With two days gone Group 2 were feeling quite happy with their lot, we'd seen some good birds and had some excellent photo opportunities, however, it wasn't a competition and we were feeling very guilty that Group 1 were having very little luck at all. They'd had the experience of being in the midst of an illegal shoot one day and a no show Goshawk against all the odds on the next.
Day 3 we were down for the Bonelli's eagle hide, they were going for their turn in the quarry hide.
The Eagles are late risers so we had a leisurely start to the day which was nice, we headed off to our hide at around 10.00am. Placed near the edge of a cliff on a high ridge, the views are spectacular.
So was the wind!
The previous week the wind had been so strong it had blown the hide over and had been man handled back in to a temporary position by the photographers on that day. Despite their reservations the Eagles soon came in to feed.
The hide had to be properly secured though and a work party had been up the previous day to do just that. The Eagles had been flying overhead while the work was going on so it was fully expected they'd be ready to feed on the offered rabbit.
It was not to be and this hide experience soon entered my top hide disasters at No 3 in the top 5 rankings. It wasn't as bad as the 16 hours I spent all alone in a tiny hide in Spain with nothing to look at all day, and not quite as bad as attempting to sleep in a wooden box hide at near zero temperatures waiting for a Black Grouse lek that never happened in Estonia.
At least this time I was properly prepared with adequate, well almost adequate, clothing and with two people for company to while away the time for 7 hours. The downside was the wind.... and consequently the dust. Sat next to the door there was a huge gap which I attempted to block with my camera bag and foot. I lost feeling in my foot fairly quickly! The floor of the hide was several inches thick with dust and the wind was blowing in more all the time. Reaching the far end of the small hide it hit the wall, swirled round and deposited dust on everything. I'm not sure what i looked like but Paul and Mike looked like the mummified bodies seen in a cave in a typical Indiana Jones movie.
It wasn't any fun at all and all for nothing.
Group 1 meanwhile had an excellent day at the quarry, getting lots of Blue Rock Thrush opportunities. Well, we wanted them to catch up on our good fortune and today they had done.
Day 4 it was decided we'd try a double. Goshawk hide first, Bonelli's Eagle in the afternoon. Neither had been fed , at least with bait, for a couple of days so surely they would return now?
An early start to get inside the hide before daylight. Group one had advised us to ask for the bait to be placed on the furthest of two perches and this was done as requested. The food, rabbit. The same rabbit that had been put out the two previous days it seemed. I'm not sure what the usual colour of Spanish rabbits are but this looked very much like someone's pet. A black bunny.
The three of us sat motionless and silent. First the male Goshawk landed on the near perch, then the bigger female dropped on to the rabbit on the furthest perch. Still we didn't move.
Don't move until the bird starts to eat was the word of advice and we intended sticking to it.
Suddenly the male flew away, it wasn't anywhere near light yet and we'd possibly lost one bird already.
The female started to eat.
A pretty gruesome sight as the rabbit was disembowelled.
The Goshawk spent about 2 hours feeding. What a magnificent bird. Shame that the "prey" looks inappropriate for a natural looking shot.
The best you can do is to try and crop it out.
It kind of works but not ideal.
We spent two hours watching this, if you want to relive it try this.
The morning session over, the time was right to move on back to the Bonelli's Eagle hide
TBC
Day 3 we were down for the Bonelli's eagle hide, they were going for their turn in the quarry hide.
The Eagles are late risers so we had a leisurely start to the day which was nice, we headed off to our hide at around 10.00am. Placed near the edge of a cliff on a high ridge, the views are spectacular.
So was the wind!
The previous week the wind had been so strong it had blown the hide over and had been man handled back in to a temporary position by the photographers on that day. Despite their reservations the Eagles soon came in to feed.
The hide had to be properly secured though and a work party had been up the previous day to do just that. The Eagles had been flying overhead while the work was going on so it was fully expected they'd be ready to feed on the offered rabbit.
It was not to be and this hide experience soon entered my top hide disasters at No 3 in the top 5 rankings. It wasn't as bad as the 16 hours I spent all alone in a tiny hide in Spain with nothing to look at all day, and not quite as bad as attempting to sleep in a wooden box hide at near zero temperatures waiting for a Black Grouse lek that never happened in Estonia.
At least this time I was properly prepared with adequate, well almost adequate, clothing and with two people for company to while away the time for 7 hours. The downside was the wind.... and consequently the dust. Sat next to the door there was a huge gap which I attempted to block with my camera bag and foot. I lost feeling in my foot fairly quickly! The floor of the hide was several inches thick with dust and the wind was blowing in more all the time. Reaching the far end of the small hide it hit the wall, swirled round and deposited dust on everything. I'm not sure what i looked like but Paul and Mike looked like the mummified bodies seen in a cave in a typical Indiana Jones movie.
It wasn't any fun at all and all for nothing.
Group 1 meanwhile had an excellent day at the quarry, getting lots of Blue Rock Thrush opportunities. Well, we wanted them to catch up on our good fortune and today they had done.
Day 4 it was decided we'd try a double. Goshawk hide first, Bonelli's Eagle in the afternoon. Neither had been fed , at least with bait, for a couple of days so surely they would return now?
An early start to get inside the hide before daylight. Group one had advised us to ask for the bait to be placed on the furthest of two perches and this was done as requested. The food, rabbit. The same rabbit that had been put out the two previous days it seemed. I'm not sure what the usual colour of Spanish rabbits are but this looked very much like someone's pet. A black bunny.
The three of us sat motionless and silent. First the male Goshawk landed on the near perch, then the bigger female dropped on to the rabbit on the furthest perch. Still we didn't move.
Don't move until the bird starts to eat was the word of advice and we intended sticking to it.
Suddenly the male flew away, it wasn't anywhere near light yet and we'd possibly lost one bird already.
The female started to eat.
A pretty gruesome sight as the rabbit was disembowelled.
The Goshawk spent about 2 hours feeding. What a magnificent bird. Shame that the "prey" looks inappropriate for a natural looking shot.
The best you can do is to try and crop it out.
It kind of works but not ideal.
We spent two hours watching this, if you want to relive it try this.
The morning session over, the time was right to move on back to the Bonelli's Eagle hide
TBC
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