River Ebro Babble

The Correos and the Stamp!

Dena — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:20:12 +0000

When you are in a different country to your own you expect that things will be different. To some extent you come prepared for different language, different food and different culture. But you know – it’s always the simple things that take you by surprise. Little everyday things that may leave you open-mouthed and exasperated [...]

One Way This Way. One Way That Way. Doing it Their Way!

Dena — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:54:06 +0000

Oh it was great fun getting through town today. Here in the old part of town we have a network of narrow streets. They were built with donkeys in mind not cars. A couple of years ago, after years of cars literally scraping past each other the town council introduced a one-way system. At [...]

The 2011 Birding Challenge – Final Total

Dena — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 12:30:59 +0000

And the total for my 2011 Birding Challenge was ….. ..drum roll………….. 158 species! So, I failed to meet the target but I don’t think I failed – if that makes sense! I suppose I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t get a bit nearer but I achieved more than ¾ of the target number [...]

Of Delta Birds, Bulls and Clouds..

Dena — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:46:28 +0000

As it was the last day of the year I thought I’d go down to the Ebro Delta to see if I could add any last minute birds to my list. It was a lovely still day here in Mora d’Ebre but on the Delta it was blowing a gale! It wasn’t cold just incredibly [...]

Siurana Walk – in the Footsteps of Princesses and Warriors

Dena — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 14:36:23 +0000

Length of walk: about 5km Time: 2hrs 30 mins Level: Moderate Location: Montsant Natural Park. Starting point: Siurana Village This walk is one of the routes featured in the new walking leaflets produced by the Priorat Tourism Office The village of Siurana has a spectacular position on top of a high cliff deep in [...]

Missing the Boat

Dena — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 15:22:11 +0000

Permit me to let off steam… This morning we were due to go on a sea-bird watching trip. I was hoping to add a significant number of birds to my 2011 birding year. More than that I was looking forward to a few hours relaxation and calm after a horrible week in which I have [...]

Walking in the Priorat, Southern Catalonia

Dena — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 23:33:06 +0000

The tourism department have this year produced a set of 10 leaflets of walking routes around the Priorat. What’s more they are available in English, French, Spanish and Catalan. You may not think this is very exciting but when we first came here the only information we could obtain about walking routes in the [...]

Common Cranes – In September on the Ebro?

Dena — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 19:31:09 +0000

A few days ago, (last Wednesday, 28th September to be exact) Keith and I were just pulling up in the car outside our house when from the corner of my eye I saw a large grey bird taking off from the other side of the river island. For a split second I thought it was [...]

A Day Out in Terra Alta – Arnes and the Toll del Vidre

Dena — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:05:41 +0000

It was a snap decision to go out for a drive this morning. It was just too perfect a day to stay indoors doing housework or office work. So off went the computer. Camera, binoculars, water and a few other odds and ends were thrown into a bag and 10 minutes later we were on the [...]

Summer is passing – and the mountains are calling

Dena — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 20:18:53 +0000

The fiesta has finished, the town is quiet, many of the bars and shops are remaining closed for the week and there is a distinct feeling that summer is over! Mid-day temperatures are still 30- 35 degC but the early morning heat has a comfortable softness, the light is different, the smell is different and [...]