I Finally Make It - 5

Day 5, AM - BOP's !

This morning I'm are at a location called La Vega one of El Taray's iconic areas for....BOP's. Eagles, Harriers, Kites and Buzzards are the targets this morning, some are residents seen through out the year so worth a visit even in winter. 

This location is probably one of the furthest away from the main meet up area on the El Taray Estate requiring about a thirty minuet drive, the location occupying a vast area of open scrub land and the lack of human activity probably the reason why this area is so attractive to raptors.

As we arrive already a large eagle is spotted sat on a large pylon increasing the our expectations of what to expect over the next few hours. We decant into one of three two man hides the raptors keep their distance but soon that will change when the bop's become more confident, squabbling, food robbing, the sights and sounds....but there's something already sniffing around !

El Taray Map

Red Fox

A Red Fox already knows what's about to happen and it's soon sniffing around looking around in the likely locations for food, when it finds some it grabs what it can trotting off to cash the food only to quickly return for more.

The eyes !

Bonelli's Eagle

Now I'm not the most experienced with Iberian raptors thinking this was a Spanish Imperial Eagle but I'm informed this is a Bonelli's Eagle. This pale eagle so dominant it's keeping the smaller harries well away until it had it's fill.

Marsh Harrier - male

By far the most common raptor in the location with females for some reason being the most common so nice to see this male up so close. Always squabbling and mantling food or risk being robbed, the interaction between the harriers providing different photo opportunities.

Marsh Harrier - female

Common Buzzard

Long way to come to photograph a Common Buzzard, on the day maybe just one or two present.

Rock Sparrow

Apart from raptors there's not a lot else to see in terms of passerines present other than the odd Rock Sparrow, superficially not unlike our House Sparrow but with a pale eye stripe.

Day 5, PM - Casa de Los Pastores

This afternoon I've been deposited fiver meters up a tower, the target...Rollers ! 

Unfortunately the Rollers this year have generally failed to breed due to the heavy wind and rain over the last few weeks never the less they're putting in an appearance on occasion as they are still are very much territorial of their site.

It's long wait and not looking at good getting any images of one of the regions most colourful birds, then unexpectedly a Roller zips in landing on a branch right in front of me, the shutter's now getting some serious action.

European Roller

Not intent in staying long the Roller with it's characteristic cackling call takes off over the reed bed, a brief ten minuet encounter, but quite happy with the results.

Spotless Starling

After more waiting the Roller dosen't re-appear having called it a day at this location but I did get a few other visitors, a Starling and no spots !

Eurasian Hoopoe

Egyptian Mongoose

Whilst waiting, in the corner of my eye I picked up what looked like an Otter, long, short legged with a long tail running across a bank, can't be an Otter can it ?... anyway back at base it appears it was an Egyptian Mongoose which I'm told are reasonably common in Southern Spain. 

I didn't get an image but here's one "nicked" from the Inter-web

BOP's !

Wiltshire - 16.1.22

A few weeks back I had the opportunity to spend some time photographing Common Buzzard which in the passed I've had mixed success with, so today it's just over an hours drive from the FOD to a farm owned by a fellow photographer I'd previously met on a trip up in Scotland a few years back.

I'm located on a side of a high ridge ideal for "bops' as they can use the up draft of the ridge to cruise efficiently across the landscape, to get some interest road kill has been put out initially attracting a single Buzzard, perched on a post it's very wary sitting for maybe ten minutes before it decides to move and take advantage of the free offering, plucked feathers are flying on the wind and it's not to long the activity seems to be a magnet to other circling bops.

Thirty minuets have passed and there are now maybe eight or more buzzards present both dark and a striking pale phase bird, they occupy several posts along the fence line some just sat on the grass, the inevitable squabbling starts over what's remaining of the road kill. A couple of Red Kite take an interest but where the Buzzards are just wary the Red Kites are wary of the Buzzards but they are more agile swooping down picking up the last of the scraps.

It's been quite an experience being able to photograph so many buzzards at such a close distance with the bonus of a couple of visiting Red Kite, although the weather hasn't been great being a rather grey day it's been another new experience and one which I might just repeat in a couple of months.

Common Buzzard

Portrait of the pale phase Buzzard against the dark threatening sky.

Red Kite

Also presenter were two Red Kite, very wary of the more aggressive Buzzard and never landing unless they moved away.

Some Sun At Last

Cumstoun - 19.1.20

A new photo opportunity for me this morning to view a deer carcass thats been attracting several Common Buzzards including a pale phase individual. On occasion Buzzards will sit on some vantage point and so long as you remain in the car you can get quite close, but not these individuals they were the most wary of birds and the slightest movement or noise they detected they were off.

Work in progress....

Common Buzzard

Pale Phase Common Buzzard

Buzz Lightyear

Ringford - 12.10.19

In the couple of visits to Alan McFadyen's hides I must have spent over twelve hours of waiting for a shot that's different to what I've already captured and one of the birds that would make the weekend that should be on everyones list would be....the Common Buzzard. To date I've only managed fleeting glimpses of this very shy bird of prey, swooping towards the hide at the very last moment veering off into a tree way off in the distance...my usual view, so fingers crossed I'm hoping today's the day.

It's afternoon and I'm in the hide to photograph the Tawny Owl later tonight that requires being in position before it gets dark, on a post is a male Sparrowhawk has turned up sporting some of the finest plumage I've seen with not a feather out of place (you can see images of this BOP in another post) suddenly a Buzzard that's been sat out of sight in a nearby tree swoops down sending the Sparrowhawk off into the nearby woods, the Buzzard investigates jumping from post to post then onto some rocks, there's some great poses and the images are looking ok in the last of the afternoon light, the Buzzard all the while looking for some free offering, I'm tempted just to watch but keep to the task in hand, the camera is in overdrive capturing this one off encounter with the buffer not really managing to keep up, oh for a 1DX !

All too quickly the encounter is over that's lasted no more than maybe two to three minuets. Now I wasn't really expecting this encounter, an encounter I've not seen on previously or on subsequent visits and maybe will only will as a frequent visitor, luck maybe but it's made my weekend.

Common Buzzard