Have you been hanging around wondering whether you've won?
Well, the first prize drawn wasn't claimed so here's the second attempt to give away the 1st prize of a week's free accommodation for two people in a double or twin bedded room anytime during mid season 2019 or 2020 at Quinta do Barranco da Estrada. Congratulations Rachel Cross.
All you have to do is to contact me through the Quinta's website by 25th September using the same email address you entered at the raffle.
Yes, we have a new video on Youtube and yes, here it is!
Migration season and it's tough to find a second to spare to write anything here at all - so I thought I'd post a few pictures from the last week to give an idea of what's around at the moment ...
Red-legged Partridges are ubiquitous, and this one escaped the Bonelli's Eagle we saw yesterday evening - which its mate did not ...
Bee-eaters seem to be everywhere with the onset of some nice warm weather.
Trying to capture them in flight though is tricky, especially head-on!
Another tricky shot is a decent Great Bustard; they're very wary and we take pains not to spook them, so it helps to know where to look.
Easier to find at this time of year are Little Bustards as the males establish a limited territory to which they are faithful week after week - once found they can be re-found - but to catch them in mid-call is not so easy.
Another species that is faithful to a fairly limited territory is Eurasian Wryneck, but a shot of one in the open like this usually takes hours of patience.
Usually one spends hours staring into a jungle of twigs or leaves like this - and I only include this picture as there're two Wrynecks here if one looks carefully.
Of course other species are a good deal easier to see, like this Audouin's Gull - one just has to be ready!
Having the sun behind one helps, and Hoopoe's make an excellent subject.
Great Spotted Cuckoos are also a favourite subject ...
... and it's even better if they're enjoying themselves as well!
Being prepared and ready for that chance in a million is the key, whether the shot is of colourful Rollers ...
... or simply a flock of thousands of "boringly brown" Spanish Sparrows!
