The view from the coast back towards the road to El Palmar
In the wider scheme of things not being able to get out to Cadiz province since 2019 may seem to be a minor annoyance and indeed it is compared to the trauma, distress and loss suffered by so many during the Covid crisis. Yet having scarcely been able to visit the area during Liz's long illness, there's no escaping the fact that I feel a little cheated by not being able to go there. This feels still more acute when I consider that there's so much I need to check, revise and update to keep my birding guide current, accurate and helpful. My plan for 2020 was to redraft my notes, edit out some sites, enlarge upon others and generally 'spring clean' my guide. Although correspondents have been helpful in updating me with various developments, there's only so much you can do without driving the area and walking the routes.
One of the (many) things I was hoping to do was to redraft my description of birding sites near Conil. Originally, my description had started not with that town (as would be logical) but from the small relatively obscure village of Los Naveros. This was simply because this was direction from which I had discovered the area. As I wanted to drive the route from Conil and check a few things as I did so, I put off reviewing the site until I could visit Spain. I just hadn't imagined that doing so would take so long!
Sancha Perez Bodega
 Sancha Perez Bodega | However, sometimes the desire to add a little more detail or, better still, some entirely novel information is too much to resist. In this case the additional information is the splendid work being done by the Sancha Perez Bodega. This business was established in 2008 by an industrial engineer, Ramon Iglesias, and his son Alejandro to promote the ecological production of two traditional local products; wine and olive oil (see https://sanchaperez.com/). |
In this the company has been highly successful winning various awards for their products and their efforts to educate visitors about the history of wine and olive oil production. However, it seems that this was not enough as the company also promotes wildlife and biodiversity on its land. In particular, they have worked to preserve the local population of Montagu's Harrier. Accordingly I've added the site of their bodega to my map & notes in the hope that birders visiting the area will not only enjoy the birdlife (Collared Pratincole, Stone Curlew, etc) along the stretch of the Rio Salado nearby but also support the company's efforts by buying some of their products (which include both red & white wine, olive oil, wine vinegar and, somewhat intriguingly, red wine jam).
Bodegas Luis Perez
Another wildlife aware winery is Bodgeas Luis Perez (see Home - Bodegas Luis Perez) which operates three estates - Balbaína, El Corchuelo & Carrascal around Jerez de la Frontera. They have produced a sherry - Caberrubia - named after the Rufous Bushchats (aka Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robins) that nest on their land. I've yet to try their products for the reasons noted above but they come very highly recommended.
(NB - I don't know if this and the previous firm are connected in any way - Perez is not an uncommon name in Spain)
Cooperativa Agrícola Virgen de Palomares S.C.A
An equally commendable project by ecologically aware and progressive farmers can be found at the other side of the province in the organic vineyards near Trebujena. I've already waxed lyrical about this superb area in a previous posting (see here). To be honest, it almost physically hurts that I've been unable to return there in 2020 and nor, thus far, in 2021. It was a site I'd briefly explored back in 2016 but which circumstances prevented me from visiting again until September 2019. However, what I omitted from my previous post were details of the local concern - Cooperativa Agrícola Virgen de Palomares S.C.A. (see vinosdetrebujena.com/) - that is at the forefront of looking after the local population of the rare, endangered and indisputably wonderful Rufous Bushchat (yes, it is my favourite Spanish passerine). They too also sell a good variety of wines including, hardly surprisingly given their location, some excellent sherries. (Forget that it may have been your aunt's favourite tipple, sherry is in all of its various forms one of the world's greatest drinks). See my next post for how you can help conservation work in this area.
An equally commendable project by ecologically aware and progressive farmers can be found at the other side of the province in the organic vineyards near Trebujena. I've already waxed lyrical about this superb area in a previous posting (see here). To be honest, it almost physically hurts that I've been unable to return there in 2020 and nor, thus far, in 2021. It was a site I'd briefly explored back in 2016 but which circumstances prevented me from visiting again until September 2019. However, what I omitted from my previous post were details of the local concern - Cooperativa Agrícola Virgen de Palomares S.C.A. (see vinosdetrebujena.com/) - that is at the forefront of looking after the local population of the rare, endangered and indisputably wonderful Rufous Bushchat (yes, it is my favourite Spanish passerine). They too also sell a good variety of wines including, hardly surprisingly given their location, some excellent sherries. (Forget that it may have been your aunt's favourite tipple, sherry is in all of its various forms one of the world's greatest drinks). See my next post for how you can help conservation work in this area.
Vineyards near Trebujena Supporting these initiatives is vital to preserving vital habitats for wildlife on working farms; protected areas will never represent more than a fraction of the land surface in Spain. Buying the odd bottle of wine or good quality olive oil is a very small (and enjoyable) price to pay. I can't wait to get out there to do so myself!
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