Okay, so Uisce Beatha is the Gaelic for whiskey, but the water in la Mancha now is providing many of natures creatures with life giving resources. And that´s important because it´s getting hot here, very hot. Yesterday was about 34C and the afternoons are a killer in the sun. Thankfully out by the reservoir there was a breeze and with the help of my scrim netting I had a semblance of shade. It´s too hot right now to be carrying a full hide far I think. Here´s how the ants saw me when they used my phone to call for pizza.
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| Hiding behind the Rushes |
The water also helps cool the area and some get to enjoy it more than others. This male Black-winged Stilt was one of quite a few which used the pond in front of my spot in the rushes for a bit of a bath and some preening. Their eyes really are beautiful, reminiscent of the Black-shouldered Kite.
Black-winged Stilt – male (Himantopus himantopus), a photo by Mike at Sea on Flickr.
The sandgrouse didn´t come back in great numbers but one female did arrive for about 20 minutes, giving me the opportunity to get some shots I am very happy with.
The pratincoles also used the pond for having a drink.
Collared Pratincole (Glareola pratincola), a photo by Mike at Sea on Flickr.
You can see videos for these three on my YouTube Channel. Here´s the Black-winged Stilt, the Sandgrouse, and the Collared Pratincole in full HD glory.
