Part 2 Latest Trip to Andalusia Oct 29th to Nov 16th 2019

Part 2 Latest Trip to Andalusia Oct 29th to Nov 16th 2019.
 headed up to my favorite of the three large reservoirs at Ardales Park the Guadalteva reservoir which is the middle reservoir. The dam for this reservoir was completed in 1971 and is therefore the same age as me ... 48 years old as I type ( today's date is Nov 2019).
I actually took an unusual and rather long diversion where I first headed down to the old hydroelectric station below the Conde Del Guadalhorce dam. This is a much older dam being built in the 1920's. The reason was to further investigate the power station in more detail than previous and see if I could find a shortcut route to the other side . However the area is heavily secured with fences and walls due to danger of electrocution etc. The only possible way  across I think is either using a ladder or creating a raft to float past it on the adjoining lake. Maybe the raft is a future possibility as a ladder would probably be classed as illegal !!

I forgot to say that on the way down to the Hydro station walking through the woods I bumped into Sylvia and her huge dog. Sylvia is a lovely girl from Seville who I first got chatting with in summer . She asked " tu bien? " (are you good?) A traditional Andalusian greeting I replied ” Bien bien!" Traditional reply then I added "Mucho trabacho!" Which made her laugh as it means "much work" she knows I'm hardly working just fishing. We went on or ways but meeting her cheered me up after awkwardness of seeing the other two ladies. I think she's a bit more similar to me in character .

After the afore mentioned examination of the Hydro station I headed up diagonally through the woods past two other abandoned cottages these are in quite a ruinous state compared to the one I often stay in and are overlooked by the hotel so I don't think I would habitually stay in them. The cave round the corner I have slept in back in summer and I's not overlooked. It's in a great location with forest above it and a lake below the only thing puts me off a bit Is the many spiders , but these didn't cause me a problem the night I slept there.

After going up hill cross country past the ruined cottages i continued diagonally through the Aleppo pine forest till I came to the two enormous concrete water shutes that descend down from the Guadalteva dam up above. I usually stop and lie down here and take in the fantastic view across the valley onto the forest clad lower slopes and bare rocky summit of Mount Huma , a good size mountain at over 1000 metres. In the foreground Huma is also surrounded by ,slightly lower , unusual shaped wave- like peaks. There is also the distinctive box shape summit of Pico Convento to my right and slightly nearer than Huma.

Huma is the highest peak in this immediate area , it is however outclassed by the enormous
block -of- a -mountain Alcaparain which rises up 1400+ metres , beyond the opposite end of the Conde del Guadalhorce lake. Nestled at the base of  Mount Alcaparain Is the small white town of Ardales . Seen from a distance Ardales looks stunning at night lit up like a fairy tale town  , all alone, far off across the lake and in the black shadow of Alcaparain.

I took in the wonderful view of huma as I lay on the soft forest floor composed of brown pine needles at various stages of decay . The smell of wild lavender and numerous other local aromatic herbs wafted past me. I watched the Griffon vultures circling high up to my left . Down below me and across on the slopes of huma I imagined the many small groups of wild ibex would be slowly grazing their way through the pine woods  , feeding on the grasses and herbage on the woodland floor. Continue to part 3

Latest Trip to Andalucea Oct 29th to Nov 16th 2019

Latest Trip to Andalusia Oct 29th to Nov 16th 2019

Ps I'd just like to mention another Blogsite I previously used ... cant remember why i stopped using it,  I think I lost my password!  https://bushcraftfishingecologygardening.wordpress.com/  lots of interesting stuff on there too !

I shall call this trip the "Uncovered Trip" as two of my abodes ... Camp Rana on abandoned land near Malaga and my abandoned cottage in the mountains had been discovered .

When winter comes i find i start to get very depressed. I have suffered bipolar disorder since the age of 24 and it is particularly bad in winter. I have been reading a book on Lapland and the Lapps have a word for winter depression " Moreskye" it comes during the three months of complete darkness arctic regions experience. Its a little comforting to think that my depressive condition has been affecting people since prehistoric times and is not just a recent phenomenon.

Anyway I was wondering was it a good idea me returning back to Spain after a not very good previous visit where i found quite a lot of people in Spain didnt much like me. The Waiters in the mountain Canteen i frequented didn't like seeing me on what looks like to them a permanent holiday whilst they work very hard serving customers all day. It was hard to explain to them that I am signed off due to my bipolar making me hard to employ and that i get sickness benefit. Also The Iranian girls in a hotel bar i was frequenting on the coast also made it plain they disliked me , partly due to my bout of heavy drinking and smoking I had fallen into and washing my clothes and body in the hotel swimming pool shower, after coming down from the mountains.

Anyway like I've said I was a bit dubious about returning to Malaga after seeming to upset quite a few people but as I stepped off the plane I knew immediately i had made the right decision as warm air enveloped me and the early afternoon sun shone on me. What a different to the cold wet October country i had just left . My previously depressed and lonely spirit lifted within me almost instantly !

I had been suffering very bad depression  up till my flight out to Malaga . The previous week was a bit better as i was staying at my parents and was exploring the welsh countryside by bus. I took an excursion to Penybont (?) in the welsh mountains by bus which was good scenery . Just across the mountains from Lake Vyrnway .

Upon arriving at the airport I didn't hang around . A couple of security guards had spotted me ... same as last time i arrived .. they still remember my bipolar episode where i created a small bonfire on a metal cafeteria table in the airport back in July . I immediately started walking from the airport towards Camp Rana . As I was going along the moving walkway i saw someone iv known a long time Big Dave from Scotland standing In his usual place .  he asks Tourists if they can spare 4 euros as hes missed his flight. And he does actually use the money to flay back and forward to Uk and other countries. Hes had a bad childhood including time in prison and has never worked . Anyway since i first met him maybe eight years ago i have toild him God loves him and prayed for him and every time I see him i see slight improvements in his life . This time he had lost a lot of weight and grown a beard and haircut was looking like a normal person it was very encouraging to see, and i put it down as answer to prayer . We had a quick chat and i continued on my way to Camp Rana.

When I arrived at the area of the Camp i saw immediately signs that someone had been there as some canes had been moved which block the entrance. Camp Rana is in a large thicket of brambles surrounded by river canes and a boundary fence cuts through the middle of the camp with a hole in the fence so i can pass from one area of the camp to the other . 

Anyway as I entered my camp i saw that the hole in the fence had been opened ( I usually wire it closed ) I went through the hole from the lean to area to the other part of camp and found out how the camp had been discovered. A bulldozer had gone right through the huge area of scrub and brambles in a straight line until it came to my hidden camp in the corner of the plot of land. I was happy to see that none of my stuff in the camp had been touched or taken away. Two big plastic boxes of books and other useful stuff. Bags of clothes etc. I was also amazed to see that many of my plants Asclepius for monarch butterflies, sugar cane and even some of the tomato plants had survived  my two months away . There had been some heavy rains which had supplied enough water. I thanked God for looking after them .

I think it was the next day I went and found the one man who still works on the mainly abandoned area ( he is a mechanic who uses one of the several large old warehouse buildings). I introduced myself and told him in Spanish that i was the person who's camp had been uncovered . He didn't speak any English and  explained that the bulldozer was clearing under the telephone wires and i think he may have said they were doing work there though I'm not sure if i translated that right. Anyway he basically insinuated he wont say anything and knows nothing  and im not causing any problems. He couldn't guarantee the future of the area though as its not in his hands .

My plans are now to continue there and possibly make a small veg garden where they've cleared as no one goes down there or would have much reason too.

9th and 10 November 2019 Undercover trip To Ardales Park and Discovery of Prehistoric Dolmens.

The last time I was up at the Reservoirs at Ardales Natural Park  I sensed that I was becoming unpopular with some of the local people particularly some waiters in the Kiosk i frequent , due to them having to work very hard whereas I appear to be on a permanant holiday . I decided therefore it would be expedient to make myself scarce from the area for a while and maybe spend more time in new places and only occasionally spend time there ... in fact even just at weekends would be an improvement. 
So it was with some trepidation that i headed up to Alora by train my first port of call on the way up to the reservoirs. I had been away for about two months .. back in the UK at Camp Ibex and my Flat  in Cornwall and at the Rondoval Camp in Gloucestershire. This should have given sufficient time for them to think i was not on holiday . I havent fallen out with anyone in Alora as of yet as I never spend copious amounts of time there however whilst i was going into the Chinese Shop to buy candles I saw two ladies from Ardales mother and daughter S****a and S*******na both who i was very fond of... but sadly i dont think its reciprical  any longer and they ignored me ... possibly they didnt see me but im sure S****a did look at me and see me. 

Anyway I got the bus up to El Chorro the lady in the Station Bar, about my age and attractive , is one of the only people who is friendly and seems quite balanced and she was frindly to me as always , i must ask her name . I also saw a rock climber instructor I know who was slightly civil . 

Anyway after a nice Tuna Bocadillo at the station bar and charging my phone I got the bus up to the reservoirs at Park Ardales. The coach driver was surprised to see me perhaps he thought i was never coming back and he wasnt unfriendly. I got off at the Kiosko hada quick cup of coffee and headed towards my cottage. Unfortunately there were people working near the entrance and also the security guard had seen me so i decided to go to the cottage at night . I instead carried on towards my favourite Lake the Guadalteba Reservoir. This involved going past the two aforementioned ladies place of work one of them the daughter was sittig outside. I decided altough once we had been very friendly to not acknowledge  her as i walked past . The feeling was very awkward and i was glad to have gone further along the road towards the reservoir.   This is to be continued in part 2.  

How I learnt through adversity - A new technique I developed for keeping warm at night high in Spanish Mountains . Written 8th March 2019

A new technique of keeping warm .

This is the true story of an uncomfortable night in the Spanish Pine forest which gradually became a pleasant night as I developed the right technique  . Basically, I was sitting one evening in the village bar up in the mountains North of Malaga.

I've been quite a regular in this bar the last few years during my times in Spain . however the local Spanish men around my age  in this village are quite clicky  when i'm there  and usually stay in their own group leaving me to sit alone in the corner. Maybe partly because their English isn't too good and my Spanish isn't brilliant which means effort.  It is for this reason that i prefer now to go across the road to the hotel which has very pretty Spanish girls working there who are much more friendly .

Anyway I was on the phone to Ron who started to get me paranoid saying "I bet they're going to follow you back to your camp."

Basically due to the fear-mongering Ron was doing I started feeling very nervous and a bit paranoid that the group of village men would follow me back to my sleeping place ( I was sleeping in the shower block on the abandoned camp site .  It was getting late and I snuck out of the bar and quietly headed along the mountain track towards my shower-block .

I walked along the track through the dark night ( it only takes about ten minutes through the pine woods to the abandoned campsite ).  After about 5 minutes a cars headlights  appeared behind me , driving up the track towards me . Thinking this might be the village men following me i made a run for it into the woods before they could catch me in their headlights ( the car was still some way off) . I ran at first then walked very quickly into the woods  down hill till i was several hundred yards downhill of the track and found a clump of low growing Spanish Palms ( Chamaerops humilis ) to hide behind in the dark shadows.  I was nervous and excited at the same time , like i was in an adventure that i had instigated ( i instigated sleeping rough in the first place in the forest near a village).

I looked up hill through the trees and saw the car pull up in a parking lay-by 150 yards above where I hid. After half a minute  i saw a torch swinging side to side way off to my right and uphill a bit, it looked as if someone had come out of the car and was searching for something maybe me !! Of course I will never know the actual truth of who was driving the car and who was walking through the woods with a torch .  There was no way i was taking any chances of sleeping in the shower block that night . If the village men were looking for me and already knew i had been sleeping in the shower block i would be a sitting duck  as there was only one way in and out of the shower block , i would have no escape !

I had no bedding with me in my backpack 

I had planned to use an old blanket I knew about , that I had hidden near a fence.  After about half an hour when the car had driven off up the track and the torch was no longer seen I went and got the blanket . I was a bit dismayed to find the blanket was quite damp .. there must have been some rain since I was last there . The temperature by now was starting to go down , don't forget it was January and up in the mountains. I made a little pile of collected Alleppo-Pine needles (Pinus halapensis ) as a mattress which I piled up against an old retaining wall made of railway sleepers (this part of the forest was inside the boundaries of the abandoned campsite).  I covered myself with the blanket and then with my tarp . The tarp was anchored with three rocks on the top of the retaining wall so it came down into a half tent shape above my bed . I got under the damp blanket but i started to get very cold as the temperature went down . I would say by now the time was ten or eleven pm .

Anyway as I lay down and started to feel decidedly cold i thought of how i can make myself warmer . Had the blanket been dry i think my problems would have been much less and I would have been at a comfortable temperature .

My first plan of action was to cut out as much wind as possible , there was a cold breeze blowing through . I closed both ends of the tarp so i was in a sealed environment though still a small draft entered through gaps. This didn't make much difference. After an uncomfortable 30 minutes especially with the cold feet , I decided to try lighting five or six of my tea lights i had brought with me ,  inside the tent . I did not want to go to sleep with naked flames near me so i set about gathering some smallish , flat rocks (averaging about 8 inches) that were lying around near the tent . I created a miniature cave under the tarp next to where i was sleeping . The cavity inside the mini cave was big enough to fit the tea lights which stayed alight. I closed up the tent again leaving a bit of a gap for ventilation and noticed a slight difference in the warmth inside the tent. i went back to try and sleep but still found my feet were pretty cold. By now probably 3 hours had gone by. I then reduced the inside area of the tent by making it smaller and weighing down the excess tarp with rocks . The temperature crept up more and parts of me were warm from the candles , but overall still not warm enough.

The real breakthrough came when i actually put the damp blanket over the rock cave  with myself also snuggled up   under the blanket . the heat from the candles and from the rocks , which were also nicely heating up , spread right under the entire blanket and all around my body . It was like being under an electric blanket . My cold feet warmed up as my core temperature rose and , with tawny owls and eagle owls hooting around me,  i drifted off to sleep . It was  about three in the morning and the outside temperature was probably around 3 to 5 degrees which is not exactly arctic but cold enough when u only have a damp blanket ! I must emphasize that these flat rocks  were sufficiently large enough to not allow the candle flames to come anywhere near the blanket material or tarpaulin, the heat from them simply rose up through the gaps  and also heated up the rocks too . The rocks were storing the heat, making them a heat sync .

  

First ever Slavonian Grebe , Hayle Estuary , Monday 25th Nov 2019

First ever Slavonian Grebe , Hayle Estuary , Monday 25th Nov 2019

Took a T1 bus to Hayle in the early afternoon  as I had seen on facebook one of my birdwatching aquaintances had photod a Slavonian Grebe and a great Northern Diver on Carnsew pool .

The weather was overcast with spells of light drizzle and quite windy too. I brought a flask of tea with me to help keep me warm and hydrated .  As i started the walk , crossing the bridge between Asda Carpark and Carnsew pool I noticed the tide was coming in at quite a pace under the bridge but was only about half in, the water on Carnsew was quite choppy.

Above: the Slavonian Grebe in its winter colours 

Further along there was the corpse of a Rook in the middle of the path... not quite sure how it had met its demise. Further along I went and looked at the  path i had reopened back in early autumn, it was previously completely overgrown but I spent 40 minutes cutting back the Brambles , Blackthorn and Privit. I was pleased to see signs that people have been using it since I did the work.

Did some research on the horned grebe or Slavonian grebe(Podiceps auritus) Basically it is a Grebe that is found in America and Eurasia. In summer it breeds in lakes in the Northern lands eg Scotland Iceland Norway and across Asia as far as western China. The American subspecies breeds in Mid and West Canada and norther USA . In Winter the birds migrate south and tend to live in sheltered coastal marine environments around the British Isles, Mediterranean,  and the seaboards of USA and Asia . The summer  breeding colours are markedly different to winter plumage ... the most notable thing are the distinctive  yellow tufts that start behind the eyes and give it the name Horned grebe. These can be raised and lowered and are an important part of the courtship display in spring. The courtship dance is in four recognizable stages.

Anyway I continued my walk around Carnsew pool . There were three or four Little Egrets about in different parts of the pool. Near the big inlet pipes I saw from a distance two dark birds low in the water and diving i was wondering if they were divers but i soon identified them through my monocular  as a shag and a cormorant . They usually to do a funny little jump into the air before their dive . I followed along onto the narrow causeway and scanned the opposite side of the pool and there far off I spotted the Slav in its black and white winter plumage. I managed to get a couple of very far off shots on my camera ... hardly recognizable , though i could see it better with my monocular.

Slavonian Grebes feed on small crustaceans, fish and other invertebrates such as freshwater aquatic insects.

In the summer their diet is more focused on invertebrates in the winter in the marine environment small fish are more important in their diet. According to my research they have a special dietary adaptation where they regularly eat a few of their own feathers. These feathers then form a mat in their gut which   traps fish bones so they can be digested, as the fish are swallowed whole.

Further along the causeway a Curlew took off and there was a little congregation of Oyster-catchers and a Little Egret which made a nice photo as they were quite close  to me and hadn't flown off. I noticed on the opposite side of the causeway, in the estuary proper, that the tide was coming in at quite a flow up the river and was then a bit surprised to see an Atlantic Grey Seal surface quite close to me . It's the first time I've seen a seal come up the mouth of the Hayle River into the estuary. Though I’m sure it occurs fairly regularly. I managed to get some nice footage of it before it decided i was too close for comfort and submerged ... reappearing far off on the opposite side of the river.

Above: Little Grebes and the platform I created so I could steady my camera on a signpost.

I continued a little further along the causeway  and spotted the Great Northern Diver which was spending its time in the south western end of the pool . I managed to get some wobbly video footage of it as it was quite far out and the wind wasn't helping. I hadn't brought my tripod... I must remember to in the future. I carried on walking and disturbed a kingfisher which must have been perched somewhere on a low overhanging branch below me  . It flew off away from me across the pool  straight as an arrow and bright blue to the far off opposite bank. I hoped I may re encounter it as I was heading to the opposite bank eventually so I could get  closer to the Slav .. might be able to get photo opportunities of both birds.

Coming in the opposite direction along the causeway was a pleasant elderly lady with her two dogs a Whippet and a Lurcher (or maybe scruffy Greyhound!) . We stopped to chat and I told her about the Seal , the great Northern Diver , the kingfisher and the Slav Grebe. I explained to her what a Diver was as she had never heard of them and showed her  the vid on my camera . It could still be seen far off and i pointed it out to her she said she would try and see it closer and told me she had never seen a kingfisher either ! Once she went on her way I noticed some little grebes and also noticed a sign on a metal post stuck in the estuary beach (Keep dogs on leads), This post would make an excellent camera steadier once i had built up rocks around the base to stand on . This I proceeded to do and got some far off steady footage of the diver  and little grebes. Hopefully this rock platform will be of benefit to other birders.!

I continued on right around the causeway, passing another lady dog walker who I recognised as she often burps , these load burps can be heard from far off. As I got onto the far bank of the pool I made my way to where I last saw the Slavonian grebe but no sign of it. I spent over ten minutes scanning the whole surface of Carnsew pool , far and near but all I saw was several little grebes, the great northern diver and some Wigeon ducks that has turned up . I was a bit disappointed and decided to call it

a day when miraculously, in my mind, a man approached , and what's more a binoculared man! He asked if I'd seen much and I said I'm looking for the Slavonian Grebe !  "It's over there" he said and pointed to it. Being far out in the middle of the pool and being quite a small bird I had missed it . It was too far to get decent footage but I managed to get a good look at it through my monocular. I thanked him and semi- repayed the favour to the man by pointing out the diver, which he was looking for , though I think he would have spotted it himself being so much bigger than the grebe. I took one more quick hike to the opposite bank to try again to get close but to no avail the grebe was out in the middle. I was satisfied overall though as the more recent view were closer than the first and I spent some time watching it's behavior and fishing style. I headed off thankful for a pleasant couple of hours at the estuary. My next stop was ASDA cafe where the lady gave me two huge jacket potatoes cheese and beans  , rather than one. It was near closing time and I'm always chatty and friendly with her. I then struggled to walk to p the bus stop, having rather a full tum !