Dear Reader, We now have four Swallows singing from our electricity line, chasing each other through the air. The Grasshopper Warblers surround us, and the spring flowers are in full bloom — a Giant Orchid on the loop, Wild Garlic down by the river, and Primroses gracing every grassy patch they can put roots down in. There are Cuckoo flowers in abundance too, but we are yet to hear one… I (Katie) had a very strange dream that I had heard a Cuckoo, only to realise it was someone playing a...
9 days ago • 4 min read
Dear Reader, It’s been a month since our last letter. We’ve been busy. The house build continues here at Wild Finca — plastering, endless roofing, and so many decisions! And then, amidst all that, quite suddenly, spring seems to have sprung! January was relentless with storms. Last week, when we visited the beach, we found three dead Puffins washed ashore — a sobering reminder of how wild and fragile winter can be. So we are especially grateful to feel we’re coming through the other side. In...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader,We have something special to share with you this week. Last spring our lovely friends Penny and Dave Green visited us here at Wild Finca. You may remember the newsletter afterwards - full of moth trapping, bio-blitzing, and all sorts of other magical nature activities.While they were here, Penny also recorded a conversation with us for her wonderful podcast The Wandering Ecologist. Listening back feels like stepping straight into an Asturian spring day - birds calling, pond...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader,Happy New Year! January arrived with a soft scattering of snow - just a light dusting across the land here, but more generously across the Sueve mountains opposite, which have been looking especially beautiful in the winter light. Photo taken after the snow had all but disappeared! And on our walk back from our neighbours after Three Kings Day, we were lucky enough to spot our first Woodcock of the season. It came shooting low across the sky and disappeared into the orchard above...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Dear , Before anything else, we wanted to say a huge thank you. For your messages.For your encouragement.For the wonderful photos you’ve sent of yourselves holding No Paradise with Wolves after receiving it for Christmas. Seeing the book out in the world - in your homes, in your hands, beside cups of tea and glasses of wine - is wonderfully surreal. And to everyone who has taken the time to leave reviews on Goodreads and Amazon so far, we truly can’t thank you enough. As part of this...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader,As the year draws in and the days shorten here in northern Spain, we wanted to send a little update from our wild corner - and a Christmas gift for you. A small book celebration We were delighted to receive another generous review of No Paradise with Wolves, this time from Ed Stubbs over at Birdguides - Stacey's positive mindset shines in No Paradise with Wolves. Rather than focusing on conflict, her and Massey engage as much as possible with local stakeholders – inviting visitors...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, We’re just one day away from the publication of Katie's book, No Paradise With Wolves - the story of how we found our way to this valley in Asturias, stumbled upon a defunct dairy farm, and slowly brought Wild Finca back to life. It’s a book about arrival and belonging, about the creatures who joined us (wild, domestic, and human), and about the many messy, magical years that followed. And today, we get to share something that still doesn’t feel quite real… BBC Wildlife Magazine...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, We hope this finds you well - and suitably Autumnal! It’s been one of the busiest seasons Wild Finca has ever seen. With a landslide of late deliveries, our DIY house build has turned into a race to get everything weatherproof before the next big storm (we’ve already survived one!). It’s been a little chaotic, but as ever, nature carries on around us. The winter Meadow Pipit flocks have arrived, and the Grey Herons are back too - their calls echoing through the night as they...
5 months ago • 5 min read
From brambles to butterflies - and a Quest your whole family will love. Starts Saturday!Dear Reader,This week we moved the cattle and horses to the furthest block of Wild Finca - our wildest and most remote spot. Bordering the forest, it’s bursting with natural regeneration. The thorny scrub - Hawthorn, Bramble, Blackthorn, and Dog Rose - has been quietly protecting young Oaks, Chestnuts, Cherries, Willows, and Birches, now stretching over 4 feet tall. We’ve gently cleared some Bramble...
8 months ago • 2 min read
We’ve bundled everything - quests, audio, videos, and live recordings - into one easy place for your weekend of wild discovery.Dear Reader, Whether you’ve been Questing daily or are just joining us now - good news! Many of you messaged to say that you'd be tucking into the 3-day over the weekend, so we’ve bundled all 3 days of the Mini Nature Quest - including PDFs, audio guides, and recordings of our live sessions - into one easy place. 👉 Access the full 3-day Mini Nature Quest Bundle here &...
8 months ago • 1 min read