A lesser kestrel perched on a tree photographed during the NaturesLens Spanish Wildlife Birdlife of Toledo Photography Holiday

21 images of the captivating Wildlife & Birdlife of Toledo

Article written by illustrated with images contributed by .

Graham was one of the group of guests that joined myself & Dan in during July 2019, to photograph the fabulous Wildlife & Birdlife of Toledo – we had a superb group of guests join us, who were a lot of fun, totally engaged & there to make the most of the week of photographic opportunities; along with the superb organisation skills of our hosts, this made for a most enjoyable time.


Graham was lucky in that he captured a few species & behaviours that others didn't have the chance to experience including crows mobbing the larger raptors at the the various raptor & harrier hides in El Taray …


… & the bee-eaters; sadly the nesting had all failed earlier in the summer, the birds tried for a second nesting, but this too failed; the end result of this was that the population of the colony had begun to migrate & disperse earlier than normal. This meant that opportunities with the bee-eaters were to be cherished & made the most of – & Graham did so.


As noted elsewhere, on previous blog posts, the rollers were increasing in activity through the week, with some hides working well earlier in the week, & others becoming highly active in the latter part of the stay; this meant that many of the guests were able to experience the birds in all their glory, & for Graham to capture the quintessential image of a roller tossing an insect into the air to catch in it's mouth!


When I left, leaving the group with Dan & Luis, the hoopoes were increasing in activity, Graham took advantage of this with a number of visits to the photography hides, resulting in some really beautiful images as shown above.


We had timed the trip perfectly for the action on the roofs which the colony have made their nests within, & Graham capitalised upon this, with perched & in flight shots being added to his portfolio.


One of my favourite behavioural moments with Lesser Kestrels is food retrieval, the adults bringing insects back to their young or during the incubation period, the males to the females – the activity on the rooftops was frenetic, with the young demanding food, & the adults making content forays for insects, which they gently passed to the young.


As with each of the other guests, the Stone Curlews at the ware holes were a firm favourite, the drinking shots below, I think capture the pbehaviour of this bird throughout the week perfectly.


As a wrap-up, a few images of the smaller birds & passerines of the estate put on a good show, enabling our guests to capture some great images of them, whilst on a larger scale, the raptors, both harriers & buzzards made their presence known at the hides whilst Graham was ready with him camera.

PHOTOGRAPH THE SPANISH WILDLIFE & BIRDLIFE OF TOLEDO YOURSELF

To photograph the Spanish Wildlife & Birdlife of Toledo yourself, join Alan, in during June & July 2020 for a trip lasting 7 nights. This photography holiday is ideal for photographing a vast variety of Spanish Birds, including , common reed warbler, common sandpiper, crested lark, , Iberian hare, , , harriers of varying type, , starling, , wild rabbit & more besides!


The photography holiday is offered on a full board, non-shared basis. Group size for this photography holiday is a minimum of 5 participants & a maximum of 7, plus Alan. Until September 13th 2019, there is a special offer reducing the price to £2249 available.

All the details of the Spanish Birdlife of Toledo photography holiday are available on the dedicated event page.

No galleries found

No photography holidays found

Subscribe to our Newsletter for updates

When you subscribe to our newsletter, we will send you an email to let you know when we have an update on our photography holidays, any special offers, or any other news.


We don’t share your details with anyone else.