A Spanish lagoon called Villafáfíla also holds many secrets.
Every year it is visited by migratory birds
that pass through here on the way to Extremadura and Andalusia.
I had never heard the expression “whoop like a crane”,
but it’s common if you spend any time with ornithologists.
And indeed the birds do call loudly when they sight the lagoon.
I thought it was from joy,
but from what I've seen they do it in order to stay together.
About a thousand cranes stop over here for several weeks.
They find everything they need,
especially food in the form of plant stems, small animals and tasty bulbs.
When autumn ends they’ll again take flight
to spend the winter in Extremadura and Andalucia.
But cranes aren't the only ones to visit Villafáfila.
Naturalists, a few tourists and the simply curious also come here
at the end of September when the sky is full of wild geese.
These migrants began to visit us here in 1975.
Why 1975? We don't know.
At first there were just a few individuals,
but word must have gotten around because now there are nearly 23,000.
Geese are very unusual in that they choose their mates for life.
Even if their mate dies they never remarry.
Instead they become solitary.
Who would have thought that of a goose?
They eat grains and seeds and have plenty of food.
Flying on…
those who continue the journey will fly
south to the marshes of the River Guadalquivir.
The bustard also likes to hibernate here.
It is the largest terrestrial bird in Europe.
The male is considerably larger than the female
something common to many species
and weighs about 40 pounds.
When spring comes, the bustards begin their courtship.
They divide up into two groups:
males on one side and females on the other.
The males display their attributes, above all their white feathers,
and the more the better… hoping that a female will show interest.
While the females consider their options,
the male will take flight in order to fluff up his wings…
Like a crane lifting off for a long journey…