Vultures

5 am. Darkness still reigns outside. The night-sleep was short, but energizing. I'm ready for another day, even though the unknown awaits me. We're gonna take Fernando and a photographer friend of his to the vulture feeding site in order to observe griffin vultures and eventually golden eagles. It's all a matter of luck, since the animals may or not go there, but everyone feels lucky and excited. 

We make our way through murk, even stars seem to be gone. Rabbits are sometimes seen crossing the road, or simply running from the jeep, but nothing else is sighted. We get there before dawn and prepare everything. Fernando takes his time getting the camera ready, as he needs to focus and position it correctly, since he'll be shooting it from inside the shelter. 

The first rays of light arise from the mountains, smoothly highlighting the trees from the now blue sky. Bones with scraps of meat are strategically left on the ground and rocks, in hope to attract the vultures. The temperature is probably below zero and as time goes by I can't feel my feet or nose anymore. We leave them hiding in the shelter and go to Saboia. We'll be reporting the animals that fly by and try to watch them ourselves. Hours pass and no sign of the vultures... The workers call us eventually, turns out that the van had a problem and they need the jeep. I happily volunteer to take it and leave eduard with the telescope. I'd rather go home than freeze to death waiting for vultures.

 I leave the jeep with the workers and they give me a ride home. Feeling lazy and somehow sleepy, i turn on the computer and the heater.  I can't wait to feel my feet again xD Soon enough eduard texts me. He says i can take his car to go back... but to tell the truth i don't really feel like going... maybe if the vultures do show up. Around lunch time i get the jeep back, fight my own laziness and get back to the Faia... I'd have to  go back either way to pick everyone up, so...  Eduard is almost dying of cold and boredom as nothing seems to be going on. Sadly for me i'm soon contaminated with the same problem. Vultures fly over the feeding site every once in a while. They've definitely seen the food, but for some unknown reason they're feeling uncomfortable to land. Boredom eventually gives place to despair and i just want the day to end. All this trouble to watch a couple of vultures feeding? Not for me... more opportunities will come xD Around 3pm the pair of golden eagles gift us with their presence. Now that's a more interesting sight ^^ They fly around, push away a griffin and fly over the feeding site. Soon they land on nearby rocks, but they're also suspicious about the site and eventually leave. Almost after the arrival of the golden eagles, the workers also show up. And they brought another donkey. We give the day as finished and go with them to the vulture place to leave the donkey. I decide not to watch this one being killed and go back to jeep. It's a freezing cold outside, so it feels nice to be protected against the chilling wind and be warmed by the sun. My mind flies way way off, but I'm soon called back to planet earth to go back home. Maybe the vultures will come tomorrow. No one can know for sure.