27/02/2020 Iberian Lynx!

Arriving at Madrid Airport on 25/02/2020 with Chris and Tony we picked up our hire car, then drove roughly south towards our accommodation at Los Pinos near Andujar. We made some birding stops on the way which I will cover in another post. This was primarily an 8 day birding trip spending 4 days around the Sierra de Andujar, and another 4 around Extremadura. We had no plans to spend any time looking for Lynx, although we knew they were in the area.

Iberian Lynx looking very sorry for itself

On our second full day at Los Pinos we went out at dawn for a birding walk around the lanes, seeing many birds that I will detail in another post. As we arrived at particularly birdy spot, an animal seemed to burst up the bank on to the lane (though my view was partially obscured by Tony who was in front of me), then limped and dragged itself across the lane and sat on the verge looking at the 3 of us, all this taking place just a few feet from us. To be honest I had no idea how big a Lynx was, I quickly realised this was not just an injured moggy that we could just pick up and help.
Chris ran back to the hotel to get help leaving myself and Tony to keep track of the Lynx. Chris has no Spanish and the staff spoke no English, but apparently with a mixture of him gesticulating, tapping his leg, limping and using a young member of staffs phone for Google translate they got the message. In a few minutes the manager arrived but the Lynx had gone down the side of the lane and disappeared into a clump of bramble, I showed him the images of the Lynx on the back of the camera, on seeing them he was on his phone for help, in just a few minutes some National Park Rangers arrived quickly followed by the Guardia Civil, followed quickly by more officials to catch and help the Lynx. We thought it best to continue with our walk and leave the Lynx to the experts.
In the evening we were told that the Lynx had been sedated by a blow dart and taken into care with a good chance of a full recovery. The Spanish authorities response was brilliant. I cannot imagine that sort of response happening in UK, I doubt any police would be despatched, if they did turn up it would be sorry nothing to do with us, then maybe a few hours later an RSPCA inspector would turn up and probably put a bullet into it.
I do have images showing the extent of the break in the Lynx rear leg, but don't feel it necessary to post them.

 A mother and cub Lynx stroll up the road 

We had been birding by the dam on the Jandula river and were slowly driving back to the hotel just before dusk at around 18.45, as we approached the area where people spend all day staring into the valley to try and see Lynx, we came round a bend and there were 2 superb Lynx strolling up the road directly in front of us. I took some panicked images of them through the windscreen, then slipped out of the car to get more images, the mother gave us a cursory glance as she and her cub disappeared down into the scrub on the hillside by way of one of the watchers hides, which had been used by watchers all day. It was all over in a few seconds but an absolutely magical experience for us that will stay with me forever, also a much nicer way to see a Lynx rather than as a road casualty.