Hello and welcome. This time, Explora Natura offers you a series of stories and tales for the enjoyment of the youngest members of the family, especially relevant now that we have to stay home. #stayhome.
It turns out Entertaining and fun Let's take some time out of our day to read to our loved ones, especially our little ones. So, from now on, don't miss the stories of our nature friends that we'll be publishing to share with you. Without further ado, here is our first edition of stories about animals.
Spoon
It was one of those lovely sunny days that dawned, and every little creature seemed to be celebrating. Dragonflies flitted their silvery wings along the lake shore. Bees and butterflies visited each of the rosemary flowers that had opened that April morning to greet the day. A tireless army of worker ants carried seeds to their buried storehouse. Everything seemed to be going perfectly.
Everything? Not everything!
A heartbroken cry came from the rushes that grew beneath the great willow. Cucharín, one of the ducklings, was crying inconsolably. Her mother approached, saddened.
"What's wrong, Cucharín?" he asked.
And the young duck, taking a deep breath and drying his tears with the feathers of his wing, said: "Mom, I'm ugly and clumsy. Why?".
–Who told you that, my love? You're gorgeous.
"What are you going to say, you're my mother," Cucharín said. "Haven't you seen how big my beak is? It's not like the hoopoe's, thin, curved, and elegant.".
The mother smiled. "Let's see, you've always said you admired humans, haven't you?"
–Yes, Mom –the young man replied, paying attention.
"Well, they, whom you admire so much, when they go to eat they use something similar to your beak, a spoon. That means that they find what nature gave you useful.".
The little duckling wiped the tears from his eyes. For a moment he had been fascinated. The humans imitated him to eat. But then, he burst into tears again. "Yes, Mama, but I'm clumsy. Haven't you seen the greyhound run? It's agile and fast.".
Mama Duck, stroking Cucharín with her beak, said: "It's true that greyhounds are fast, but so are we.".
"Us?" he asked, surprised.
"Of course, my son. We can cover the same distance as the greyhound, even in less time. And we do it flying. We can also do it while enjoying the scenery, seeing things from the sky. Besides, the greyhound is a fast animal, but it tires quickly. You, on the other hand, will one day be able to cover enormous distances. You might even be able to travel through several countries.".
Cucharín, feeling a bit more cheerful, stopped crying.
–And what about our voice, we only go “quack, quack”, while other birds, like the nightingale, have beautiful songs.
Cucharín's mother smiled again. "It's true that nightingales have a melodious song, but their colors are brown, and they live hidden among the brambles, where no one can see them. We, on the other hand, live in the center of the lagoon, where everyone can see us. Our feathers are a reflection of beauty, especially in the males. Look at your father, who also has beautiful yellow eyes, and a green mirror adorns our wings. What does it matter that we only quack if we are beautiful animals?".
Then Cucharín, much more animated, struck an elegant pose and said to his mother: –You're right!
–Of course, my son. Everyone should try to be happy as they are, without envying the qualities of others, because all animals should try to live happily with their flaws and virtues.
Cucharín flapped his wings happily and flew to the center of the lagoon to join his brothers. Now he was happy.
Did you enjoy it? More stories coming soon to https://exploranatura.es/
Antonio Pestana
Antonio Jesús Pestana Salido (Cabra, Córdoba, 1970) es ornitólogo y fotógrafo de naturaleza andaluz, especializado en aves y en la interpretación del paisaje mediterráneo. Desde niño ha estado vinculado al estudio y observación de la fauna, y lleva décadas recorriendo los espacios naturales de Andalucía, especialmente la Subbética cordobesa.
Es fotógrafo de naturaleza premiado a nivel nacional, ganador del primer premio del concurso de fotografía de naturaleza Carl Zeiss (IV edición) con una imagen de digiscoping de piquituerto común, además de otros reconocimientos en concursos especializados de fotografía de aves.
Como ornitólogo de campo ha participado en proyectos de seguimiento y conservación de aves, especialmente rapaces y aves esteparias, y ha sido coordinador provincial en Córdoba de los censos de aguilucho pálido y aguilucho cenizo. También es presidente de la asociación naturalista Abanto, dedicada a la divulgación y conservación del patrimonio natural.
Es autor de varios libros sobre fauna ibérica y cultura popular publicados por editoriales especializadas, entre ellos “Las aves ibéricas en la cultura popular” y “Las rapaces diurnas ibéricas en la cultura popular”, obras que recopilan refranes, creencias y tradiciones relacionadas con las aves en la cultura popular.
Además de su trabajo como autor y fotógrafo, desarrolla actividades de divulgación y educación ambiental, guiando salidas de naturaleza, impartiendo talleres de fotografía de aves y colaborando con centros educativos, asociaciones y proyectos de turismo de naturaleza.
She regularly works with schools, designing wildlife observation activities adapted for primary and secondary school students. She also collaborates with companies and associations on birdwatching tours, teaches nature photography courses, and participates in the design of natural areas.
