A Spanish Little Owl at its nesting site in an olive grove photographed on one of the pair of NaturesLens Wildlife Photography Holidays to capture images of the Birds of Spain

Alan’s thoughts from his second week with the Birds of Spain

Article written by illustrated with images contributed by .

This is part 2 of my blog for NaturesLens after my undertaking a pair of back-to-back Wildlife Photography Holidays to capture images of the Birds of , this blog covers the Spanish Birds of Calera Photography Holiday – if you haven't read the first part, you can read it here – it covers the Spanish Raptors Photography Holiday.

After the Raptors trip & my overnight stop in Madrid, it was time to head back to the airport to meet the group arriving from the UK for the Calera tour. Greetings exchanged, Daniel met with, we were soon on our way. Calera is about 1h 30mins to the west of Madrid in the Castilla-la-Mancha region. It would be another week of early starts & longs days in hides but I knew it would also be a week of excellent bird photography & I was looking forward to it very much.

A Spanish Little Owl At It'S Nesting Site In An Olive Grove Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain

The local guide, that NaturesLens work with, David, has worked very hard establishing hides in the region & they give amazing opportunities to photograph some of the iconic birds of . Species available during the week we were there included Great Bustard, Little Bustard, , , , Black-winged Kite, Southern Grey Shrike, Lesser Kestrels, , Black & Griffon Vultures, a Lake Hide for various wading birds, & a reflection pool mainly visited by Azure-winged Magpies.

This year I elected not to spend time with the Bustards because there were so many other species I wanted to photograph, & I knew I would want to revisit some of those hides to maximise opportunities to photograph the birds in different lighting conditions or exhibiting different behaviours. Here's what I spent the week photographing.

A Lesser Kestrel Returns To The Rooftop With A Freshly Caught Caterpillar Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain

Bee-Eaters

I had 2-afternoon sessions with the Bee-Eaters. There is a lot of activity to be seen at this time of year – squabbling over perches, food passes between paired birds, & mating. If the temperature falls below 14ªC – which means their prey is not flying – then they can be relatively inactive – but you can still get good portrait shots.

A Beautiful Portrait Of A Bee Eater Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain

I was fortunate that temperatures were reasonably high, even on a windy day & so I was able to witness the full range of behaviours on my visits.

A Pair Of Bee Eaters Perform The Classic Food Pass Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain A Pair Of Mating Bee Eaters Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain Settling A Dispute As Only Bee Eaters Can Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain

Hoopoe

They have to be one of my favourite birds. Although I had already spent 3 sessions photographing them in my first week in Spain, I knew the location in Calera would offer me some different images. Two years ago, the birds were further along in their annual cycle & I had a parent bird feeding a chick.

One Of Calera'S Hoopoes Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain

This year the female spent most of her time in the nest, incubating the eggs, & the male was bringing in food items to her. Midway during the week, I noticed that both birds were leaving the nest – so the chicks must have hatched & both parents were now busy.

A Fantastic Portrait Of One Of Calera'S Hoopoes Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain A Hoopoe Perches Having Returned To The Nest With A Captured Insect Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain A Perched Hoopoe Witha Recently Captured Grub Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain

Lake Hide

I didn't try this hide 2 years ago, so I wanted to spend some time in it this year. It's a ground level hide so that you are shooting just above the water. I was hoping for a lovely calm evening with great evening light. It didn't happen.

One Of The Black Winged Stilts Found At The Lake Hide Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain

Instead, on both the evening sessions I was there, the skies were mostly overcast & the wind was rippling the surface of the lake. The image I had in mind – mating Black-winged Stilts with a perfect reflection, & bathed in warm evening light – just wasn't going to be. But I still managed to get some cracking images of the Stilts – & in some ways, these are among my favourite images from the trip.

A Pair Of The Black Winged Stilts Mating Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain

Also present were Little Grebes & Little Ringed Plover to name a few. Sometimes the shore birds would wander so close they filled the frame.

A Beautiful Little Grebe Swims Past The Lake Hide Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain A Dunlin At The Lake Hide Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain A Little Ringed Plover Found Adjacent To The Lake Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain A Water Level Shot Of A Gadwall Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain

Lesser Kestrels

I loved this location the first time I photographed these birds in 2015. The 2-person hide is on a short scaffold tower at the same height as a tumble-down barn roof that the colony nests in. There are about 25 pairs nesting here, & your view across this part of the roof covers 5 nesting pairs. The males are out hunting & bringing back food to the females – mole crickets are a favourite prey item, but you also see caterpillars, centipedes, mice & sometimes lizards.

One Of The Lesser Kestrels Returns To Nesting Site With A Freshly Caught Centipede Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain

This is mating season, & after the male lesser  passed the food to the female, the female usually calls to him to mate with her. With 5 pairs there's always something happening! There are other birds flying around, with a few perching on the roof from time to time. This year there were quite a few Spotless Starlings, & there was a lot of displaying behaviour.

A Calling Lesser Kestrel Near The Rooftop Nesting Site Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain A Pair Of The Lesser Kestrels Mating Near Their Nesting Site Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain A Pair Of The Lesser Kestrels Perched Near Their Nesting Site Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain A Spotless Starling Displaying Near The Lesser Kestrel Nesting Site Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain One Of The Lesser Kestrels Passes Food To It'S Mate Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain

Vultures

A little further west of Calera, there are a couple of hides set in a remote field with the Gredos Mountains as a backdrop. Food is put out primarily for the Vultures, but the food attracts a number of other species. Black Kites, one or two Red Kites, Storks & Carrion Crows also visit. As for the vultures, these are predominantly Griffon & Black Vultures. We did also see an but it was quickly chased away. You are in glass fronted hides under a tree. The glass means you can see & photograph birds as they fly in. When they are on the ground, some of the birds come really close, giving great opportunities for portrait images.

A Griffon Vulture Circles The Vulture Feeding Site Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain A Griffon Vulture Perches At The Vulture Feeding Site Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain A Portrait Of The Black Vultures That Frequent The Vulture Feeding Site Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain A Stork Circles The Vulture Feeding Site Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain One Of The Black Kites That Circle The Vulture Feeding Site Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain One Of The Black Vultures Posed In Lavender At The Vulture Feeding Site Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain

Black-winged Kites

This is the only hide in Europe to photograph these beautiful birds, & it's the hide owner's signature hide. Early in the season, monitoring of the birds' activity begins as they pair up for breeding – Where are their territories? Where are they likely to nest? Will be able to get a hide & perch in the right setting for a clean background, etc etc. To achieve the results he does,  works very hard, & this year had 5 locations under investigation. Only one of those was successful. & it was very successful for the 4 of us that each spent a day in this hide. You enter & leave the hide under the cover of darkness – so it's a long day on your own. I was in the hide from about 6 am until 10 pm.

One Of The Black Winged Kites Captured In The Pastel Hues Of Early Morning Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain

On my previous trip, I had photographed the male bringing prey items back to the perch where he would prepare them for the female who would then come in & take them from him & return to the nest to feed chicks. This year, the chicks had already fledged & there were 2 very noisy juvenile birds calling for attention most of the day. The parents would feed them, but they were also capable of catching their own food. The day I spent in the hide was a wet one – thunderstorms were passing over – but it didn't mean I “lucked out”.

A Black Winged Kite Perches In The Rain Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain

I had the best session I could imagine. In the early morning, with the rain obscuring the background, even more, I was treated to an adult bird set against beautiful pastel colours – one of my favourite images from this trip. Later in the day, I had one of the juvenile birds on the perch. It sat there dripping in the rain. Once the rain had passed I was treated to a whole hour of preening & wing flapping. The dull light made exposure of the black & white feathers easier than it would have been in harsh sunlight.

The Fantastic Black Winged Kite A Simply Stunning Bird Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain

Other species

Two of us went out for a morning drive with our guide to photograph Red-legged Partridge near a small town.

One Of The Red Legged Partridges Found In The Fields Surrounding Calera Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain

I spent a morning at the reflection pool hide photographing the Azure-winged Magpies & another short morning session photographing a Southern Grey Shrike.

One Of Calera'S Stunning Azure Winged Magpies Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of SpainOne Of Calera'S Southern Grey Shrikes Photographed On One Of The Pair Of Natureslens Wildlife Photography Holidays To Capture Images Of The Birds Of Spain

On my final evening, I visited a nesting site. I had been warned that the birds might not appear (as they are not baited, there are no guarantees). But as the last light of the evening raked across the olive grove, the suddenly appeared at the base of the olive tree in front of me – this is the image at the head of this blog posting. A magical end to a magical week.

I really did enjoy this week – so much so that I'm sure I will go back to capture more images of the Birds of Spain, yes, for the third time!

You can see more of Alan's images (& some video clips) on his Facebook page or visit his website here.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO CAPTURE IMAGES OF THE BIRDS OF SPAIN FOR YOURSELF IN 2018?

For 2018, NaturesLens have already planned a duo of Spanish Bird Photography Holidays that can be joined together to form one seamless opportunity to add a plethora of photos of the birds of Spain to your portfolio – or you can attend the separate events individually – the two events are the Spanish Raptors Photography Holiday followed the next week by Spanish Birds of Calera Photography Holiday.

Starting with the Spanish Raptors Photography Holiday during mid-April – specifically starting on April 13 & ending on April 20, 2018 – to be led by Sean Weekly for NaturesLens, then the amazing Spanish Birds of Calera Photography Holiday starts on April 21 & ends on April 29, 2018, this trip is being led by … Sean Weekly … so you'll have his company, photographic tuition & guidance for the whole fortnight.

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