Hunting Iberian Lynx

Searching for Iberian Lynx

During our visit to Spain, we decided to venture further south to Andújar. From previous experience, we knew that lynxes could be spotted quite easily in a natural park in this area. Additionally, we had booked a night in one of the hides offered by Photologistics, so our expectations were high.

We arrived in Andújar on a sunny afternoon and soon discovered a mother lynx with her two playful cubs. The cubs even climbed a tree! However, due to the warm weather, heat waves made photography difficult, and the pictures didn’t turn out well. We would have loved to stay longer, but we had an appointment for the hide that same evening, so we left shortly thereafter.

At around 5:30 PM, we met our guide and headed to the hide for the evening. It was a small shack, with the opening covered only by some camouflage netting. The lack of windows meant we could also hear sounds, which was promising. We sat down, set up our gear, and started waiting, and we were not disappointed.

The hunter is lucky

Suddenly, on one of the distant rocks, a shadow appeared. A lynx was creeping up on the rock, eyeing the rabbit that had been entertaining us for a while. This promised to be an interesting evening! The lynx slowly crept closer and closer until the rabbit spotted it. Realizing the danger, the rabbit disappeared between the rocks, leading to a long hunt.

The lynx moved in and around the rocks, diving for the rabbit several times, and occasionally sitting down to wait and listen. Would it be successful tonight? It seemed not, as it disappeared from view, only to return 20 minutes later to resume stalking. Would it succeed this time?

After several fruitless attempts, the lynx suddenly dove between the rocks again, and we heard the rabbit scream in panic. Oh no…this seemed serious. And it was. The lynx reappeared, stopping to look toward the hide as if triumphantly showcasing its prize, then disappeared from sight. We continued to wait in the hide, pestered by mosquitoes, but the lynx did not reappear.

Finally, around 11 PM, we left the hide satisfied. We had once again seen the lynx, had had ample photographic opportunities, and had even witnessed a unique lynx hunt. It had been a wonderful evening.

Iberian Lynx hunting on the rocks

The hunter was succesful