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Its proximity to Africa is one of the principal reasons for the wealth and variety of the Doñana's birdlife. Birds with large wingspans, such as the eagles and kites that abound here, cannot fly across water for long distances because they require thermal updrafts for the long glides that allow them to rest their wings during migrations. Hence they cross the Mediterranean at the three points — the Dardanelles, Gibraltar, and Tarifa — where the intervening straits are at their narrowest. For those making the journey from West Africa, the marismas of Doñana are a logical, indeed essential, resting place and hunting ground. (da Wild Spain: A Traveler's and Naturalist's Guide, Sheldrake Publishing Ltd., 1988) (it) |
