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Feathers and Frames: A Daylong Quest for the Perfect Shot in Los Toruños

Embarking on a birdwatching adventure often requires a mix of patience, resilience, and a keen eye for capturing the beauty of nature. Today, I found myself on an eight-hour expedition to Los Toruños Park, driven by the desire to secure the perfect picture for an upcoming photographic competition. The journey covered a staggering twenty kilometres, leading me as well through the Algaida Pine forest and the Desamparados Saltpans, presenting both physical challenges and exciting encounters with various bird species.


Oystercatcher
Oystercatcher

My primary goal was to find the ideal shot that would stand out in the upcoming competition. The day started with the rising sun casting a beautiful glow over the landscape, and my initial plan was to capture the elusive Stonechat against the light. However, this proved to be a daunting task without my trusty camouflage suit, making the birds skittish and the perfect shot very challenging.


Female Stonechat
Female Stonechat

In the end, one of the deliberately underexposed photos that I took of a male Stonechat, was one of the two pictures I sent in for the competition. I underexposed the photo by three stops to obscure the details in the plumage and to keep the silhouette with a white rim light. I was satisfied with the image, but felt there were opportunities there to take even better photos. Definitely a place to go back to one day, equipped with my ghillie suit.


One of the most spectacular sights of the day was the massive flocks of Oystercatchers and Whimbrels gracefully navigating the park's furthermost point, between the San Pedro river mouth and Levante beach.



Flock of Oystercatchers on the shore
A whole legion of Oystercatchers …

Flock of Oystercatchers with flock of Bar-tailed Godwits on the shore
… soon joined by an army of Bar-tailed Godwits

Godwits flying in the Bay of Cadiz
After a little while the Godwits took off again to explore the bay

Flock of Godwits
Flock of Godwits

Bar-tailed Godwits cruising in front of the Constitution bridge
Bar-tailed Godwits cruising in front of the Constitution bridge

Flock of Oystercatchers
Before long the Oystercatchers followed their example …

Flock of Oystercatchers
… and raced to the other side of the bay

I just had to turn around to be amazed by another spectacular sight: over eighty Kentish Plovers were gathering in an area that was more or less protected by a fence. More or less, because I am not sure what happened to the fence, but it seemed like one side had been deliberately opened and a big part of the metal fence was even missing. For now it seemed safe enough to provide the birds with a quiet resting place, which also looked suitable for future breeding.



Four Kentish Plovers on the beach
Some of the more than eighty Kentish Plovers

Male Kentish Plover
Male Kentish Plover

Grey Plover standing on one leg on the beach
Grey Plover

After I had spotted a pair of Grey Plovers just next to the colony of Kentish Plovers, I attempted a unique experiment to capture wader birds like Turnstones and Sanderlings against the backdrop of the Constitution Bridge. Placing my camera near the shore, I remotely pressed the shutter, anticipating the perfect shot. However, the experiment proved treacherous as the waves threatened to knock over my camera. The timing of the tides, despite being meticulously researched, posed an unexpected challenge. Unfortunately, this endeavour did not yield the desired results, highlighting the unpredictable nature of wildlife photography.



A pair of Sanderlings looking for something edible on the shore
A pair of Sanderlings looking for something edible on the shore

Sanderlings wading in the shallow water
Sanderlings wading in the shallow water


One of our cameras, strategically positioned and equipped with a remote trigger

One of the images captured by the camera on the sand

In an attempt to get a perfect shot, what I feared eventually happened: the water did knock the camera over. Fortunately I was never far away and was able to prevent an approaching disaster. I decided to continue shooting manually, just as another flock of Oystercatchers were again on display.



Oystercatcher flying past a boat
One Oystercatcher at full speed announcing the rest of the flock …

Oystercatchers flying in front of a bridge
Here they come!

After contemplating these huge groups of birds both in the air and on the shore for more than an hour, I continued my journey back along the beach. It is worth noting that beside the central trail that leads to this point, I also observed a Marsh Harrier and a big flock of Goldfinches.


Marsh Harrier
Marsh Harrier

As the day unfolded, the pursuit of the perfect shot led me to the Desamparados Saltpans, where gulls congregated. Here, I experimented with underexposing the images, resulting in a stunning contrast between the white feathers of the birds and the dark background of shrubs. It was an unexpected success, and the resulting photograph emerged as the standout image of the day, surpassing the initial Stonechat idea.



Two Yellow-legged Gulls
This pair of gulls finally starred in the standout image of the day, one I took seconds later with other settings

Towards the end of my expedition, exhaustion was replaced by excitement as I stumbled upon an ideal spot to photograph Kingfishers. Despite capturing some exquisite images of these flying jewels, I realized that they closely resembled previous competition winners.



Female Kingfisher on a rock
Female Kingfisher

In the end, my efforts paid off. The photo below won the photo competition.



Silhouette of a Stonechat
I named this photo 'Tarabrilla'


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1 Comment


Unknown member
May 15, 2024

La foto del concurso me encantó! Al igual que las otras de ostreros...qué decir de la de mi amado Martin Pescador 🧡🥰

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