26. The shy soloist

The common warbler (Sylvia undata) is one of the most emblematic warblers of the Mediterranean maquis and garrigue. It builds its nest in the middle of shrubs and low bushes and defends it from intruders with courage and determination. The plumage of the back and rectrices of a beautiful slate gray takes up the tones of the woody branches, while the brick-colored chest and the contour of the eyes go well with the red and dry leaves of the lentisk, harmonizing the color of the magnanina with the environment in which he lives. The rapid and frenetic flight among the bushes seems like a dance punctuated by its own song, a shrill and rhythmic trill, which fills the spring in Su Chessarju de sa Cuilarja with notes. The magnanina has a purely insectivorous diet, as evidenced by the thin and pointed beak, evolved for the capture of small arthropods. In winter and spring, it integrates the diet with wild berries and fruits. The lightness with which it dives and emerges unscathed from the intricate heart of the mastic trees, made of leaves and branches, makes flying seem like a very simple action. In those few grams of weight there is an enormous vital force, which every spring, guided by a primordial instinct, undertakes to carry out a new small miracle.

Coordinates of the photographed site: 40°26'33"N 9°34'50"E