Wednesday 23rd December :- Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to everyone who´s kindly been involved with Oliva Rama Tours over this last year. I actually cannot believe it´s been another year of successful operation and I can only enjoy the fact that the company goes from strength to strength with 2010 being a very exciting prospect for me.
New ventures next year include Iberian Lynx in Andalucia (January, February & September) Cuba (March), Lesvos (April/May), Poland - Bears & Birds (September/October) and Panama (December). Things just get better and better. Early in the New Year I will be posting a newsletter highlighting further details on these and my other available holidays throughout 2010.
Finally I would like to personally thank a few people for their incredible help and support during 2009, none more so than my good friend and colleague Andy Carroll. His help and advice on potential merchandising has been invaluable - the proof of which will be seen next year. Also and as important is Ken Shaw who has been by my side since I launched Oliva Rama Tours providing incredibly useful contacts and ideas for future tours. He is a true friend. Next I would like to really thank Sally Dowden of Speyside Wildlife, Richard & Jane Palmer of Calandra Holidays, Ian & Dylan of Planet Whale for using my services during this year, I thouroughly enjoyed every trip I was involved with. Long may it continue. Finally a few other people such as Chris Byrne, Rob & Kathy Dowsett, Michael & Wendy Ball, John Moon, Graham & Agi Turner, Mike & Sue Pryor, Jan Beever and many more who have supported the business in so many ways. "Thank you very very much and I am lookin forward to seeing you all again next year".

An incredible afternoon

Wednesday 9th December :- The morning was a disappointment as thick fog spoilt any chance of finding a Lynx but a walk along the River Jandula produced several Hawfinches, Great Spotted & Iberian Green Woodpeckers, Kingfisher, Cetti's Warbler, Nuthatches, Iberian Magpies (actually these are everywhere), Short toed Treecreeper and plenty of other woodland species. I returned to the hotel for lunch and a relax while hoping for the mist to dispurse, which it did by 1:30pm. So I headed back up to Los Escoriales and met a few people at the watchpoint but they hadn't seen much. Quite soon after getting there a Black Vulture started the ball rolling and this was followed by a close Griffon Vulture and then a brilliant 1st winter Golden Eagle. Sergi then spotted an adult Spanish Imperial Eagle that pretty much soared right over our heads - absolutely incredible. Our spirits were high and we were determined to find a Lynx. We continued to search and I left the group to stand and watch another area, turned round and there about 100m away on the metalled track was an Iberian Lynx staring right at me. I couldn't believe my eyes. It then dropped off the road and down into the undergrowth so the others joined me and we tried to find it again. Sure enough I picked it up a bit further away and managed a quick photo before it again disappeared, however it again re-appeared and showed well to all but now about 400m away but still fantastically through the telescope. Eventually it disappeared although we suspect it just laid low until dusk as the attendant Magpies were still creating around that area. During this sequence another couple of Black Vultures flew close by being mobbed by a Sparrowhawk and Kestrel. The day closed with a spectacular sunset over the mountains as I returned to the hotel. It had been quite an incredible afternoon.

Day of the Iberian Lynx

Tuesday 8th December :- Second full day in the Sierra de Andujar and after another interesting night with revellers I was up early making sure things were in place before I left at 8am. I drove straight to the watchpoint at Los Escoriales and found a few observers already there, en-route I had done very weel finding a Red Fox and a party of Fallow Deer. At the watchpoint things turned disappointing as the bad weather and fog made looking for Lynx almost impossible. So I left and continued down the hill to the Embalse de Jandula where I spent some time finding a gorgeous Firecrest, Rock Bunting, Black Redstart, Robin and lots of Cormorants in the reservoir. I left and returned to the Lynx watchpoint but the conditions were still poor so I made the decision to leave go back to the hotel and have some lunch and a siesta as I was feeling incredibly tired - what a mistake. So did this and by 2pm I was back out and the weather seemed to be improving, so returned towards Los Escoriales but instead of going straight to the watchpoint I took a detour to the Los Alancones Mirador. This was good as I passed through some of the most pristine dehesa I have seen being roamed by the magnificent fighting bulls. Here also I found plenty of birds including Little Owl, several Hoopoes, Corn Buntings, Meadow Pipits, Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Common Buzzard, White Wagtails, Stonechats, Mistle & Song Thrushes, Blackbirds, Sardinian Warbler and Chiffchaffs. After this I headed for the Lynx area and en-route met a group of observers coming away who I had met that morning and I asked how they had done. I could have been slapped in the face with a wet Kipper as the news of their four sightings rang around in my head. However they did finish with "you shouldn't have a problem seeing one" - I wasn't that confident after the last couple of days. So I got there and spoke to the few people there they had seen nothing as yet, my heart sank. However after half an hour one guy said "I have a Lynx but it's a bit distant", I got on to the Iberian Lynx and it was far off and difficult to discern as it lay on top of a rock. However after five minutes it stood up and through the telescope looked magnifent standinging there in all it's glory. It jumped down from the rock and padded away slowly unfortunately in the wrong direction and was soon lost to sight. Still it was a fantastic experience and a privilage to see. We all waited until dusk but there were no more sightings, I will be back there tomorrow - probably all day!!!.