'Every Cloud an' All'

Well of late I have engaged my hidden talent of moaning my adolecent face off at the state of my hard drive. However, it is through this blog that the situation has been kept in check. I have, on this blog, uploaded a great many of my shots and whilst you've seen most I keep some 'reserve' posts for when i'm dying from withdrawal symptoms. You'll see these posts as they tend not to fit the season and are a bit aimless. Still, there's one post I kept back, and i'm so glad I did...

...Andalucia! I went to the Costa Del Sol! Officially the most unemployed district of Spain, 30 years ago it had 50% illiteracy rates and the temperature gets to 43 degrees every day. Perfect for wildlife. However, one fact I should disclose is that my best shots were of Spotted Flycatchers and were never saved so what you have here is the dregs. Still, they're quite good for 'dregs'. Let's start off with this young Spanish Sparrow...

...that last shot's an interesting one. That bird isn't calling. Or eating. Its panting, the birds here genuinely go round with their mouths open to lose heat. Its a bit surreal to see all these gaping sparrows, but not as surreal as seeing these birds. Before this holiday i'd seen Bee Eaters only in the Pyrenees, but never got close enough for a good shot. That's still true, but got some passable images of a perched distant one..

...a truly beautiful creature, I wish I could aquaint myself with these birds on a more regular basis. I did get a little closer, but the angle's not great. Grrr...

But I am a gambler. My wildlife kit weighs in at about 5kg and sits on the small of my back. It has, in its short existence, climbed about 10,000ft, accended the world famous Tourmalet on a bike, has been in a river (thankfully for a short period), visited Shetland and has now been to the tourists sites of Southern Spain. Why am I a gambler? That's an awful dead weight as you're wandering round the Alhambra (yes I thought it was in Bradford too), but I was (for the first time ever) rewarded for my exertions with this...

This shot's Exif:

1/400
f7.1
ISO 3200

It was taken on our only dull day, and in dense coniferous woodland I found shutter speeds a real struggle. Still, an absolute gem of a bird, as was my next Alhambra find...

You have no idea how much i've wanted to see one of these up close, then there's one outside the gift shop! Amazing stuff...

Another bird i've always wanted to photograph is the Griffon Vulture, this was not my lucky trip in the end. However, it was the end of a wait for another species; the Rock Bunting. Its not an easy subject, they're tricky to locate, but fairly accomodating (even if they stick to the shade from the ferrocious midday sun!)...

Perhaps my experience of the trip was pulling over to watch a Booted Eagle, whereupon it stooped into the olive grove near to me, whereupon it rose up and circled me. At midday the shots clearly aren't the best but i've never had anything like that happen, truly memorable...

But its not just birds in this cradle of life, the invertibrae front is good too (even if the ID of this fella escapes me)...

...but I say with as much certainty as a vegan cheetah that this is certainly a Scarce Swallowtail...

....not bad for the oul' sigma at 400mm! And a good trip for me too! I have to say that the lifestyle's quite agreeable, as is the food and the birding! Perhaps one day i'll return without my family in toe, get up at 3am and look for these creatures in the golden hours. Perhaps I won't. But for a 2 week family holiday cut short by a music festival it wasn't half bad. I think there's one more summer post to conclude the last 4 months, but I think that shall wait.