I have explored many of the city’s natural areas, though not all of them in their entirety, as each forest park, for example, covers many hectares and has numerous paths and trails. They have always surprised me, but never quite like this time.

He recorrido muchos de los espacios naturales de la ciudad, la mayoría no por completo, ya que cada parque forestal, por ejemplo, tiene muchas hectáreas, caminos y recorridos, siempre me han sorprendido, pero nunca como esta vez.

The natural environment of the city, in its various locations, is home to virtually the same fauna, though not the same flora. If I compare the city’s historic botanical garden with the woodland parks, the latter differs, as the botanical garden consists of a large number of plants and trees brought from different parts of the world, all of which coexist perfectly and have adapted. But what they do have in common is the fauna, the different species of animals that can be found there.

I have visited the botanical garden many times and have tried to follow the various sounds of the animals I might come across, but only once did I manage to spot one of them in the distance, up in a tree; however, it moved so quickly that I could barely see it, let alone take a photograph.

Among the wildlife that can be found in these parks, and according to the information on all the signs at the entrances to these parks, are the grass snake, the Iberian wall lizard, the chameleon, and various types of birds such as blackbirds, sparrows and serins, although the first two are found throughout the city and are easy to spot, as well as other animals such as squirrels. I always think how much I’d like to see a chameleon, but the reality is that they blend into their surroundings so well that it’s almost impossible.

Mammals are more commonly found in the so-called ‘montes de Málaga’, which I’ve never actually visited, and as for birds, I’ve seen plenty, albeit from a great distance, in the protected reserve at the mouth of the River Guadalhorse, where there are several lagoons.

But whenever I go to the forest parks, as was the case on a walk I took a few days ago, which you can see in the photos, I keep an eye out for that chameleon or the squirrels. And it is the latter that today’s post is about: the red squirrel, which was introduced here in the 1970s.

I decided to go for a walk in one of my favourite woodland parks, although they’re all beautiful, Gibralfaro Woodland Park. It has numerous footpaths running close to the hillside where the castle stands, and I’d love to explore them all. I just wanted to walk, breathe in the fresh air and enjoy the views, as well as being amongst the trees, which I love.

They say that things turn up when you least expect them, and that when you search too hard for something, you end up not finding it, well, that’s exactly what happened to me, not just once but twice on the same walk.

I chose one of the many paths there, one that was quiet, and all I could think about was breathing in the fresh air and enjoying nature, taking in the beautiful scenery, the city visible in the distance and far below where I was standing. The scenes created by the pine trees, the sun and the sky are marvellous. It’s incredible how beneficial nature is; it works wonders for me. It brings me peace, helps me to think and, above all, relieves the stress of everyday life.

I was walking along one of those paths with a wooden railing on my right-hand side; I was distracted, gazing up at the castle’s outer wall, when I noticed something moving very close to me. The path wasn’t very wide, so I felt that presence very, very close by. When I turned round, there it was: a beautiful red squirrel with a big tail. It stopped right in front of me and looked at me with gentle eyes.

Squirrels belong to the rodent family, but they seem so different from mice to me that I can hardly believe it. It walked slowly and climbed up a tree, and that’s when I realised that many of the trees have drinking troughs for them. Everything is very well looked after, and great attention is paid to every detail within the woodland parks. Those in charge of it really do a good job.

I stood there watching her whilst she drank water, completely still; I just took out my phone and took a photo of her. She looked beautiful, and she was so close to me that I got quite emotional. I think I always say this, but it’s the little things in nature that surprise and move me the most. It might seem naive or silly, but that’s just how it is. I feel a strong connection with her.

She scampered off, climbing up the tree, and I carried on my way until there was no further path, that can happen on this sort of trail. So I turned round and set off back to the start.

It was there, on the ground, seemingly playing amongst the leaves, that I spotted another squirrel, though I think there were two, but one was closer. It was darting back and forth, and I stopped again on the path to take a photo of it. It wasn’t as close as the other one, but it was just as cute, they really are cute.

It posed for me, stayed for a moment and then disappeared into the trees. I looked them up online and was pleased to learn that they are found throughout Europe in low-lying woodlands and coniferous forests, rather than in mountainous areas. They eat fruit, seeds, insects, eggs and even small birds. They’re always active; they don’t hibernate. One interesting fact is that they’re excellent swimmers and use their tails as a rudder. To be honest, I’d love to see one of them swimming. I’ve left some more information here in case you’d like to find out more.

The truth is, I live every experience I have in nature to the full; they bring out my inner child and help me enjoy every moment. I think that’s why I get so excited when things like this happen to me.

Thank you very much for joining me today; I wish you all a lovely weekend. See you soon.
Amonet.