The journey of the Storks

The law of unintended consequences says that when you plan something and it goes well there is often a completely additional benefit that no one expected.

The careful planning that goes into our gardens, with compost, pruning and cost effective irrigation has resulted in great growth and maturity. This has brought the hundreds of birds who now live with us.

At dawn and sunset the ring doves start the day from lofty perches on the high houses or tall cypress trees and send their cooing calls. When the sun is up he songbirds emerge from their safe nests in our tall trees and ivy clad houses and sing continuously. Broad beaked sparrows and fine beaked birds do not sing but eat the seeds from our weeds and insects from our shrubs. Flights of swallows get food on the wing and bring insects to their young morning and evening.

If you are lucky you can see the hawks floating over the valley below spying the unsuspecting lizard sunning itself on a rock below. Occasionally they stray into La Heredia air space and squadrons of swallows mob them and drive them away.

Twice a year, autumn and and spring, we have a huge treat when the storks travel between cold Europe and hot Africa and back and pass slowly right in front of us. Migratory birds choose the shortest sea passage and therefore use the Bosphurus and Straits of Gibraltar between the two continents.

The giant fig tree in our entrance provides spring fruit. The grapes the autumn fruit and the fruit from the ancient carab tree (which was here before any part of Heredia was built) feeds a local donkey.

APPRECIATE AND ENJOY YOUR COMMUNITY