Come Friday evening and as is the normal before my trips out to the Sierra Morena I was still not packed!!! Well photographic equipment was...but not clothes.
I had arranged to meet my client at Gatwick at 4.30 to 5am so we could head to the terminal together and after a few issues en route with road closures we met up on time.
Plan for the long weekend was to photograph and observe Spanish Imperial Eagle, Griffon and Black Vultures, Iberian Wolf and Eagle Owl.
After a two hour delay on the runway in London we headed off to Malaga...arriving over 2 hours late so plans were already risky for the first evening. By the time we drove north to the mountains we decided to have a bit of late lunch and a few beers. Plans were rearranged and the following day we would head for Imperial Eagle and later afternoon try for the Eagle Owl.
As is normal with these trips we are up early for coffee and to make sure we are on location before the sun shows.
Once set up it’s a matter of waiting....well today there was not much waiting....30 mins in and still with little light approximately 40 Griffon Vultures descended without hesitation and began to feed. Within a few minutes 2 Cinereous (Black) Vultures joined them.
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| Griffon Vultures |
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| Cinereous Vulture |
Personally having vultures this early is a worry for me as they clear the area up and may keep the Eagle away......but not at these hides. One of this year’s chicks arrived very quickly and shortly after its twin turned up. Dad made an appearance but stayed in the background until he decided to see off one of the chicks.
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| Spanish Imperial Eagle Chick |
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| Adult Spanish Imperial Eagle |
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| Spanish Imperial Eagle Chick |
A great session was spent observing the stunning raptors and so we didn't get too bored....100 or so Azure-wing Magpies would keep us entertained. For good measure one of the local mongoose would show to the right but wouldn't give me a good opportunity for a shot.
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| Azure-winged Magpie |
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| Griffon Vulture Sleeping |
Late afternoon would involve a small hike up the valley to try and observe the Eagle Owls. Once in place it didn't take long to hear them calling.....not surprising the call is very loud and in the valley can be heard quite clear. While we where waiting Blue Rock Thrush and Black Red Starts were seen around the hides.
I spotted a slight movement up in the tree tops and suddenly.....one of the Owls flying towards us and in a split second it was in front of the hide and over to the left without stopping. I'm always happy when my clients get a shot of the target species even though I didn't.
A successful day and we were all happy as we discussed the day over a few beers and nice Ibérico Pork
The following morning after breakfast we headed south to meet up with a friend and go visit a Wolf Park that manages a group of Iberian Wolves. They are housed in a huge area and are left to be as close to wild as is possible. The pack acts and has hierarchy as they should. A stunning opportunity and experience that brought memories of seeing a pack move through the edge of a forest in Galicia when I was a child.
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| Distant Female Iberian Wolf |
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| Dominant Male Iberian Wolf |
A few hours later and with some luck we where close to a spot to attempt Iberian Ibex. A nice extra and after the drive up the mountain we got very lucky spotting a group of females and young Ibex. After parking and making our way on foot the group also consisted of 3 sub adult males and one fully adult male.
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| Adult Male Southern Iberian Ibex |
We spent almost 3 hours with them and observed them feeding and cleaning each other but we were too late for rutting.
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| Male Feeding |
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| Female Ibex (calculated Risk to get this shot) |
In all a tiring and successful weekend and I finally got home at 2am.
Very content :)
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