After today's visit to Prado del Rey, a small village near Sierra de Grazalema National Park in the province of Cadiz, I swear I will always check the weather forecast before going on long walks with my camera. It was supposed to be overcast the whole morning and afternoon, but soon I got caught by drizzle which kept me from enjoying the beautiful landscape in this area. Fortunately the camera didn't suffer any severe damage. Due to the unexpected bad weather I didn't fully take advantage of the area and didn't spot a lot of birds.

As usual, I felt tempted to go off the official path and explore my own way. Right after starting the trail from the centre of the town, I decided to commence a spectacularly steep climb up to a viewpoint, from which I would have had some nice views over the town and the mountain behind, if it hadn't been for the clouds. To get there, I mistakenly walked through somebody's garden instead of going along the road, but the friendly landowner didn't mind. To get to the viewpoint I had to walk through an area full of 'hunting area' signs.
The presence of some trail competition signs confused me, but I went along without hearing or seeing anyone. Still sweating from the exhausting climb, it wasn't a very good idea to stay up there for a very long time, because a cold wind was blowing and threatening clouds were rolling in.



It was quite hazardous to make it to the original path on the other side of the mountain down below. In the end I had to open a gate and was relieved to get there unscathed when I saw a sign 'ganado bravo' referring to the area I had just left. A fierce looking bull walking in a nearby field proved that the signs were not a joke.



As the drizzle started to turn into rain, I sometimes sheltered under a tree on the lookout for interesting birds. There was a moment when the sun appeared, but only very briefly. I spotted some Red-legged Partridges in an olive tree field, heard a lot of Sardinian Warblers and an occasional Jay. No sign of a single bird of prey today.

Although I have shot many photos of Stonechats, I guess I will never miss an opportunity to accept their invitations. They are never shy but maintain a safe distance, allowing you to take some great portrait shots. Unfortunately the weather didn't allow me to include a great background today.






Despite the bad weather, I spotted twenty different species today. I might go back one day, preferably in spring, but only after double-checking the weather forecast.
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