On their Sunday off, four Fragas do Mandeo volunteers went to the lake at Sobrado dos Monxes, spending a long morning working on the land where we have a bird observatory.
The views from the hide were limited by the willows that grew in front, right on the water’s edge. They required a more intense pruning and clearing than we had initially foreseen. Cutting up the thickest trunks, we took the opportunity to make a small refuge for micro-vertebrates by piling the trunks below the hide. Thus, small animals such as shrews, salamanders, toads or even the odd weasel, will find a quiet refuge.
As always when we visit Sobrado, we swept and cleaned the hide, the land around it and the parking lot. There was no time left to pick up trash along the stretch of the Way of St. James that connects our two pieces of land, or to do a bird count, as we usually do, but we did leave ornithological information.
The activity was done with the authorization of the Consellería do Medio Rural and with the collaboration of Sobrado Council, which kindly took responsibility for the transport and subsequent disposal of the prunings.
Some improvements of the hide are still pending. Damage caused by the action of time and by vandalism must be repaired, as well as modifying the windows to allow telescopes to be used. If you have some knowledge of carpentry and want to lend us a hand, you will find information in section Contact.
