Nature Blog Network

When I decided to look for European nature blogs for last week’s installment of the Networking feature, I figured I probably get a broad array of blogs from several different nations.  Little did I know, and likely many others are similarly unaware, that there is a simmering hotbed of nature blogging jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean.  Of all the nature blogs on the European continent (leaving out Great Britain, which is uniquely blog-rich), the vast majority come from sunny Spain, hidden from our view because of our obvious anglo-centric bias.

I’m not much of a Spanish speaker, I believe in the past I’ve described my language skills as limited to the food and restroom related fields, but I’m the lesser for it.  Not only because so many phenomenal birds and other forms of life reside in Spanish-speaking nations both Old and New World and my faulty communication skills make that difficult, but because I miss out on most of the world that these great Spanish language blogs go to the trouble of presenting to us.  Spain is a beautiful country, at once dry and lush, and home to some phenomenal endemics and near endemics, many forms of charismatic life no longer found elsewhere on the European continent.  In any case, a translator like Google Translate can help you bridge the gap a bit.

Sierra Nevada in Andalucia.  Photo via wikipedia

Before diving in to the Spanish blogs, I need to mention one I forgot last week.  Gwendolyn’s Gwenz Wildlife Weblog has been a member of the Nature Blogging community for a good long time because she’s always paired great photos with great stories.  Leaving her out was unconscionable on my part.  Sorry Gwen!

Now, onto the matter at hand…

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- The official blog of the Valencia Ornithological Society, Aus i Anellament a Massamagrell, or Bird Banding in Massamagrell, is exactly what you’d expect.  It’s got great pictures of the birds they work with on a regular basis, and even translating links on their site for all major European languages.  That’s what I clal thinking ahead.

-Angel Barrasa at Birds of the Penedes keeps Canaries, among other things, and has a lot of interesting things to say on finch genetics.  In both English and Spanish.

- Olhar a Natureza is mostly photographs, which saves the need for much translation, but they’re absolutely stunning.  Qué fenomenal!

- The blogs here are not only those of Spanish naturals, ex-pats too are taken by the landscape and life and inspired to write.  Birdtracker is one, an Englishman with a great eye for beautiful birds of Andalucia and beyond.

- Birders around the world know Surfbirds as a useful reference site for any avian info you could ever want, but it’s also a popular blogging platform for many birders.  Birds in the South of Spain is one such blog, with gorgeous photos of, where else, south Spain.

- And to bookend, while Southern Spain gets lots of attention as a place where Africa sneaks into Europe just a bit, northern Spain is not without its natural wonders, as well chronicled by Birds in the North of Spain.  Read these last two blogs back to back and you’ll get a good feel for the whole country.

- Paleontology is the study of nature from millions of years ago.  With it’s dry climate and limestone bedrock, Spain is a one of the best places for fossil hunting in Europe and even the world.  Más Allá de Somosaguas is all over it.

- A naturalist and artist from La Selva in the northeast corner along the Mediterranean, Alfons write often of the beauty of his little corner of the nation at La Natura a la comarca de la Selva.

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So take a look at these great Spanish nature blogs.  Iberia sure seems like a fantastic place for the nature enthusiast.

Next week, I’ll be taking a look at another of the “new” categories blogs may self-select into in the NBN, one that’s somewhat and a little unfairly maligned, at least in our little community…

Academia

So put on your tweed jacket with the leather elbow patches (or your leather jacket with the tweed elbow patches should you be so inclined) and send me your links at naswick (at) gmail (dot) com.   If you’re already labled as Academic in the toplist, I’ll probably see you.

Till next week.  Adios.