Herrerías de Río Madera News

La Berrea - the rutting season

From mid September until early October guests can experience the incredible spectacle of the rutting season as mature deer stake out their claim on territory and begin their search for hinds with which to mate. They put back their powerful heads so that their antlers rest on their backs and they bay their loudest to the four winds in the hope to attract hinds. This is when the stags are in their most splendid condition - their antlers held high and proud to attract the hinds which are ready to conceive new life.
The baying of stags also brings their competitors to challenge them, and soon stags are involved in battles, fighting over territory and hinds. They lock their antlers in serious combat and the sound of these clashes echo throughout the forests. Normally, no stags are killed - just wounds inflicted - the weaker stag submits and leaves the territory clear for the victor. Sometimes stags lock their antlers and cannot disengage, thus dying from sheer exhaustion and hunger.
After several days of battling, the victors cover their hinds and after 8 months of gestation these hinds will give birth in May to one fawn (rarely two) - which will gingerly stand up on its long legs immediately after birth and will suckle the warm milk of its mother. The fawn will suckle for the first 4 months and will remain with its mother until she gives birth the following year. It knows intuitively how to blend into the background and remain as least visible as possible during its infant years.

Hunting
The hunting season starts in Octuber in Andalucía, lasting until February.
In Andalucía the species which can be hunted are principally - wild boar, red deer, fallow deer, Spanish Ibex, mouflon, red partridge, hare, wild rabbit, and thrush. Each year there is an increasing number of hunters. Each year some 500,000 foreign hunters visit different areas of Spains to shoot. The province of Jaén generates an annual income of about Euros 12 million as it is an ideal province with a blend of large mountain ranges and extensive green lowland areas.
Until the start of the 1970's hunting was not subject to much formal control. Now there are more stringent Laws and Regulations which have increased the control over hunting and hence protect all game species. These regulations establish determined hunting periods for each species, and at the beginning of such periods the number of animals which can be shot is known. In this manner, hunters can buy specific hunting rights from private estates, or can apply for set licence quotas to shoot on State owned estates - the latter are sold by auction. The price will depend on the type of animal to be shot.
Herrerías del Río Madera is a private hunting estate where it is possible to shoot wild boar, red deer, fallow deer and Spanish Ibex.

Food: delicious sweet and savoury tortas

As you will have seen in some of the photographs on our website, Cortijo Río Madera has a traditional wood oven adjoining the farmhouse and we took advantage of a visit from some of our regular clients to bake them bread, as well as delicious sweet and savoury tortas (sweet breads and savoury breads would be the best translation) using a dough prepared with local virgin olive oil and lard.  A tender, young lamb was also slow roasted for several hours in the oven.

It was an unforgettable experience for our clients who helped with the whole preparation and cooking procedure - we promise to repeat this treat for those who specially request it.

Bearded vultures observation

One of the most gratifying experiences for our guests, was to visit and see the natural habitat of two recently released bearded vultures or vulture-eagles ( Gypaetus Barbatus ) during a guided trek in the vicinity of Pontones near Fuente Segura.  This bird is also known as the Lammergeier in the Alps and its old name is the Ossifrage (the bone-breaker). 

These birds are probably Tranco and Quiteria, a pair of bearded vultures that were released on 22nd May of 2010 in the Parque Natural of Segura – no more than 30 minutes from Cortijo de Río Madera.  The releases are part of the Programme to Reintroduce the Bone-Breaker Vulture, an initiative promoted by the Andalucian Ministry of the Environment to conserve and manage the natural Andalucian heritage, with support of the European Rural Agriculture Development Fund.  
                 

               
     Photo of  Tranco and Quiteria just before their release in spring 2010  

These birds can grow a wingspan of over 3 metres and can weigh up to 8 kgs. The young pair are now more than 3 months old and are living in a cave in a very inaccessible and mountainous area. They are monitored continually and fed by the Gypaetus Foundation until they learn to fly and fend for themselves.

The bearded vulture was extinct in this Natural Park and the re-introduction programme started in 2005 with 2 or 3 birds released every year since then.   The birds generally stay in the same area when released so bird watchers have a very good chance to spot these fabulous birds. 

We will release more photographs of these magnificent birds as soon as possible.

Herrerías de Río Madera - Sierra de Segura - 00 34 953 496 401 / 00 34 667 588 334 - info@herreriasderiomadera.com