April 23rd

A coolish and cloudy start to the day but it warmed up by midday. This is the last Charente blog for a few days as we are off to Ile d'Oleron tomorrow.

An early evening visit to the plains produced my first purring turtle dove of the year. A corn bunting was singing and a male hen harrier was patrolling the fields. I watched a pair of grey partridge by the roadside near La Tache and a pair of mistle thrushes flew over.

I had a slightly spooky hour at dusk in St Mary's forest. Several red deer were barking loudly and crashing through the undergrowth. I heard bullfinch and yellowhammer and a pair of hawfinches which I flushed from a conife,r perched on the skyline looking, as always, head-heavy like small parrots. These were the first that I have seen this year.

April 22nd

Not too much time for birding today as Irv and I have been cutting up the huge fallen oak which crushed my shed some weeks back. It's been a warm but partly cloudy day with much needed rain in the evening.

Midday in St Mary's forest failed to produce any bullfinches or tree pipits but the wood warbler was showing and singing well.

3 swifts flew over Puyreaux dechetterie, screaming loudly as they seemingly chased each other.

2 hoopoes were feeding on the lawn this afternoon and the nightingale continued to sing all day despite the chain saw noise going on around it.

21st April

Another coolish start and then a very hot afternoon.

St Mary's forest provided the bullfinches again, this time a pair carrying nesting material. One tree pipit--not singing --and one yellowhammer were the first of the year for these species.

Cettis and grey wagtail were the only birds of note on the Son-Sonnette

The Bandiat held nothing except for the first singing melodious warbler of the year.

Planes are flying again and while noting the vapour trails, my attention was drawn by eagle-eyed, non-birding Stella to a very high flying raptor which was difficult to positively identify through binoculars but seemed to be a griffon vulture. I saw three at a lower altitude above St Mary's forest last May. From where?

My first swift of the year flew high over the house. Swallows are still rather thin on the ground--or rather in the air--- but there was a notable small passage of south-flying birds today.

A hoopoe was on the lawn today, always a welcome sight. A pair of kestrels seem to be nesting on the gable end of the house.

20th April

A cool, cloudy start today but up to 26C in the afternoon.

Nothing on Lairiere plains in the morning except for a female hen harrier which was being pestered by crows as it sat on the ground. A golden oriole was calling in the distance near La Tache.

St Mary's forest was more rewarding later in the morning. Lots of cuckoos calling, perhaps as many as 6. Two pair of bullfinch were together in a tree and showing themselves very well.

In exactly the same area of the forest where I had located them in previous springs, 2 woodlark were singing.

Whitethroat and blackcap were plentiful and there were a few chiffchaffs, long tailed tits and firecrests.

I watched a pair of treecreeper which prseumably were short toed but they were very cleanly white below without the usual buffish flanks. I did not hear them call.

Butterflies were vittually absent but a marten walked across the road in front of me.

Monday 19th

Hot and sunny again but some cloud in the afternoon.

Had a look at the Son-Sonnette near Valence hoping that some wetland warblers might be about but nothing other than several cettis and lots of blackcaps and nightingales. A firecrest was in the conifers.

Hoopoe and cuckoo calling at the house and woodlark still singing there.

Sunday 18th April

The weekend has seen the cool wind virtually disappear so that it has been very warm--- 26C on Sunday.

A trip to the Braconne forest near Jauldes on the 17th produced several singing bonellis warblers in a small area and a singing firecrest. There were also large numbers of scarce swallowtail butterflies.

On the evening of Sunday the 18th, 2 stonecurlew were sat on the Lairiere plains and a pair of merlin were hunting. One corn bunting was singing.

Earlier in the day a black kite flew over Mansle.

Nightingales, cuckoos and willow warblers seem to be singing everywhere.

Friday 16th April

Once again it's sunny and warm but with a cooling NE wind. The sky is especially clear as there are no con-trails above Charente as a result of the Iceland volcano.

My first house martin of the year flew over today. The nightingale,blackcap,willow warbler and woodlark are all still singing around the garden and a cuckoo was in the distance.

A possible short toed eagle flew high above the house--but I was busy sawing a tree and too far from my binoculars.

A brief trip to the Bandiat produced nothing except at least one female ring ouzel and a few swallows. The flooding is now virtually over.

The weather pattern continues: warm and mainly sunny but with a cooling NE wind.

The Bandiat's floodwaters have now almost disappeared but there were still 5 green sandpiper and one greenshank present together with 3 moorhen. Blue headed wagtail numbers were down to about 10 and there was no sign of the ouzels.

A very bright male common redstart was the first for the year and several whitethroat were present.

A male wheatear perched obliging on the stable roof at the house and the woodlark was still singing there.

A swift was reported at Montignac with the swallows.

Mainly sunny today and a bit hotter.

A hoopoe was around the garden as was my first goldcrest of the year, and willow warblers and woodlark were still singing there.

Other birds in the garden or seen/heard from chez nous were:

cuckoo, nightingale, blackcap, cirl bunting, swallow, moorhen, robin, starling, blackbird, wren, song thrush, blue tit, great tit, chaffinch, greenfinch, house sparrow, wood pigeon, crow, jay, skylark, magpie black redstart. Not a great list but then I wasn't looking particularly hard.

A trip to the Bandiat produced 5 greenshank (which interestingly were on the south side of the bridge, an area which usually holds little despite having more extensive flooding) A green sandpiper was with them. The flooding on the north/Agris side has almost dried up but it did hold one green sandpiper.

More interesting were the 20 or so yellow wagtails, most of them, blue-headed, which were feeding on what was left of the mud. While scanning them I came across a pair of ring ouzel. These are only the 3rd and 4th which I have seen in Charente. The previous ones were also in the Bandiat/ Braconne area which suggests that this is a regular migration route.

The cattle farm near Agris also had several blue-headed wagtails on show.

Tuesday April 13th

The weather is still mainly sunny with highs around 20 but the wind is a cooling factor from the north.

Yesterday, willow warbler,woodlark, nightingale, blackcap and black redstart were all singing in the garden.

Today a brief trip to the Bandiat produced 4 greenshank, 2 common sandpiper and one green sandpiper despite the low water levels. There were also 2 blue-headed wagtails and 2 water pipit there along with 2 whitethroat, 2 song thrush and several chiffs and blackcap. The only hirundines wete a few swallows. The only wildfowl were 3 mallard and a moorhen.

A car-crossing of the Lairiere plains produced nothing of note but the 1st wheatear (male) of the year was in the fields opposite the house.

3 siskin were an unusual sight in the village.

April 8/9

Migration still seems slow. Nothing but swallows at the Bandiat on 8th---except for the very rare sighting of a French birder.

Water levels are dropping and there is little flooding of the Tardoire at Fougere and no birds to report.

There's a bit more water at the Bandiat and 2 sand martins were there on the 9th along with 1 snipe and 1 green sandpiper. 11 mallards were flying around but no sign of garganey, a species which has occurred there in small numbers over the last few years ( except 2009)

Nightingales were singing and I saw my first whitethroat of the year.

Spring Migration 2007

Here's the first of what I hope will be a brief data-base of bird sightings in the departmente of Charente, France.

Tues April 7

Bandiat--Agris

white stork. 3 circling at pont d'Agris

black kite 2

green sandpiper 1

water pipit 1

nightingale 1

cuckoo 1

little grebe 1

Tardoire--Fougere

green sandpiper 3

common sandpiper 1

Jauldes

stone curlew 1

corn bunting 1

serin 1