Winter

2017

Ron R Bielefeld

Whistling Wings Photography

Winter 2017

Northern Spain Birds and Mammals Photography Workshop

Introduction

This photography workshop is focused on the winter birds and mammals of Northern Spain.

In the forest of the Cantabrian mountains, where still survive wolves and brown bears, it is possible to photograph some of the most emblematic bird and mammal species of the European Atlantic region. We, professional photographers, design the hides, choosing the best locations and orientations for the best images possible. The winter is a very special time in these mountains, because thousands of birds arrive from north Europe to winter on the Iberian Peninsula. Here they rest and feed after crossing the sea. So, we find large numbers of birds and species during the Winter season. Mammals also are “migrating” down from the high country making them accessible for photographs.

Itinerary (December 1 – 10)

Day 1- Arrival to Madrid International Airport

Transfer to hotel in Madrid. Tour of Madrid, Dinner, Overnight in Madrid at very special hotel.

Day 2, 3, 4, and 5: Cantabrian Mountain bird photography. Early transfer north to Cantabrian mountains where we will stay for a few nights.

During these 4 full days, the group will have exclusive use of blinds/hides set up in the area. • WOODPECKERS – A hide

specifically for Green, Great and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers. Each photographer will be able to modify the scene to customize their pictures.

• PASSERINES AND MIDDLE SPOTTED WOODPECKER - Located at the foot of an apple tree, this site is prepared in a way to offer pictures of the smallest woodpeckers in acrobatic postures, while they climb the trunk in search of food. Beside the Middle and the

Great Spotted Woodpeckers, many small birds are attracted to this orchard area including tits, nuthatches, buntings, blackcaps, robins, and finches.

• JAYS - This is one of best hides each winter. Although the Eurasian Jay is a common and well-known corvid, it is not an easy bird to photograph well. However, this blind area attracts many individuals during the winter, making it possible to capture very interesting behaviors such as fights, birds in flight, birds caching food, etc. Side by side with the jays it is possible to capture tits, nuthatches, and even roe deer.

• GRIFFON VULTURES, BUZZARDS, RED KITES, AND CORVIDS – A carrion feeder located in a pass with a fantastic background of juniper and oak forests, this feeder attracts dozens of Griffon vultures and corvids along with common buzzards and red kites. Good flight shot opportunities from this spot.

• THRUSHES - Located in the middle of an orchard, this is a very attractive place for several species of thrushes, including song and mistle. Also, Redwing and Fieldfare. The scene in front of the hide is awesome with several perches that allow a variety of different compositions.

• BULLFINCH - During the winters the meadows surrounded by fruit trees are commonly visited by dozens of bullfinches that eat the red fruits.

• RAPTORS and BUZZARDS – Hide located a few kilometers to the South in an open and low area where small raptors congregate in winter. A perch set in front of the hide is used by the Red Kite and the Common Buzzard as well as other raptor species.

• GOLDEN EAGLE – Hide on a rocky area overlooking mountain valley, visited by Golden Eagles and Red Kites.

Day 6 - Alpine birds and Chamois photography.

• Full day excursion to higher alpine habitats in the Cantabrian mountains to get beautiful

images of Chamois (Rupycapra rupycapra) and interesting birds, such as Wallcreepers, Alpine accentors, and Alpine choughs.

• Return to the

accommodation, dinner and overnight.

Day 7 - Iberian Ibex and Red Deer photography.

• These two mammals are common in the area, and we can get some nice images from

our vehicle or on short walks.

• The Ibex inhabit the rocky areas and the males sport long horns.

• Red deer is the European wapiti, they are common and good images are possible on most outings.

• Return to the accommodations, dinner, and overnight.

Day 8 - Wolves and wildcats.

• The success rate is l

high for these species during winter. We will run two excursions for locating these beautiful animals in the loneliest areas of Picos de Europa.

• Return to the

accommodation, dinner, and overnight.

Day 9 - Great bustards and other steppe birds.

• We move to the south in the direction of León when we will stay that night.

• We will spend a full day in the steppe areas near León photographing the magnificent Great Bustard and other birds such as Black-winged Kite (aka white-tailed kite), Little Bustard, Stone Curlew, Crested Lark, Thekla Lark, Calandra Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark, Montagu´s harrier, Kestrel, Red Legged partridge, Lapwing, and Spotless Starling.

• Overnight in León and dinner.

Day 10 - Transfer to Madrid and flight home.

Required equipment

• Fast action camera body and a spare body. • Lenses in the range 70mm – 600mm (a 500 or 600 and a 100-400 works very well). • Landscape lens • Fast Lenses (f/2.8-4). • An alternative to long telephoto lenses are tele-converters (e.g. 1.4x or 2x). • Monopod or tripod. • Remote shutter release. • Spare memory cards. • Spare battery. • Battery charger. • Lens cleaning cloth. • Camera and lens waterproof cover. • Laptop or another type of storage device – we will be shooting lots of images.

Clothing

We recommend that you dress warmly for early morning starts and late evenings – it can get quite chilly in the blinds during the early and late hours. Wearing layers is advisable so that they may be shed as the day warms.

• Warm pants, preferably waterproof. • Thermal clothing. • Thermal socks. • Cooler clothes for afternoons and evenings • Rain Gear for yourself. • Gloves. • Sunglasses.

• Warm fleece for early morning starts and once the sun has set. • Clothing should be camouflage or neutral browns & greens. • Water bottle or flask for tea & coffee. • Sunscreen.

Lodging

A variety, from small rural hotels that are very nice to very special hotels that you will find incredible.

Food

Breakfast and dinner in the hotels or restaurants near hotel, with lunches in restaurants or as a picnic out in the field.

Please note: The workshop and tour itineraries will be somewhat flexible to take advantage of the best photography and non-photography opportunities available and thus are subject to a possible change. These bird photography workshops require a minimum number of participants, if sufficient workshop places are not sold the workshop may not be run, this workshop has a minimum participant level of 4. Not all mentioned wildlife can be observed & photographed at all times, thus the aforementioned species should be considered our focus species, but no guarantee is made of photographing all mentioned species.

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