Bird watching with Barry Chambers

Recent entertaining and educational guided walks

We had a fun and educational walk in our park recently with Barry Chambers of Costa Blanca Bird Club. Here is a list of the birds we saw:

Blackbird                Cormorant              Collared Dove             Greenfinch          Yellow Legged Gull

Hoopoe                  Crested Lark           Kentish Plover            Sanderling           Serin

Woodchat Shrike    House Sparrow      Spotless Starling        Little Stint             Stonechat

Stone-Curlew         Swallow                  Red Rumped Swallow Common Swift    Pallid Swift

Common Tern        Turnstone               Sardinian Warbler       Woodpigeon

Iberian Green Woodpecker

After our last monthly meeting Mike Yates kindly volunteered to lead an impromptu walk to look at 'Flowering Plants'. A small but appreciative group enjoyed his excellent guiding skills.

We very much appreciate the contribution our knowledgeable visitors make to our group. We are growing not only in enthusiasm but also in number!

Rubbish!

On Saturday 23rd March a group of about a dozen Volunteers went to the upper part of the Natural Park of La Mata to carry out a litter pick. We started beside the pigeon lofts and were able to see a flock of painted pigeons flying about while we were working. The Park seems to be relatively clean at present which is very encouraging and it’s nothing like the way it was when we did the first litter pick, when we had several large bags of rubbish of all kinds. We had 2-3 large plastic bags full at the end of our two hour stint and in the process enjoyed meeting and chatting as we searched the ground for any litter.

Jenny Dodd

Here we are at the recent Day of The Associations in Torrevieja

We are also looking forward to sharing a Christmas lunch together and to a new programme of  'hands on' work in the park next year.

Recent Visit to Salt Works

The Volunteers of La Mata (the Asociación de las Rutas y Caminos de la Sal) enjoyed a guided visit to the Salinas (Saltworks ) site this week, to see how the salt is produced.  The process was explained and also the fact that this is the only place where salt is produced in this way, with a type of dredger, whereas much salt, as in Santa Pola is by the drying out of salt pans.  The highlight of the visit was a trip out onto the Laguna in a flat bottomed barge type of boat, where we saw the dredging machine in action, scooping the salt and debris from the lake, and tipping the salt and other detritus into barges, pulled by a tug.  We then saw the washing and separating process.  Next time we shake salt onto our meals we shall think a bit harder as to how it arrived there!  The Salinas Company welcomes groups of visitors so as to further involve the public in this unique production of a vital substance.  There is a very good video of the process in the Salt Interpretation Center, which is just next to the Alzheimer center in Torrevieja.

A visit to the Peñón de Ifach

A group of Volunteers of La Mata – the Asociación de las Rutas y Caminos de la Sal – recently went to visit the Peñón at Calpe.  Greeted by Fran Lucha, we were taken up the rocky hill, where the wonderful views stretched out in front of us.  Our guide explained the significance of the plants and bushes and told us how in the past they were commonly used for medicine, cooking and making articles; now they have fallen mainly into disuse in modern times.  We saw many gulls flying overhead and two fluffy gull chicks.  Fran pointed out the many flowers tucked into the rock face, some of which are not found anywhere else in the world.  Great efforts are being made to encourage these to propagate and increase.  The entire area is only 45 square metres and holds many treasures.  The latest of these to be highlighted   is the medieval city which had been covered by an hotel, and is now in the process of being revealed.  With a bit of history thrown in, plus the many interesting features of the Peñón, we enjoyed a wonderful day of pleasure and discovery.

Visit to Water Treatment plant

We had a really interesting outing to the Torrevieja water treatment plant recently. Around a dozen of us took part.
We saw what happens to waste water and how it is purified until it can be used for the roads, watering fields and parks and so on. Never for human consumption, though!
Courtesy of our Press Officer Jenny an article and photos of our visit appeared in the local press - our fame spreads!