previous article on developing, and remembering some points in which I told you how a nature photographer should...

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6 de July de 2022

Monticola saxatilis vs Monticola solitarius

                                                      A few weeks ago I went to the region of Los Serranos in the interior of the province of Valencia, through the area...

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11 de June de 2022

PRV-203 Río Grande-Abrigo de Voro

In this beautiful itinerary we can differentiate two landscapes, on the one hand the spectacular transit through the winding course of the Rio Grande,...

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2 de May de 2022

Barranco Moreno PR-CV 173.

The route through the Barranco Moreno, in the heart of the Macizo del Caroig, has an undoubted landscape value, with a route through the...

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24 de April de 2022

Pleurodeles waltl

                                                          The Gallipato (Pleurodeles waltl) is a species of urodel amphibian of the Salamandridae family, like most European urodeles. It is endemic to the...

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21 de April de 2022

About the revealed

In another photographic discipline I do not know, but in nature photography, I am clear that we have the duty and obligation to capture...

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16 de April de 2022

The gargoyles

In many of the European cathedrals, some castles and numerous civil buildings, fantastic and terrifying beings observe us and watch over us in silence...

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15 de April de 2022

Nazarenes

The conical shape of the hoods of the Nazarenes evokes an approach of the penitent to heaven, interpreted by many Christians as a place...

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10 de April de 2022

Pinguicula saetabensis

Is it true that there is a carnivorous plant in the Valencian mountains? Well yes, as it is also true that today I went...

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5 de February de 2022

The last trip of the Gallego brothers

                                                 THE LAST TRIP OF THE GALLEGO BROTHERS Jose Mena Alvarez On January 15, 1838 at seven in the morning, what is considered the first...

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9 de July de 2021

Autumn-winter in the Sierra de Gúdar

Text: Vicente Aupí ( estrellasyborrascas.com) Photography: Jose Mena The great cold tends to make Teruel news in many winters, since it is the Spanish...

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8 de July de 2021

Autumn memories

I feel that when something ends a new thing is always born. I love autumn because in that announced death there is peace. (Manuel...

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7 de July de 2021

The Font Roja in autumn

A grey and foggy morning. I arrive at the Red Fountain’s Sanctuary (Santuario de la Font Roja) early in the morning to start the...

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6 de July de 2021

City of Albarracín

Albarracín huddles, sprouting from the rock, in a thousand incredible forms of popular architecture.  The capricious flow of the Guadalaviar River, that deep sickle...

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5 de July de 2021

Maestrazgo turolense. Summer III

Villarroya de los Pinares is the first town coming from Teruel, it takes us into the Maestrazgo turolense, north to the Gúdar mountain range,...

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3 de July de 2021

The common or mediterranean chameleon

The common or mediterranean chameleon A great percentage of the population except the Andalusian are unaware that there are chameleons in the Iberian Peninsula....

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2 de July de 2021

Teruel. Summer II

At this time of summer, the entirety of the cereal farms have been collected, leaving a landscape of ocher, brown and yellow, very evocative...

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1 de July de 2021

Teruel. Summer I

My journey in these lands takes me through capital Teruel in the first town that today will drive me into la Sierra de Gúdar,...

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30 de June de 2021

A cavall de dos temps (Document only available in Valencian language)

A cavall de dos temps DOCUMENT ETNOGRÀFIC EN VALENCIÀ SOBRE LES CAVALLERIES INTRODUCCIÓ Per a conéixer qui som i què fem ací, és força...

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29 de June de 2021

Fermín Muñoz, the last nomad II

Fermín Muñoz, the last nomad II 11-6-2011 At the beginning of June and at the gates of the summer equinox, we met Fermín and...

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28 de June de 2021

Fermín Muñoz, the last nomad I

Fermín Muñoz, the last nomad I 8-29-2010 SALVACAÑETE. FERMIN MUÑOZ Fermín (25-9-1959) is a shepherd from Salvacañete (Cuenca) who has been doing transhumance since...

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27 de June de 2021

Grazing in the Enguera mountains II

Grazing in the Enguera mountains II July 13, 2009. Transmittent route Enguera-Alpera Together with the foreman Bernardo, a veteran shepherd who has been in...

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25 de June de 2021

Grazing in the Enguera mountains I

Grazing in the Enguera mountains I THE ALTOS ENGUERA (11-2-2009) The herds of Luís Chorques are distributed throughout the Sierra de Enguera1 and Ayora....

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24 de June de 2021

Ortiz: the last shepherd of Caroig VI

Ortiz: the last shepherd of Caroig VI April 15, 2010 Now, at the beginning of spring, JV locks up the goats in the sheepfold...

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23 de June de 2021

Ortiz: the last shepherd of Caroig V

Ortiz: the last shepherd of Caroig V January 10, 2010. Caroig. Very cold morning (-4ºC). The entire Caroig Massif dawns under a thick blanket...

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22 de June de 2021

Ortiz: the last shepherd of Caroig IV

Ortiz: the last shepherd of Caroig IV December 14, 2009 We spend the morning near the Casa del Cura corral. The cold intensifies accompanied...

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21 de June de 2021

Ortiz: the last shepherd of Caroig III

Ortiz: the last shepherd of Caroig III September 24, 2009. La Juanera and Barranco del Mátalo. After several days of persistent rain, the sun...

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20 de June de 2021

Ortiz: the last shepherd of Caroig II

Ortiz: the last shepherd of Caroig II September 10, 2009. Caroig Jose Vicente is the last shepherd of Caroig, he represents the last hope...

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19 de June de 2021

Ortiz: the last shepherd of Caroig I

Ortiz: the last shepherd of Caroig I The movements of the herds of Jose Vicente following the rhythm of the seasons is as follows:...

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18 de June de 2021

Ramón García, shepherd of Navarres VI

Ramón García, shepherd of Navarres VI January 2010 One cold afternoon in January, Ramón’s herd grazes peacefully on top of a mountain range, in...

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17 de June de 2021

Ramón García, shepherd of Navarres V

Ramón García, shepherd of Navarres V June 2009Dawn in the mountains, the rooster sings. The herd prepares for the suffocating heat of summer. Ramón...

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16 de June de 2021

Ramón García, shepherd of Navarres IV

Ramón García, shepherd of Navarres IV May 2009Sierra de Navarrés, reservoir road of Escalona and Tous. Sunny morning, the herd quietly grazes in an...

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15 de June de 2021

Ramón García, shepherd of Navarres III

Ramón García, shepherd of Navarres III May 2009At the end of May we accompany Ramón, our shepherd from Navarrés, through the abandoned fields that...

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14 de June de 2021

Ramón García, shepherd of Navarres II

Ramón García, shepherd of Navarres II One cold and icy afternoon in January, we returned to one of the two pens that the shepherd...

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13 de June de 2021

Ramón García, shepherd of Navarres I

Ramón García, shepherd of Navarrés I DECEMBER 2008 He accompanied Ramón and his flock along the paths of the Sierra de Navarrés, known in...

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12 de June de 2021

The Avendaño brothers

The Avendaño brothers October 7, 2009 TRAIL TO THE WINTER PASTURES I met Jose and Amando one autumn day, when the yellow leaves of...

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11 de June de 2021

The last shepherd of castelló. Ramón Aviñó

The last shepherd of castelló. Ramón Aviñó In 1994 I made a photographic report on the last pastor of Castelló, aware at that time...

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10 de June de 2021

Vicente Talens: heritage from a near past

Vicente Talens: heritage from a near past Text: Xavier Aznar and Jose Mena. Photography: Jose Mena. (This article was published on August 2010. Unfortunately,...

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9 de June de 2021

The last shepherds of Caroig

The last shepherds of Caroig This article aims to show a brief introduction to the work I have done as a photographer in these...

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8 de June de 2021

Grazing in the Gúdar mountains

Grazing in the Gúdar mountainsNotebooks of transhumance – N° 14 Texto completo en PDF: https://www.mapa.gob.es/es/desarrollo-rural/temas/politica-forestal/vias-pecuarias/num_13al24_vias_pecuarias.aspx “Every year, when the winter solstice arrives, and as...

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7 de June de 2021

Wild nature of the Caroig Massif

Wild nature of the Caroig Massif. Text: Neus Asensi Wild nature of the Caroig Massif is the title of this work in which the...

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6 de June de 2021

The little owls of Castellet

The little owls of Castellet That gray and cold afternoon was declining and would soon give way to night. The freshness of the Xúquer...

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5 de June de 2021

The lady of the night

The lady of the night In nature photography, chance practically does not exist, it is not improvised, the images have to be thoroughly worked...

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4 de June de 2021

Eagle owl in winter landscape

Eagle owl in winter landscape Winter has fully touched the Caroig mountains and a white blanket of snow covers its hills and crests. I...

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3 de June de 2021

The interstellar bat

THE INTERSTELLAR BAT The Sierra of Tous belongs to the platform of the Caroig Massif, it stands out for its abrupt and harsh orography....

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3 de June de 2021

Popular bat names

It is curious to find out that one of the most representative and significant symbols of our territory, is at the time the most...

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2 de June de 2021

The bat

“Without feathers he flies and sleeps upside down“ Shrouded in a halo of superstition and legend, bats have stimulated human fantasy since immemorial times....

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30 de May de 2021

Bubo bubo

     The eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo) is a 66 to 71 cm long bird of prey with showy plumes, large golden-yellow eyes, and reddish...

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29 de May de 2021

Accipiter gentilis

The Northern Goshawk: the pirate of the wilderness      With that name that heads the title of this article, Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente called...

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28 de May de 2021

Buteo buteo

The sad end of the common Buzzard. December 5, 2005 Last Sunday, December 5, 2005, I was in La Gola (at the exact point...

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28 de May de 2021