0
90 180 270 360 450
Kilometres
Mediterranean Sea
Atlantic Ocean
2000 1000 0
2000 meters
2000 1000
0
2.000 meters
Noblejas
Villarrubia de Santiago
Santa Cruz de la Zarza
HSR
Study area
Madrid
Albacete
Fig. 8.1 Location of study site along the Madrid-Albacete HSR. Inset image shows a magnified
view of the study area (boxed-in main image)
Study Area
The study area is the HSR traversing Madrid-Castilla La Mancha-Valencia-Murcia,
specifically on the high plateau (Mesa) of Ocaña. The selected section corresponds
to km mileposts 80–102 of the HSR that runs through the municipalities of
Noblejas, Villarrubia de Santiago, and Santa Cruz de la Zarza, in the northeast area
of the Toledo province in central Spain (Fig. 8.1).
The Mesa de Ocaña is a large flatland approximately 100 m above the Tagus
River valley, with an average altitude between 750 m above sea level (a.s.l.) at the
western end of the section, and 790 m a.s.l. on the eastern side. The climate is
Mediterranean-continental, with an annual average temperature of 13.9 °C (average
monthly minimum 7.4 °C, and maximum 20.5 °C), and an average annual rainfall
of 437.8 mm (Ninyerola et al. 2005).
Of plain or slightly wavy relief, the area crossed by the railway is characterized
by its open physiognomy, with a predominance of dry crops (mainly cereals,
although legume crops like chickpeas, are frequently found), interspersed with olive
crops and vineyards. In some areas north of the railway, the topography is somewhat more irregular, with ravines, hills, and hillocks where some patches of natural
vegetation remain (oaks, pine trees, bushes, and Stipa tenacissima formations).
8 Cross-scale Changes in Bird Behavior Around …
119
90 180 270 360 450
Kilometres
Mediterranean Sea
Atlantic Ocean
2000 1000 0
2000 meters
2000 1000
0
2.000 meters
Noblejas
Villarrubia de Santiago
Santa Cruz de la Zarza
HSR
Study area
Madrid
Albacete
Fig. 8.1 Location of study site along the Madrid-Albacete HSR. Inset image shows a magnified
view of the study area (boxed-in main image)
Study Area
The study area is the HSR traversing Madrid-Castilla La Mancha-Valencia-Murcia,
specifically on the high plateau (Mesa) of Ocaña. The selected section corresponds
to km mileposts 80–102 of the HSR that runs through the municipalities of
Noblejas, Villarrubia de Santiago, and Santa Cruz de la Zarza, in the northeast area
of the Toledo province in central Spain (Fig. 8.1).
The Mesa de Ocaña is a large flatland approximately 100 m above the Tagus
River valley, with an average altitude between 750 m above sea level (a.s.l.) at the
western end of the section, and 790 m a.s.l. on the eastern side. The climate is
Mediterranean-continental, with an annual average temperature of 13.9 °C (average
monthly minimum 7.4 °C, and maximum 20.5 °C), and an average annual rainfall
of 437.8 mm (Ninyerola et al. 2005).
Of plain or slightly wavy relief, the area crossed by the railway is characterized
by its open physiognomy, with a predominance of dry crops (mainly cereals,
although legume crops like chickpeas, are frequently found), interspersed with olive
crops and vineyards. In some areas north of the railway, the topography is somewhat more irregular, with ravines, hills, and hillocks where some patches of natural
vegetation remain (oaks, pine trees, bushes, and Stipa tenacissima formations).
8 Cross-scale Changes in Bird Behavior Around …
119