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| this photo and the next one (2022)by Jordi Gili, licensed under Wikimedia Commons, Share Alike 4.0 |
Vallbona de les Monges is a small municipality of about 225 inhabitants in Catalonia, Spain, located west of Barcelona, at a distance of 130 km by road.
Just east of the village, near a road intersection, there is an area with dozens of special scarecrows, which carry a nest box instead of a head. They are therefore not intended to scare birds away, but to offer them shelter.
The plan to set up such a project was put forward around 2012 by physician and naturalist Eduard Viver Bernadó, a resident of Vallbona de les Monges. A number of inhabitants responded enthusiastically and started making a first series of ten self-made creations that depict what may be called bird greeters. In Spain these creations are referred to as Estimaocells, which in English means dear birds.
The bird-loving creations are made according to the traditional way of putting together a scarecrow, a wooden pole with a cross beam for arms and dressed with surplus or no longer used clothing.
The choice made regarding clothing leads to a variety of outfits, many of them colorful and at times surprising if someone has come up with a special way of dressing, such as a person in a diving suit or other unusual outfit.
The area with these special scarecrows got a favorable development.
Today the area is filled with about forty colorful creations, which have transformed the area with the ensemble into an art environment. A review of the site from such a perspective is included in the in-depth analysis of Spanish art environments Singular Spaces II (2023) by Jo Farb Hernandez (see documentation)
For the residents of Vallbona de les Monges who participate in the project, the artistic element isn't the primary concern. Around the community there are eighty species of birds and their protection is paramount.
The site has various facilities that benefit the birds, such as drinking water and straw bales, and there is also an insect hotel, as shown above.
The scarecrow project has strengthened the sense of belonging of the residents of the community. Not only because of the joint maintenance of the site, but also because of other communal aspects, such as
every year in early August there is a festive gathering in which many residents and their children participate,
In addition, the project has become quite well known in Catalonia, which has contributed to the good name of the community. The city council is positive about the project and has focused on promoting ornithological tourism. In this context, a bird interpretation center has been opened in the community.
Documentation
* Article (February 2023) in newspaper La Vanguardia
* Article (August 2022) in newspaper Nova Tàrrega
* Article (February 2020) in a local newspaper
* Article on the website of Pobles de Catalunya
* Review in Jo Farb Fernandez, Singular Spaces II, (5 continents editions, 2023)
Video
* Video (December 2018, YouTube, 0"46") by Skpat
Zona con espantapájaros especiales (Estimaocells)
Along the mainroad LP 2235, east of
25268 Vallbona de les Monges, dept Urgell, region Lleida, Catalonia, Spain
can be seen from the road
Google Streetview, with a series of photos
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