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So, yes, it was Spain. Specifically, rural northwestern Spain, at various points along the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage route to the supposed burial place of Saint James the apostle and, before that, to the westernmost point in continental Europe, the supposed End of the Earth, the Finis Terra.
Just south of Port of Spain on the west coast of Trinidad, the Caroni Swamp is easily accessible and well serviced by tour companies that will take you out into the mangroves safely and efficiently. And there is no better place to see Eudocimus ruber than deep in the mangroves that make up Caroni Swamp. But it wasn’t always this way.
Birds and Us starts with Birkhead’s visit to Cueva del Tajo de las Figuras, located in Andalusia, Spain and the Neolithic bird paintings on its walls. He continues with images found in illuminated manuscripts such as Catherine of Cleves’s Book of Hours and Frederick II of Germany’s On the Art of Hunting With Birds.
If you see a flock of kestrels in southern Europe, then the chances are that they will be Lessers, for the Common Kestrel never flocks, though occasionally in summer you will see a family hunting together. However, in Southern Spain a small number of birds are resident. Last month in Andalucia I saw only males.
This is despite the fact that the Northern Bald Ibis was one of the earliest officially protected species, thanks to a decree by Archbishop Leonhard of Salzburg in 1504. This colony outlived dozens of others as it was protected by the local religious belief that the ibises migrated each year to guide Hajj pilgrims to Mecca.
Storks, Ibises and Spoonbills of the World states that “disturbance by local people, tourists, and egg and zoo collectors has similarly reduced the colonies, and more protection is vital”. Shooting remains a major threat to this population, for the Italians are still passionately keen on hunting.
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