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MORE PENDLE DOTTEREL TIME

Eurasian Dotterel, female, Pendle Hill

A SECOND TRIP OF DOTTERELS ON PENDLE HILL STAYED UNTIL I RETURNED FROM SPAIN, long enough for me to see make the hike up the hill to see them. There were three birds, two females and a male frequenting the Ogden Clough path much further down the hill than I have ever seen them before. Hassled by photographers for much of the morning they were a little wary. I draw the line at people trying to feed mealworms to them and will not be passing on any more dotterel news except privately to local birders. I am sick of people who cannot be bothered to help search for birds descending like locusts as soon as something scarce is reported and treating the birds like playthings.

Eurasian Dotterel, male, Pendle Hill

Eurasian Dotterel, female, Pendle Hill

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STONE CURLEW

Eurasian Stone Curlew, a female returns to her nest

EURASIAN STONE CURLEW IS ONE OF TEN SPECIES OF STONE CURLEWS scattered across the planet and has been one of my favourites since I first saw it on Weeting Heath in Suffolk more than 30 years ago. The night air of the Lleida Plains is filled by their demented wailing calls and although they are common here they are surprisingly unobtrusive during the day. We were privileged to be able to photograph a pair at their nest from a small and very hot canvas photo hide. It was wonderful to watch the adults changing over, while at the same time worrying that every time someone walked, rode a bicycle or drove a vehicle past their nest the sitting bird would scurry off for a few minutes. Interestingly the slightly smaller and neater female was much more attentive than the male, which usually nodded off during his incubation shift. Nest hides are usually short-lived opportunities because, like many shorebirds, the young leave the nest within a day or so of the eggs hatching. A big thank you again to our partners Birding in Spain for this amazing experience.

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LITTLE OWL

Little Owl, Lleida Plains, Catalonia

LITTLE OWLS MAKE LOVELY PORTRAIT SUBJECTS! A pair are nesting in the same pile of limestone rocks that I photographed them on three years ago on the Lleida Plains and whilst they are not uncommon it is sometimes tricky to capture them in the light you are looking for. Add to this their reluctance to perform when it is windy or raining. In this case the light was soft evening at the end of a very hot and sunny day. It was well worth the wait.

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POOR LITTLE BUSTARD

Male Little Bustard, Lleida Plains, Catalonia

THE DISPLAY OF LITTLE BUSTARD IS ONE OF THE WILDLIFE WONDERS OF SPAIN and is not to be missed. I have now spent almost 60 hours watching and photographing them from photo hides on the Lleida Plains of Catalonia and I have still not quite achieved the shot I am hoping for. Capturing the right phase of the bird's display jump in nice light (= around one hour or so each morning) is hard enough but achieving a nice background is just as important and unfortunately the farmers in this area now seem hell-bent on eradicating poppies and other flowering plants from the lovely rolling farmland landscape. I have also learned that you have a better chance of a jumping bustard if you do not take any shots at all until it has jumped several times. It takes some time build up to the this phase of its display, from strutting around making its 'raspberry blow' call to fanning its black 'cobra neck' feathers and if it is not disturbed during these phases it may eventually make its way to one of its hardened mud lekking pads where it will start to stamp its feet before each call. Foot stamping is usually a pre-cursor to jumping. However, it is difficult for most photographers to resist the temptation to bag a few portraits thereby blowing their chances of jumping shots! Weather plays a part as well and they do not usually jump in cool temperatures or after rain. Listed as near-threatened by BirdLife International owing to a decreasing population it is another bird to watch while we still can. A big thank you to our excellent partners Birding in Spain, whose photo hide placement was impeccable this year!

Male Little Bustards chasing, Lleida Plains, Catalonia

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