The Pyrenees finish in the Baztán valley. The sides
of the Aizkolegi mountain, part of the Pyrenees, are covered
with the thick forest of the Nature Park of Bértiz.
The streams and brooks, numerous in the park, flow to the
Cantabrian Sea. One of the important regions is the Bidasoa
basin, a bed teeming with salmons, that gives name to the
area along which it flows. The basin is some 60 km long and
its course is regularly copious due to the Atlantic climate
and the abundant rainfalls.
A Mild Climate
The proximity to the sea softens the intense temperatures
in winter and summertime. Its moderating effect avoids the
sudden descent of cold temperatures in wintertime, common
in other parts of the Navarrese mountains, as well as the
sudden ascents in summertime. Likewise, the Cantabrian winds
blow towards the interior the atlantic storms, materialised
in rain.
Due to the abundant rainfalls, the species that form the Cantabrian
forest predominate in this scenery, especially beeches in
the highest areas and oaks in the narrow and deep areas. Willows
cover the banks of the streams and brooks of the Park, along
with ash trees, alders and hazel trees.
The close forest is inhabited by different species of mammals,
including foxes, the biggest predator in the area, wildcats,
wild boars, otters, dormouses; and birds such as sparrow hawks,
goshawks, carabus; and reptiles such as salamanders. |
