And maybe we can take a little credit for that. At least it is our perception that more than twenty years of avoiding pesticides and fertilizers has paid off.
In the vineyard we see a big variety of birds. The storks seem to stick around big part of the year. The black storks, that are actually herons can be seen on a daily basis in the river that borders our vineyard. The river bank is also home for specimens such as the otter and different types of ducks, and it is the drinking spot for deer and wild boar and others. In summer the river bank provides shelter from the high temperatures and it also has a cooling effect in some areas of the vineyard.
Throughout the year we see cuckoos, nightingales, blackbirds and pigeons, and the most emblematic birds of this area namely the birds of prey, such as eagles and falcons. In a small village not far from here there is in fact a sanctuary for vultures.
At night time it’s quite common to see bats. Actually that’s an overstatement because they’re rather difficult to distinguish in the dark and since they’re very tiny, one often mistakes them for big insects. Despite the stony surface the soil in this area contains a big amount of earthworms, but should there be a lack of those, then there are plenty of fruit trees and wild berries for birds to nourish from. Even the vine provides alimentation since all the tiny clusters of grapes that often appear on the upper branches remain after the harvest for birds and insects to feed on in the winter period. Around here we take certain pride in being habitat for a large amount of birds of prey, but the truth is that the king of Cantaburros is not the falcon but the hare.