I feel very privileged to be a photographer living so close to nature here, high in the hills of Andalucia, Spain. As the seasons cycle, so do the photographic opportunities. In the spring our surrounding hills are festooned with blooms. An abundance of Almond blossom, poppies and orchids, waiting patiently to be captured.... I don`t disappoint them. This time of year though, following the long scorching days of summer, things are pretty parched. There has been a dearth of decent rain since Christmas 2013 and as a result, the Arroyo (seasonal riverbed) below us stopped flowing in June. When it is flowing though, a large population of frogs enjoy its rocky and meandering depths... most audibly apparent in the evening and at night, as they perform what I call, the Frog Opera. Their creaking calls, intertwining with the rivers` song, drift up to us out of the darkness and seem to say that, at least for now, all is well in Frogland. After the flow stops though, the frogs are forced to occupy the many pools which proliferate. When the pools evaporate, the frogs disappear. Recently on one of our Arroyo forays with some of our cats, we stumbled upon a spring fed pool, a cool froggy bastion, when all else is tinder dry. The conditions for photography were perfect. Oblique sunlight, frog festooned rocks, water and the continually shifting scene as frogs fidget, flounce & freeze, as if turned to stone. Glad I took spare batteries! Watch this space for more as the Frogwatch continues... Technical point: The water level shots were made possible using the invaluable flip-out monitor on my ancient Canon Powershot S3is.
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