Trip to Sierra de la Culebra

[nick]

I've posted my trip to the Sierra de la Culebra here

http://www.iberianature.com/material/Spain_wolf/Sierra_de_la_Culebra_trip.htm

Brilliant time though highlight a dead wolf.

Nick

[SNiDE]

Excellent stuff, odd about severing the wolfs head though.

[nick]

I'm kinda in two minds about the dead wolf. My thoughts on my way and when I first saw it were ones of indignation...but there is as yet no evidence to say the wolf did not die of natural causes, and if so it's just part of nature, and as a natural history fan, fascinating. Hopefully will be able to find out in a few month the result of the autopsy.

Another thing though is the severed head.

No doubt somebody wanted it stuffed and mounted on their office wall to brag about. Must have been pretty mangy by the time it was taken.

Nick

[Technopat]

Isn't it just possible that the head had been taken away to hide the fact that it had been blown to pieces by a 12-bore? Easier to dispose of than the whole bod.

Just this morning a guy told me he had nearly joined a Spanish hunting party to Russia over the Easter holiday - precisely to hunt wolves. Will ask him whether they collect the heads as trophies or just as happy with the snapshot. No relationship whatsoever to the guy who was off to hunt elks in Sweden.

Technopat (sorry, NO greetings or regards this time round)

[nick]

Got back from another trip to the Sierra de la Culebra from 30th June to 5th May with a very fun and friendly bunch of people from Holland and Belgium. Big thanks to them for be such a great group. They've promised a trip report - but we had prolonged, distant views of wolves - more soon

STOP PRESS By the way, the autopsy on the dead wolf revealed that it had been hit by car - lots of broken bones - and had probably dragged itself a few hundred metres from the road. Strange in a way though as there isn't much traffic. No doubt in more populated areas road kills must be common.

Glad to see you've all gone potty with the posting. Lots of reading to catch up with.

Niick

[Technopat]

And the head was severed by the wolf itself in much the same way that foxes will (apparently) chew through their own bones when trapped in a whatever-they-are-called trap! 

As for your original comment re. the conditions of the head when taken - do you know if the autopsy was able to establish that the head was severed shortly after time of death or when rest of corpse was  in the state you more or less found it?

Mosqueado regs.
Technopat

[nick]

No, but the dead grass under and shape indicate that it was taken some time after the wolf gnawed off its own head.

[nick]

Jelle van aalst (see this post http://www.iberianatureforum.com/index.php?topic=322.0) has kindly compiled the species list for me for our trip to the Sierra de la Culebra: Can't work out how to do tables.

Mammals

Bat (species unknown)
European Hare (Lepus europaeus)
European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
Iberian Wolf (Canis lupus signatus)
Red Deer (Cervus elaphus)
Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus)
Shrews (2) † (species unknown)
Wild Boar (Sus scrofa)

Amphibians

Bosca's Newt (Triturus boscai)
Common Tree Frog (Hyla arborea)
Fire Salamander (Salamandra salamandra)
Iberian Frog (Rana iberica)
Iberian Water Frog (Rana perezi)
Natterjack (Bufo calamita)

Reptiles

European Pond Terrapin (Emys orbicularis)
Iberian Wall Lizard (Podarcis hispanica)
Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus)
Occellated Lizard (Lacerta lepida)
Schreiber's Green lizard (Lacerta schreiberi)
Slow Worm (Anguis fragilis) †
Southern Smooth Snake (Coronella girondica)
Viperine Snake (Natrix maura)
Western Three-toed Skink (Chalcides striatus) †


Birds

Alpine Swift (Apus melba)
Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyanus)
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
Black Kite (Milvus migrans)
Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
Black Stork (Ciconia nigra)
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus)
Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)
Cetti's Warbler (Cettia cetti)
Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
Common Crane (Grus grus) (?)
Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
Common Raven (Corvus corax)
Common Swift (Apus apus)
Corn Bunting, Miliaria calandra
Crag Martin (Ptyonoprogne rupestris)
Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)
Crested Tit (Lophophanes cristatus)
Dartford Warbler (Sylvia undata)
Dunnock (Prunella modularis)
Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus)
Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaea)
Eurasian Siskin (Carduelis spinus)
Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster)
European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
European Magpie (Pica pica)
European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
European Serin (Serinus serinus)
European Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola)
Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus)
Great Bustard Otis tarda
Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor)
Great Spotted Cuckoo, Clamator glandarius
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
Great Tit (Parus major)
Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis)
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus)
Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica)
Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
Hoopoe Upupa epops
House Martin (Delichon urbica)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)
Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni)
Linnet (Carduelis cannabina)
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
Little Owl (Athene noctua)
Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
Mallard (aka Wild duck) (Anas platyrhynchos)
Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus)
Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos)
Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)
Red Kite (Milvus milvus)
Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)
Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis daurica)
Rock bunting (Emberiza cia)
Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)
Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor)
Tawny Owl (Strix aluco)
Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus)
Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator)
Woodlark (Lullula arborea)

[nick]

Annemieke (Mieke of forum) has very kindly sent me this trip report of our Sierra de la Culebra visit.

http://www.iberianature.com/material/Spain_wolf/Sierra_de_la_Culebra_trip2.htm

Many thanks

Nick

[nick]

Off wolving to the Sierra de la Culebra again on Thursday morning. Back on Tuesday night.

So if I don't come on the forum tomorrow you all have a good Pilar.

Keep your noses clean

Nick

[Clive]

Is that a verb then? what's the Spanish equivalent...

to wolf, I wolved, he wolved, she wolved, Mr Smithers and I went wolving yesterday.....

[nick]

vt. lobear

¿Sue y Clive, lobeasteis en septiembre?

[Technopat]

Greetings Nick and Clive,
Before you go off lobeando all over the place, please see me @ Glossary of iberianatureforum jargoon, expressions and bloopers.
Regs.
Technopat

[nick]

Due to a series of circumstances I didn't go to the Sierra de la Culebra this morning. I hope to go in two or three weeks instead.

The trip has gone ahead with Sergi (the guy who I do the trips with) and I have been promised a trip report from Jan, a very friendly Belgian whom I took to the Delta del Llobregat this morning.

Off to the fiestas in Zaragoza

[lisa]

Hope you've packed a carrymat Nick 

[nick]

Here's the report kindly sent to me by Jan who went with Sergi to the Sierra de la Culebra:

Hi Nick,
As promised, I am sending you a report on our Wolf watching experience in the Sierra de la Culebra. In short, it was great! On five out of six days we were there, we went looking for them, and on four occasion we managed to see them!

Seeing Wolves is not an easy thing. You have to work hard for them, constantly scanning the scenery with a telescope. When you find them they are usually quite a distance away (> 1 km), only once we had one at approximately 500m. They are very agile, moving through the scenery fairly quickly. Sometimes they disappear in the bushes after only 30secs, but occasionally you can observe them for several minutes. The advantage of observing them from a distance is that they are undisturbed and they can show interesting behaviour (hunting, interacting with other members of the pack, etc). On one occasion we observed a single wolf hunting voles, using the same technique as foxes do (jumping through the grass, wiggling its tail after a successful jump). We also had a very nice scene of a wolf chasing a rabbit (I doubt the rabbit made it safely back home…). Most observations were of single animals, but once we saw at least four individuals running down the hill. Occasionally we heard them howling as well. Gives one the shivers!

The site is also good for other animals as well: lots of Red Deer, regular Black Vultures, occasional Griffons and Hen Harriers. Crested and Black Tits, Crossbills, Siskin, Dartford Warblers,…

We also spent a day in Villafavilla: an exceptional bird watching site! Small flocks of Great Bustards scattered across the fields! Easily over one hundred birds seen without really searching for them! They actually walk across one’s field of view while ‘scoping other birds… On top of this, some 50 Little Bustards, 2 Black-bellied Sand grouse, 2 Great White Egrets, 4 Common Cranes, 2 Peregrines, 2 Merlin, loads of Red Kite,... We failed to find Stone Curlews though.

And off course I should also mention Marina’s exceptional cooking skills and the copious picnics served by Sergi.

[Technopat]

Greetings Jan (and Nick),
Many thanx for that account - amazing!
Regs.,
Technopat

[lisa]

Thanks echoed. It's amazing how the wolf's howl still has the capacity to raise goosebumps/send shivers. I can't remember the scientific term now but from all those years ago when we were living in caves to now, the effect is still with us. It happened to me from our porch, quite unlike a dog's howl.

[nick]

I've heard wolves once

On the last night of my first trip to Sierra de la Culebra, I had left the group and gone back about 500m to the minibius as we'd left the inside lights on. It was night but I had a torch. Just as I closed the door I heard lots of yelping about, I don't know, 50-100 metres away. They were juveniles and they sounded very much like excited dogs. Then an adult howled at some distance away, maybe a kilometre. They yelped back, the adult replied and then all went quiet.
 
One of the most emotional moments of my life.

A few minutes later my fellow watchers turned up excitedly asking me if if I'd heard the young.

I don't think wolves can howl untl they're one year old (need to check this)

[lisa]

That must have been amazing - on your own, in the dark....
I've just been checking out a new blog, Hermano Lobo, which looks promising (lots of links to sites on wolves but no Iberianature..yet?), from which I found that a study was started in March this year on the effects of eco-tourism on the wolves in the Sierra de la Culebra (and Orense). Sorry Tp, but the study involves looking at the stress hormone (cortisol) levels in faeces samples. I'd been wondering about this after hearing how many visitors do go to the area but supposed that as long as wolves are still seen and their behaviour unchanged, then no harm done?