La berrea en gorbeia
Enjoy listening to the rutting of the deer.
Every year at the end of summer on the slope alavesa of the Gorbeia Natural Park takes place the rutting season. The word "berrea" designates both the period of reproduction or rutting of the deer and the bellowing or bellowing that the males emit during this period. The development of the rut according to the natural development of the species will depend on the conditions of tranquility or stillness in the protected area.
The onset of the rut in a given region varies very little from one year to another, starting in Gorbeia at the beginning of September. The deer rut lasts from two to five weeks, until the first week of October in Gorbeia.
Guided tours: Criteria for the allocation of places by lottery.
The Provincial Council of Alava offers four guided tours to observe the rutting of the deer in the Gorbeia Natural Park. It is a natural spectacle that can be seen from specific observation points, through visits in small groups of fifteen people:
- Registrations will be made only through the Park's website.
- The groups of the visits will be of 15 people plus the accompanying guide(s).
- A maximum of two accompanying persons may be included in the registration form, in addition to the person in charge of the tour.
- Each registration application may select only two days out of the four offered.
- Each registrant (registrant or accompanying person) will only be considered once for each draw (two days maximum), and all registrations with duplicate entries will be automatically eliminated.
- The draw will be made separately for each day and each entry will have a registration number. These numbers will be used for the drawing.
Deer Behavior
The deer is a species that lives most of the year in groups, although adults of both sexes live separately except during the rutting season. Groups of females and young males live in their own territories, sometimes not far from those occupied by middle-aged males. The large stags stay more secluded, in particular sectors, often much farther away.
At the beginning of September, the females gather, restless and nervous, and dispatch their young. The large deer of all ages, except for the young, which are chased away, occupy in the territories of the females the sites that we know as rutting sites. The location of these sites facilitates the detection of danger or the approach of an intruder. The rut begins with nocturnal concerts, intimidation stops and bouts of deer from six to nine years of age.
The buck's bellowing or bellowing is the most characteristic manifestation of the breeding period. The rut is a language by which deer judge and calibrate each other by voice; the intensity, modulation and frequency of bellowing establishes a hierarchy among bucks.
The rut reaches its peak when most of the females come into estrus and manifests itself especially at night when the contacts between animals are more numerous.
Recommendations
In order to reduce human disturbance during this critical period for the species, remember:
- Go to the Parketxe de Sarria to get information about the rutting of the deer in the Gorbeia Natural Park.
- There are recommended stretches of the General Network of Trails of the Park to listen and observe the animals.
- The routes on foot in the rutting sector must be done along the General Network of Trails (see map) without being able to leave them in any case.
- In order not to alter the natural behavior of the deer, keep your distance from the animals and do not approach them.
- Do not frighten the animals or disturb them. Keep under cover, remain motionless and silent, so you will have more opportunities to observe the deer.
Currently, there are about 600 deer in the Gorbeia Natural Park, approximately 50% of the population in Alava. To protect the species and prevent its geographical dispersion during the rutting season, the Department of the Environment restricts uses and activities on the park's trails and roads.