Red Palm Tree Beetle

(Apologies for the long delay since I last put up a new Post! I had a computer glitch, repeatedly sending the same Email from Outlook Express. My computer was in 'shop' for nearly a week being fixed!)

In the last few years many of the Canary Palm trees of the coast have been destroyed by the dreaded Red Palm Tree Beetle. It attacks the growing part at the crown of the tree. Healthy palms can be killed in a couple of weeks! The effect can be seen in an old avenue of palms now leading to a new development.

Bahia Dorada palms have not escaped. The photo on the left shows one that is now a mere stump. Infected palm can be saved if treated in time with sprays. It is vital to do it, as infested trees soon infect healthy ones around it.

A Tree Surgeon recently gave a talk to our local Gardening Group. He told us that trimming palm trees is partly responsible for the spread of Palm Tree beetle infection. Pheramones are released when the palm is cut, which attract the Red Beetles. It might be less tidy to leave old fronds hanging down. But that's better than having trouble with the Red Palm Tree Beetle!

4th Oct World Animal Day

The 4th of October is the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi; an appropriate date for World Animal Day and suitable for the flag day for animal charities. Every year ADANA, Estepona's Animal Rescue Society, asks volunteers to collect from public places all week! As usual I was asked to station myself outside our local Carrefour supermarket with my collecting can. By the end of the four hour stint, my can was gratifyingly heavy!

Standing there with this label around my neck and my can in my hand, its interesting to note people's reactions! Few people ignore us! Most people around here know what ADANA is all about! "Ah yes! You do good work!" Some grin as they put in a few coins, saying; "I've put money in your tins several times already this week!" Some say; "I haven't got any change now, but I'll give you something when I come out." And they mostly do!

Apart from ADANA there are two other major charities in Estepona. CUDECA offers home care, family support and a hospice for terminally ill cancer patients. AGE CONCERN gives support to the older generation. They're all vital services! Each has their own charity shop with volunteer staff. They need items to sell, and appreciate donations of good clothes, books and bric-a-brac.

ADANA kennels and Dog Show

In my last Blog I wrote about the serious fire that devastated 600 hectares of land on our mountain. The picture on the left how close a tongue of fire came to the Adana kennels. (The pink building.) Within 30 meters! That was close! I'm happy to say there was no loss of human or animal lives.




By the next weekend the Adana Dog Show was in full swing! The dogs are not judged on pedigree. This isn't Crufts, but a fun family day. The events include the best Junior Handler; the dog with the Waggiest Tail; and the Best Trick. The picture on the left shows a splendid entry for the Dog Most Like its Owner! You will notice they both have a black and white spots, and red collars!

Firefighter planes at Bahia Dorada

Brian took these pictures yesterday and today. The fire fighter planes scooped up sea water and flew on to discharge it on the huge fire on the mountain behind Bahia Dorada. It is an extremely dangerous job to fly low and load the plane, and take it up with the sudden extra weight of water, and then deal with flying conditions on the mountain, with the smoke and fire heated updaughts to contend with. They are brave and skillful pilots!

Rumours cirulate as to how the fire started. One version says it was from a carelessly left weekend barbique fire at Los Pedrogales Park. Another version that the fire was deliberately started.

I don't know if the ADANA kennels was affected. The kennels is on that mountain. It would have been very difficult to evaculate 100 or more dogs. I'll up-date when I know.

Missing Lynx

The Coto Donana, an hour south of Seville, is a conservation area of special importance, particularly as a breeding place for migratory birds. It is also a habitat of the Iberian Lynx; a beautiful species that grows to be about twice the size of a domestic cat. Characteristically they have tufts of hair on their ears and under the chin.

This is the most endangered of the 36 species of cats in the world. Their decline in the last 50 years has been catastrophic. It was estimated there were of 4000 in the wild in 1960. By 2000 the number was down to 400. Now, in 2009, it is believed there are only 200, with a population of about 50 in the Coto Donana region of Southern Spain, and 150 in the Andujar-Cardena area. Such small numbers may have brought this lynx close to extinction. There could be small groups in some other isolated areas. No sightings were reported but droppings have been found, and DNA analysis suggests they come from three or four individual lynx.

The main cause of the decline in lynx populations is because their primary food source, rabbits, have been decimated by myximatosis. An adult male lynx needs one rabbit a day; a female with young up to three a day. The red fox is in competition with the lynx for the scarce remaining rabbits. Saddly, development and construction erodes wild places. More roads and more traffic means the loss of more lynx. 16 were killed in the Coto Donana area between 2000-2003.

Some Iberian lynx are bred in captivity. Is this the best we can do?

ADANA - Estepona's Animal Rescue society

ADANA is Estepona's animal rescue society. A great many animals are lost or abandoned every year, and it takes a great deal of money to house, feed and provide veterinary care for them all.


The present kennels are crowded. A new purpose built facility is needed to house the many dogs brought to Adana. Efforts are made to reunite lost animals with their owners, and to find good homes for abandoned ones.




To raised funds an ambitious sponsored walk, called El Camino, was organised this year from Estepona to Santiago De La Compostela, a distance of 1178 kilometers, (or just under 732 miles) starting on 15th March 2009 and ending on 2nd May. It took a year of planning to organise the whole El Camino Project, to ensure the dogs and the people with them were properly cared for!



When the call went out 45 walkers from all over the world volunteered to take part! Only 15 of them were allowed to participate in any one week as some villages en route were unable to accommodate a larger group. (But many walkers undertook to walk further weeks! Some even completed all seven weeks of the pilgrimage!.) They came with their own dogs or one of the rescue dogs from the Adana kennels. To learn more about ADANA and to see scenes from this extraordinary journey go to the Internet site Ruta de la Plata - the Project Sponsored Walk with its wonderful YouTube video.

ADANA has a programme of fund raising events throughout the year. There is a Coffee Morning in the square outside Longman's Bookshop from 11am-2pm on the last Friday of the month. The next major event will be the Mongrel Dog Show on 13th September. A fun family day!

Howling with the wolves!

I love visiting Lobo Park, near Antequera. Four sub-species of wolves live there in huge enclosures; European Wolves, Canadian Timber Wolves, Alaskan Timber Wolves and the native Iberian Wolves. These are another endangered species, so it is good to know that Lobo Park has a successful breeding programme. It is about 2 hours from my place. There are guided tours every day; Adults 8.50 Euros and Children 5.50.

However, I especially love going there on some Friday or Saturday nights for the Wolf Howling! It is essential to book ahead. A barbeque dinner is served at 8pm, before setting off with Daniel Weigand. He is encyclopedic in his knowledge of wolves - and dispells many myths about them! He will give you the chance to watch their feeding behaviour, and their interaction with him. Visits last until nearly midnight! Magical!

Instead of driving all the way home afterwards, I stay at the nearby Torcal campground. On one occasion my cousin and I had breakfast there with a crowd of Harley Davidson bikers!

1.450m to the top of the Bermeja!

The summit of the Bermeja mountain behind Estepona is 1.450 meters! Although the road up to it is steep, narrow and twisting, it is possible to drive a car most of the way. On a clear day it seems as though you can 'see forever', and there are views of Morocco and the Sierra Nevada. In my lefthand picture Gibraltar is just visible in the distance. If you are lucky you might see Booted Eagles, Griffon Vultures, Sparrow hawks, and Long Eared Owls, or even an Egyptian Mongoose! You will certainly see a very rare species of pine tree, the Pinsapo, which only grows in Andalucia. It was discovered quite recently, in 1837, by a Swiss botanist Edmund Bosser. It has short blue-green needles, and its branches sweep low to the ground.

There is a Refugio, about a kilometer below the summit, where shelter, food and drink are often available. In winter a blazing wood fire is a welcome warmer! There are tables with long benches indoors, and wooden picnic tables under the trees for fine weather. Young people bring sleeping bags and sleep out on the 'deck', to see the glorious sunrise in the morning.

Endangered Species

The Andalucian Donkey is an endangered species; with only about 120 purebred animals in existence. Friends of mine, Stephen and Marlene Bird have a project, http://www.ancraa.org/ where they run a successful breeding programme. These donkeys are known as Giant Donkeys because they are about half as high again as the usual donkey. They were used extensively in agriculture before mechanisation, but farmers have little use for them nowadays. The temperament of these donkeys has earned them the name 'Gentle Giants'. Every Sunday morning Marlene and Stephen welcome visitors to 'Cuddle a Donkey', and to learn about the herd of 20 or so individuals they care for. As with any endangered species it is important to keep the animals in several places to ensure they could not be wiped out by a single epidemic. Donations are welcome to help with their heroic task of saving these animals from extinction.

Dolphin Delight!

When my family visited me, we hired a little yellow inflatable boat from Estepona beach. We were shown how to start it and steered it ourselves! We followed a tall young man. He stood up in his boat as he headed out to sea. He was searching for dolphin.

When he sighted them, he waved to show us where to steer. Suddenly the dolphin were all around us! But by the time my camera clicked the dolphin had often disappeared! But I did get lucky! These are striped and bottle-nosed dolphin!

Boat hire costs 40€ per person for two hours.

Rain Forest Rendezvous!

Fuengirola Zoo, under an hour from my place, is the most beautiful zoo I have ever seen!
The paths wander through lush cool vegetation, with excellent views of the animals and
birds in huge enclosures with great rocks, trees and pools. The breeding programme of endangered species appears to be highly successful, judging by many babies to be seen!

Gibraltar

Gibraltar is less than an hour from my place. It is well worth a day visit. The short distance from the African continent makes it a major migratory route for birds.

There is much to see on a day visit. Take a taxi from the border for the Rock Tour. Your driver will be your guide. You will be given time to explore St Michael's Cave. There is a stage inside it, where concerts are held. It is also famous for being the site where Gibraltar Woman was found - before Neandethal Man. But her significance was not recognised at the time! The Rock was a fortress, and has miles of handmade Siege tunnels inside it! You will have time to walk down them, and learn about how they were made. In the nature reserve at the top of the Rock visitors can have close encounters with the famous apes!