Here is the Houbara Bustard that was very high up on my target list when on Lanzarote.
I had done some homework before I travelled to compile a list of target species and also some ideas as to where on the island certain species might be found. The area around Playa Blanca was noted to be one of the most likely places that the Houbara Bustard would be seen. I therefore spent a good portion of my time searching the plains to the West and North of Playa Blanca in search of this bird.
I managed to find them a few times over the course of the week and this image shows a little of the environment that the Bustard enjoys.
Excellent shot. I never managed to see this bird myself
we happened to be out just before sunset on the road to nowhere – past the lighthouse in Playa Blanca (about 1/2 hr before the sun set) and we saw a movement in the scrub just off to the right of the road and were astonished to see a group of three Houbara Bustard (we thought)scrabbling about in the dirt. we watched as they slowly wandered away from the road and into the middle of the ‘island’ the road to nowhere encloses! we drove very slowly along and then caught sight of a fourth one about 40m from the other three. We watched in amazement as one of them caught a lizard or large beastie and scuttled around trying to eat it! One of the three was walking with a limp – not very bad but enough to see it had been injured in some way. Typical- camera in boot of car! got out and got camera – wrong lens only had a fixed 20mm lens and no long lens to change with! Birds did not seem phased by movement of car or me getting camera in and out of boot. Came back to apartment to look up to check to see that we had actually seem not one but four bustards and found you! may go back and look again (with long lens!)