8th – Peñalajo cheese factory

The last hide day was a bit further away again going north, a small hide on the property of a cheese factory, in what seemed like absolutely nowhere. The hide was basically a metal box with room for two seats and nothing else – you were given an “emergency toilet” which is a resealable bag with a thickening agent inside and room for app. 700ml fluids. That’s it. Cross your fingers you don’t need more room or need to... do more. Luckily I was alone in the hide. The hide itself was nicely lowered so that the one-way glass was at ground height.

Another person in yesterday’s hide mentioned that she had used this hide in the summer which was no fun at all. Sitting in a metal box in the Spanish heat was quite the challenge; at one point she had to tell the other person in the hide, whom she hadn’t met until they had been allocated the hide, that she was sorry but she would have to strip down to her underwear as the heat was unbearable. I without a doubt preferred the cooler late winter/early spring, even if I was alone.

So my guide drove me to the main building where the owner took over and drove me out to the hide. I settled in and got my bearings while the owner removed the protective coverings from the windows and spread out some bird seed in the vicinity. He popped his head in when he was done to make sure everything was ok before he left me alone for the next 10-11 hours. 

I was still focused on the finishing touches of getting my camera ready when I thought I saw some movement out the corner of my eye. I looked up and confirmed that there had been a bit of movement, turned my attention back to my camera to hold on wait was that a yes it was a lynx what I am doing?! Looked back up and turned my camera around; a lynx had come out from some shrubbery, I’m assuming curious about the noise when I was settling in and the owner removing the panels in front of the window. It sat there a few minutes looking around before slinking back away. Moments later it reappeared and crossed the open area in front of the hide before disappearing again. 

 

And that was the last I saw of that. Birds of various kinds throughout the day, and even a hare in the afternoon (I would be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping for a lynx to jump out grabbing it. Come on – it’s food right there!). Overall a good day, though the start did raise the expectations for the rest of the day a bit too high. 

Red-legged partridge.

 

Pheasant.