Friday 13 March 2009

Birds in Jaca

I am constantly amazed by the size and variety of birds we see here; even in the city centre. Red kites fly over the rooftops, and there are a great number of griffon vultures which must live near us; twenty, thirty, I don't know how many. They say they have been causing problems in Aragón because there isn't enough carrion for them to eat, and there were reports a while ago that they attacked livestock. whatever. They are very spectacular.
Then there are the cranes. Every year in February we hear a sound like a lot of doors creaking in the distance, and see people start to look up at the sky. Skein after skein of cranes making their journey north.
I've seen Egyptian vultures not far from Jaca, and that rarest of birds, the bearded vulture.
This week I saw a bird which is dead common in Spain, but there are never any here; it's too cold. A stork! It must have lost its way.

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