Seeking Wonders
TankSafe®’s technical director, Rick Forster, and his search for Spain's rarest and endangered wildlife…
El Barraco
My friend Alec and I flew into Madrid on Wednesday, May 29th, kicking off a thrilling 1700 km adventure set to last a week.
We spent two days in the mountains around El Barraco, searching for the very rare and endangered Spanish Imperial Eagle.
There are only 350 breeding pairs in Spain and 10 in Portugal. On our second day, success! We photographed a juvenile and later an adult female.
Spanish Imperial Eagle
Despite being wild birds, a hide in the area allowed us to observe them from dawn till dusk.
Patience and plenty of water were essential as temperatures soared.
Bitten and Sweltering
When night fell we moved to another hide - a black painted, soundproofed box built for 2 people.
There were 3 of us.
My friend, myself and our guide, José Luis Rodriguez.
José is a fellow photographer, and a conservationist, and knew the mountains and woodlands intimately.
After five cramped, sweltering hours and numerous ant and mosquito bites, we were rewarded with a 15 minute viewing of the majestic Eagle Owl feeding.
Eagle Owl with its prey - a rabbit
Patience
Buoyed by our success in El Barraco, we drove four and a half hours south to Parque Natural de Andujar, north of Cordoba, to look for the endangered Iberian lynx.
Temperatures here almost hit 40 degrees, so ice packs from our accommodation’s freezer were lifesavers!
Our patience paid off when a male Iberian lynx appeared - an old boy, looking for shade. He rested under a tree right in front of us.
He saw us, and looked straight down the lens at me. An incredible moment.
Male Iberian lynx
Many people think the wildlife is all set up for you – it most certainly isn’t. No matter where you are, home or abroad, patience is the only way that you will capture truly wild images. And a lot of luck.
I’ve lost count of the hours spent waiting for that illusive creature to show up, only to head home having seen nothing but a blackbird.
Female Iberian Lynx
As the sun set, we were thrilled to see a female Iberian lynx.
She eyed us with more vigour than the old male, again staring directly into my lens.
This made us slightly nervous as we only had a sheet of nylon between us.
We spent 40 minutes with her before she returned to her cubs.
We were incredibly fortunate to see one Iberian lynx, let alone two.
This animal is the world’s most endangered cat.
Thankfully, remarkable conservation efforts have helped its population grow to over 1700.
Just 20 years ago there were fewer than 100.
Sadly, our trip had to end, but we had been rewarded with seeing the beauty of some of nature’s most rare creatures.
We made our way back to Madrid through the stunning scenery of Extremadura.
Returning home felt like stepping into winter, but plans are already afoot for our next adventure!
Estremadura, Spain