I have been to Spain only once, for a three-week trip which started in Madrid, headed northeast to Segovia, Coca, and Avila. From that area we headed south through the Sierra de Gredos, Seville, and Cadiz. Stoping off at Gibraltar we then headed north through Ronda, Granada, and Toledo before completing the loop. Photographs from this trip are posted to the Spain Photo Gallery. Hi-8 video recorded in Spain is found in the Birds of Europe portfolio.
MONFRAGUE NATIONAL PARK
It is May and we are in western Spain near Monfrague National Park. We are looking for large birds of prey to video tape. So far it has been a lot of driving and very little taping.
We have journeyed through miles and miles of vineyards, through leagues and leagues of olive groves, and past vast expanses of Cork Oaks. Now we are at the end of the road, high upon an overlook, peering down into a rocky canyon. A few feet away there is a Black Kite, a pretty bird against a pretty backdrop, but it is sitting on an antenna and shows no inclination of moving - it finally did (photo right).
I get the shots but some how it seems unrewarding, maybe it has something to do with looking at all those cork trees (pretty interesting to finally see Cork Oaks after hearing about their bark and the harvesting techniques for all these years) and having the bird sit on an antenna.