We are pleased to post up another selection of photos of the Birds of the Spanish Plains, taken on the Birds of Calera Photography Holiday, these were taken & contributed by David Jones, who visited Calera with me in 2015, but was so taken with the area & the variety of species on offer that he decided to revisit in 2016, with Dan leading the trip on this occasion.
You can view some of the images captured by Andrew, one of the participants, on another blog post located here & some of those from Dan, who led the trip for us in 2016 & will do so again in 2017 & 2018, here! But for now, here are some great images from David …
The colourful bee-eaters are always a great favourite with everyone & once again, they did not disappoint. This one was captured playing with its food before swallowing it.
The ∫ is always popular for the sheer variety of species that visit. This means that there’s always the chance of capturing something a little unusual, like this Black Vulture photographed peeking through lavender.
Whether our guests are looking for some great static portraits or flight shots such as this Common Kestrel preparing to take off, the birds in the area can be captured demonstrating all manners of their behaviour.
One of the Lesser Kestrel hides is located on a tower which means that our guests are at the same level as the birds, allowing for images such as this female Lesser Kestrel stretching her wings on the roof of an abandoned barn.
Working wonderfully for this year was the Little Owl hide located in one of the local olive groves. David managed to capture this wonderful image of the Little Owl with its prey.
Our guests are generally able to undertake more than one session with their target species to perfect that special shot; such as a pair of Bee-eaters gently passing food between them.
Our tour is timed for when there is plenty of nest & mating activity – here is a pair of Hoopoe mating. In addition to mating, many birds will already have hatched young, so feeding on a regular basis is a must.
Our 2016 guests enjoyed many new species who have taken up residence in the olive groves, & farm buildings of the area such as these Tree Sparrows.
Once our guests had captured their “guaranteed” shots, some of them decided to try some different & were lucky enough to capture images of a Red-legged Partridge.
Captured on the same roof as the Lesser Kestrel nesting location, a Spotless Starling male displaying & calling for the females.
There was much excitement when our guests heard that an Azure-winged Magpie had been spotted & much to the delight of all, the bird proved to be most obliging when it came to a photo call.
In addition to the larger species, many of Spain‘s smaller birds are to be found in the area, here is one of Spain‘s beautiful Southern Grey Shrikes.
The backdrop to the Carrion Hide includes the vast vista of the Sierra de Gredos, here a Black Kite has been captured in flight against the snow-capped mountain range.
One of the Black-winged Stilts that frequented the lake hide, a new hide for to 2016, one that it seems all our guests enjoyed.
DO YOU WANT TO PHOTOGRAPH THE BIRDS OF THE SPANISH PLAINS?
If you would like to join the group to photograph the amazing birds of the Spanish plains, which will again be led by Daniel Trim in 2017, then you can book the 2017 Birds of Calera Photography Holiday for the same price as the 2016 participants paid, that is £1749 for a 9 day trip, but this price is only available until June 1st 2016, so book now if you would like to take advantage of this special offer price. After the special offer has closed, the price will rise to £1899.
We include all transport from Madrid Airport to the area in which the hides are located, transport to the hides themselves, accommodation on a full board basis, usage of the hides for 7 days & plenty of laughter. You should be presented with opportunities for photographing Bee-Eater, Black Vulture, Black-Winged Kite, Common Kestrel, Great Bustard, Griffon Vulture, Hoopoe, Imperial Eagle, Lesser Kestrel, Little Bustard, Little Owl & more besides!