Tuesday 13.10.09 Bulnes



We have been introduced to some of the mountain birds and spend the day drawing them. Rock buntings, serins, yellowhammers, grey wagtails, chiffchaffs and griffon vultures are all easy to see. However, my attention is mostly focused on the black redstarts that flit and fidget amongst the tiled roofs. These birds seem to favour this terracotta scree over their more natural mountainside habitat. Baring in mind its willingness to adopt urban habitats, I find myself drawn to the black redstart as an emblem of Bulnes’s precarious position on a boundary between the wild and habituated, past and present worlds.

At the end of the day we make arrangements to eat after hours with one of the cafe proprietors, Rafa, a relationship which over the next few days proves invaluable not only because his willingness to feed us allows us to stay longer in Bulnes but because his knowledge of the mountains determines our next steps towards crossing the Picos.
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2 comments:

  1. Hola Chris: Soy Alberto, de La Casa del Chiflón (Bulnes). Bonito blog y bonitos dibujos. Muchas gracias por ese trabajo. Saludos para tí y tu amiga.

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  2. Very jealous of your trip to the Picos!

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