I have always thought that nature photography in Poland is an activity for patient and determined people only. Everywhere else, where I photographed it was easier, not to mention the fact that using a hide was an exception. On Malta it was worse for two reasons, I suppose. I’m not sure which of them is more important, but I’ll start with population density. Everywhere, where population density is high, it is difficult to have a direct contact with nature, not to mention its biodiversity. An average population density in Poland is about 120 people per km2, in Iceland 3 people, and on Malta over 1600 people! Malta is a highly urbanized and congested country with no forests. There is no use expecting the preservation of the beauty of Mediterranean nature in such an environment. Especially in the context of the second reason for this situation, which is the Maltese people’s “national sport” - hunting. On such a small and highly populated area there are no deer, boars or roe deer. It is said that the number of hunters on Malta is more than a dozen thousand per 316 km2. Statistically Malta is at the forefront of Europe in this respect. What to shoot if there is no island’s game of your own? The answer is simple – birds during their migration. Malta lies on the migration track of birds from Europe to Africa. The scale of this phenomenon and the number of birds killed during this time is massive. Somewhere else in the north of Europe species are protected, there are preserves and bird enclaves created, birds are fed, and it looks like all those efforts are made just to satisfy the Maltese hunters’ whim to shoot. It is hard to believe that such a bird war is allowed in this country, especially that Malta is an EU member. There are shooting „hides” built on steep cliffs for birds flying by from above the sea. It is really unbelievable and incomprehensible from Poland’s perspective. It wasn’t any better at the seaside. For the first time in my life I had seen amazement and interest in people’s faces when they noticed a seagull flying by. Everywhere birds were very skittish and inaccessible. Only in cities, where shooting is forbidden, one could see and hear pigeons and willow sparrows. On the outskirts there were streaked fantail warblers and spectacled warblers. Traditionally, making preparations for the trip I found a local bird guide. And this time I was lucky again, as I found a competent and friendly person who knows the area well. Richard, my best regards to you, and let me thank you for your efforts to show me the birds of Malta. The difficulty of this task far exceeded all my expectations. A 600mm lens with converters would not make it and the photos taken on Malta are much framed and of documentary value. Just a few new galleries have been created, but it wouldn’t be possible without Richard’s good knowledge of the area, many thanks once again. Anyway, if someone chooses Malta as their bird photography destination, in copses among the fields, with the use of good camouflage and hours of patience one will be able to take satisfactory pictures of a dozen or so Maltese species. One must be careful, however, as because of the prevalence of hunting on Malta it could be simply dangerous. If we take migration flights into account the number of observed species substantially increases, and the statistics mention even a few hundred species. I managed to spot hoopoes, flamingos, golden orioles and other birds, which unaware of the danger lurking on Malta, decided to take a rest there. Let’s hope that it won’t be their eternal rest on this inhospitable for birds island…
So much by way of introduction to not so much small as microscopic photography trophies from Malta. There are more texts and reports than satisfactory photos – such a country. We observed the blue rock thrush in just one place. On steep cliffs of the rugged sea shore we were able to see two males and one female. The birds were unbelievably skittish, which was probably partially due to their nature but partially because of the vicinity of local hunters’ shooting positions. They kept such a large distance that taking a picture, even with the use of a double converter of my 600mm lens, required much framing anyway. The blue rock thrushes moved among the rocks in quite an intriguing manner. I think I managed to capture that in my photos. The wingspan of a thrush is about 35 cm. Well, I had expected some better shots of this beautiful bird in the picturesque landscape of Mediterranean cliffs, but not this time, not on Malta. Because of the fact that the pictures of this bird are prevailing among the pictures of other species encountered on Malta, the blue rock thrush becomes the introductory text into this photography nanotrip, but it is also important to remember that it is the national bird of the Maltese.
Last minute news-01/2016-Thailand
Last minute news- 11/2017 - Spain
Finally, my third meeting with the blue rock thrush ended in taking some good photos of this bird. I wrote a lot about my attempts to capture it on Malta, and the difficulties with photographing it, in the text initiating the gallery of this species on my website. In Spain it was just the other way round. Special hides, a few hours of waiting... And here it is – a blue rock thrush at my fingertips. It was a little bit too dark, but I didn’t have to frame the photographs and even the high ISO was acceptable. This time the bait for the birds was a simple drinker, a small pool, where the birds came to drink water. Such places in Spain, where it can be dry for weeks, help the birds survive. Finally, there has been a qualitative change in the blue rock thrush gallery, from a documentary gallery to a very good one. The quality of pictures taken in a certain country always reflects its respect for them and approach to their protection. The Spanish blue rock thrush gets into the news section.
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