I had to pop up to town a week or so ago, and, to beat the heat of the day as much as the traffic, left the Quinta at 5.30 for a ride up there on the bike.

I thought it’d be interesting to make a note of what I saw in the first hour’s drive, passing through 6 villages and covering 60 miles of the ride, (about 100 kms), so here it is …

Regarding the Natural World there was
1 Barn Owl
1 Buzzard
1 Hare
1 Rabbit
4 Storks
5 Cattle Egrets
5 Red Legged Partridges
3 Jays
10 Blackbirds
and many LBJs, mostly Crested, Thekla and Wood Larks, Goldfinches, Linnets, Cirl Buntings, Stonechats etc.

Nothing spectacular there one might think, but what always stuns me on these early morning rides is the amount of human presence noticeable in this area, and that morning was no exception.

In that first hour’s ride there was
1 lorry carrying bricks
1 lorry carrying wood
1 small van
1 pick-up
1 moped,
3 men, (two together and 1 individually)
and 1 dog ….

I wonder how many other places in Europe would have this kind of list! What a joy to be able to live here!