Springtime has to be one of the most exciting times of the year for me. It is a time of renewal, rebirth and freshness, to both the landscape and local wildlife. Birds are starting to arrive from their faraway winter quarters, flowers are raising their heads to be noticed and our daylight hours are stretching to, what would usually allow more of our time spent in the big outdoors.
It is a busy time as bird song resonates throughout the Serranía, a ritual by males to attract and entice females for an inspection of their new dress and chosen territory; insects are in a hurry to emerge and harvest the richness of pollen and greenery. Of course, it normally happens to be a busy time too for the intrepid wildlife guide as visitors usually arrive to be shown the wonders of my mountains.
Most of my days now are normally spent either guiding groups for various tour companies visiting here or guiding as an independent day trip guide. Even on those rare days when I would be free to do my own bidding, I would normally choose to indulge myself by visiting favourite and hidden gems for birds and flowers, accompanied by cameras and wallowing in the tranquillity that solitude can afford. After winter it is exciting to explore the area to see if the familiar has reappeared and find new places, sometimes making new discoveries! Each year is different and each produces rewards for anyone who loves nature, scenery and just being, feeling and breathing our wonderful natural heritage. Most of all, I am missing the privilege to share my experience and knowledge of such a beautiful part of our world with so many friends and like minded people.
So here I attempt to give you a small token of what spring means to me here in the Serranía de Ronda, a few photos that help illustrate what we can see here. I very much hope you enjoy these small offerings and I guess you too are missing enjoying your area and springtime?
So much to see and so little time to write more or illustrate more of our wildlife in this offering, but I hope you will keep an eye on future posts and I will try and show you more of this natural gem that is the Serranía de Ronda.
Article: Peter Jones Photographs: Pieter Verheij (Header photo) all others Peter Jones
Note: The views expressed in articles are those of the authors, and are not necessarily those of the Society.