Embaise de Alange, sunset

Description

Although we couldn’t reach the strongholds of the Iberian Lynx to the South and East of Spain in Cordoba and Sierra Morena this trip we did do a major detour East into the Matachel Valley which makes a great habitat corridor for these animals to their strongholds in the West.  As we headed out onto the barren grassy plain of eastern Extremadura Amanda exclaimed ‘what’s that!?’  as a large shape plummeted out of the sky not far from us, this large pale ochre bird fell from the sky with talons  and secured something near the ground alighting in the bright heat haze.  The first time I / we had ever met the Spanish Imperial Eagle, a young one.  We watched it pluck its catch, consume it and spiral back up into the heavens on forceful thermals and it disappeared back into its high altitude atmosphere within 30 minutes of its debut.  After that we spent a long time trying to find a good camp site on the hot plain but there was a lot of security blocking access to anywhere nice so we headed North again towards Caceres and found this idyllic spot next to a lake,  Embaise de Alange.  Surrounded by Griffon mountains in absolute peace and quiet we camped under a Holm Oak tree to a wonderful sunset.  It was so nice we stayed a couple of days relaxing in the company of Hoepoes, larks and Marsh Harriers hunting around the lake.