John has recently had the distinction of been invited to provide an image for a forthcoming book to be published in Spain – El Jable, Un Ecosistema des Conocido : Los Valores Naturale Jable ( The Jable : An Unknown Ecosystem : The Natural Values Of The Jable)
John and his wife have been visiting the island of Lanzarote for a number of years now and take the opportunity to visit a very special place called El Jable. This is a desert that is not open to public access ,as it is an area of high conservation concern due to the flora and fauna found there. You have to book and pay for a guided trip and you are not allowed to leave the four wheel drive vehicle. John never tires of returning to this location as he always manages to record different behaviours from each of the local species
Within the desert there are hoopoes, stone curlews and Egyptian vultures as well as two species of special interest: the houbara bustard and the cream coloured courser. John finds it such a joy to shoot at low ISOs, larger apertures and higher shutter speeds than our Scottish norm.
The particular image requested by the Spanish depicts the intricately patterned plumage of the stone curlew, as it is one of the best camouflage artists in the bird world and the publishers specifically told John “ the idea is for it to illustrate the ability of some birds in El Jable to go unnoticed “. This story is replicated in the National Recognition Section of the website.
Well done John!