The Iberian Eagle has been within my photographic objectives for a long time. As this beautiful majestic bird definitely deserves an absolute admire. It was this bird that was the main reason for my trip to Spain organized in June 2019. With a limited spare time I always need to look for a hide and the right people who organize such photo workshops. Iberian eagles live exclusively in Spain, and their small population occurs in adjacent areas of Portugal. Currently, the population has a total of about 500 pairs, so for sure it is not a common bird. Based on the information obtained on the Internet and from the kind organizers of previous photographic workshops, I have found out that the hide of Jose Luis Rodrigez was the place that would meet my photographic goals. Jose Luis is for sure one of the best Spanish photographers of wildlife, if not - the best. Many of his photos have become world-famous, and frankly I assure you that they deserve admiration. It is not very useful to search the Internet in order to find his great photographs, because there is probably less than a percent of his output, which was been created over 40 years. Most of them can be found in the published nature albums, which Jose Luis issued about 50. The number of animal species, quantity and quality of the pictures is stunning. When watching so many beautiful shots of nature, one realizes that everybody can start their adventure with nature photography, take pictures of birds, but it is an endless project. You need to be aware of this and take a distance, especially nowadays when you do it for living you have to be one of the best in the world. Jose Luis devoted 40 years of his life, which resulted in great photos. Even because of this experience and the time spent on, for other photographers, at least for me with my time resources, it is difficult to get closer to the level of Jose Luis. I encourage Jose to build his website, because it would be one of the most interesting in the world. The output of book publications (thanks for two albums received as a gift), although impressive, is available to a really small group of people. Whereas publishing photos on such a website would be an inspiration not only for many photographers but also for average people who would not be indifferent to the presentation of the beauty of the surrounding nature.
Yet, to return to my photos on the website, it would not be possible to take so many great photos without the support of kind and competent people and well organized photo hides. It is clear that in arranging the hides the excellent photographer played his part, and the pictures taken from these spots - confirm this. I could not achieve my goals without the help of Jesús, whom I greet warmly. Jesús is the man who knows everything or almost everything about Iberian eagles, booted eagles and many other species. Many years of observation, knowledge of the habits of animals led to the creation of many hides, the location of which is well-thought, where animals are most likely to appear. Without such places, many people could not even dream of taking good pictures. It is good that there are people who create such opportunities, not to mention their care for wildlife. Such enthusiasts, because of what they do, monitor and preserve wild nature best. These days, adopting the nature conservation acts is probably not enough. Then the work of people like Jesús and Jose Luis contributes to the preservation of wild species. Spain is a good example of the effectiveness of such synergistic action. It works for example with bustards, my favorite bird species. They occur in the area from Spain to Mongolia, so over thousands of kilometers. However, more than half of their world population lives in Spain, in the part of it. The growing popularity of nature photography or bird watching results in creating places conducive to wildlife observation. At the same time increases opportunities for obtaining sources for financing such projects from nature lovers, photographers, birdwatchers. Such observations create an unforgettable experience, if this can be duly immortalized - do you need anything else?..
Those few days spent in the hides will surely stay in my memory, and the pictures that have been created will also be ground for coming back to. Thank you - Gentlemen - for a friendly atmosphere. Let's hope we will meet again, as more remains to learn from you, not to mention the feeling of rest and contentment of observation of wildlife, at least for me...
A short explanation to new visitors of my website. The information section contains a list of galleries of species that were created during the trip to Spain or have been modified. This is also a collection of links to these galleries. The letters in brackets after the name of the species mean: T, that the information contains text, G, that the soundtrack of the species has been added to the gallery (the upper right part of the miniature gallery).
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