The sky in England is full of birds: Rooks seem to circle every wood and strut across the fields when I walk in the countryside in Leicestershire and outside my office the garden resounds to the sound of Blackbirds, Thrushes and of course the “numerously” rare House Sparrow.

In Spain however the most extraordinary thing is the amount of Vultures that you see: They are as common as our Blackbirds and Rooks: Theses birds are big, very big and quiet, very quiet and there is something a little disturbing about them too. The routes that we use in the Ebro Valley take us up to a high mountain with almost vertical sides. Up here the wind from the Atlantic hits the rock and then roars upwards, the resulting up draught tugs and buffets you as you stand feet away from the edge. Vultures soar with consummate ease above and below you, the wind ruffling the feathers on the leading edges of their wings, while eyes fix you with a hungry stare.

I have not tried this yet but I have been told that if you want to get really close then just lie down and keep still, as still as a life model and they will come and have a look to see if you are worth filling their stomachs with!! Of course as soon as you move (I have been reliably informed) then they will veer off to find another tasty morsel.

With a modern camera you can get beautiful pictures without the need to risk being munched and this week’s picture was taken by Ian Roy during one of the days on our Spanish Adventure.