Not so Wild Wildlife

Once we'd passed the cows and sheep and geese and horses of the Basque area, the terrain is home to smaller creatures. We still see the odd horse and hear chickens behind fences, but very rarely do we see any other rural animals. Dogs are common and scrawny cats dart away from us as we pass.

We've seen small lizards sunning on rocky walls, and frogs, although sadly only dead ones on the road.

There are many black and white, and orange and black, and yellow and rust coloured butterflies, and dun coloured moths. Small white snails cling en masse to fennel stems and grasses, sometimes 10 to a stem until the stem bends almost horizontal. A few ladybugs. Lots of flies, who like to hover around sweaty faces.

There are ants that crowd around fallen blackberries and rose hips, and squat black beetles purposely crossing the Camino path.

There are many birds, most of which we can't identify, but are seen either soaring high above looking for prey (or peregrino carrion?) or clustered in trees and hedgerows, in a cacophony of chirping. There are many sparrows and collared doves, as well as the ubiquitous pigeon, and a sort of swallow that comes out when the temperature cools in the early evening.

Crickets sing and jump out of our way, most camouflaged in the dust and gravel, but one fine fellow decided its best colour is green and stayed on like coloured grasses.

Driving by in a car would present a landscape seemingly barren of life, but walking slowly shows all sorts of small creatures, and no doubt the hedgerows and fields are teeming with unseen others.