------ Wild Scenes visits the Canary Islands with Trevor Codlin ------

The short, damp and dreary days of winter offer little inspiration to get out and about in the countryside, even when you do it is generally very difficult to photograph anything due to the lack of light. So faced with the dilemma of what to put in Wild Scenes, I decided to try and brighten things up with images from my recent trip to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. All photographs copyright - Trevor Codlin

The stark volcanic landscape of Lanzarote gives an instant impression that there is not much to see, but with the help of a little information from a friend and a bit of patience I found that there was plenty to keep me occupied. The towering volcano Timanfaya overlooks parts of the island, whilst the vast lava flows are a constant reminder of the destructive power of nature.

The Canary Islands are situated over 100 kilometres off the southern coast of Morocco and have been isolated from the mainland sufficiently long enough for some of their birds to have evolved into unique species. Berthalot's Pipits are very common on Lanzarote, they are usually fairly distinctive showing a broad white supercilia (eye stripe), pale pink base to lower mandible (bill) and pale underparts.

The Grey Shrike complex is fairly confusing as different races occur across Europe, the Canaries' race is supposed to be a separate race/species but I found that the variation in birds seen on the island left me more confused than when I arrived.

The desert species of Cream-coloured Courser are fairly easy to find on Lanzarote and I'm sure you can see why they are one of my favourite species of bird. These elegant birds strut around the plains with an air of arrogance and mystery about them, acting as if they own the place. Their light cream plumage blends in perfectly with their surroundings, on closer inspection though their striking head pattern can be seen.

Caleta de Famara is on the north coast of the island and is very popular with windsurfers and other sports, for me though the picturesque landscape offered the ideal opportunity for photography.

Coastal areas in any country provide an ideal chance to study wading birds and due to their migratory habits many of them will be very familiar species from back home. Greenshank (above) and Ringed Plover (below) occur on the south coast at all times of the year, sometimes forming large flocks, some of them will travel further south to Africa during the winter.

Occasionally when birding surprises turn up these add an extra sparkle to a day in the field, my trip to Lanzarote provided me with a couple of species that I had not seen on previous visits. Greater Flamingos (above) can be found all year round in southern Spain but this individual was a surprise for me. Below a more distant migrant was this Ring-billed Gull which I found on the beach at Arrecife, normally found in North America this bird was a juvenile that had lost its' way whilst migrating south for the winter.

The unusual landscape of Lanzarote due to the combination of volcanic activity and the windy conditions have led to interesting methods of growing crops. The crescent shaped structures in the foreground of this picture are used to shelter and protect vine shoots against the strong winds and scorching sun. The photograph shows the volcanic ash which gives areas of the island its' distinctive black landscape.

A close inspection of flowering plants revealed this colourful crab spider, it is probably a member of the Thomisus family which hide amongst brightly coloured petals awaiting an unsuspecting butterfly. Similar species can be found in southern Britain from early to mid-summer, they are usually variable in colour ranging from pink to white.

Back to Travels Index       Back to Hampshire Cam All Photographs Copyright © David Packman and Frank Riddle 2002 - 2004