For Whom The Bell Tolls?

White Storks, Iberico Ham and African music have been the theme of the last few days having enjoyed a wonderful long weekend in southern Spain.

The cork oak woodlands between Sevilla and Caceras are breathtakingly scenic, hosting wonderful wild flower meadows, the legendary Iberico Pig and an array of excellent birds.

Sadly due to the brevity of the trip, birding was restricted to gorping in awe through bus windows and catching the odd glimpse of the bell tower nesting White Storks of Caceres.

The sheer number of Swifts zipping across the urban sky was also a sight to behold and it was extremely difficult to concentrate on the numerous fantastic acts that made up the WOMAD festival with all this going on!

The Spanish may not have the best reputation in the world for animal welfare, but indirectly the countryside of Andalucia and Extremadura supports a phenomenal range of wildlife.

This is due to the two things: cork oak and the Iberico Pig. Sadly, screw tops and plastic caps seem to be replacing traditional oak, thus threatening this sublime habitat.

Thankfully, the best ham in the world originates from this area and the local swine is rather partial to the odd acorn. It is a fussy beast and doesn’t tolerate modern farming techniques, so whilst there is demand for its incredible meat there is still hope.

And this got me thinking. In Britain we tend to subscribe the conservation charities. This is all well and good, but this takes administration and considerable organisation. You could do just as much by buying wine with corks in and the occasional Iberico Ham – although be warned: you will have to take a mortgage out to afford the latter!!

Hasta Luego.