Late April Migrants

For most birders the arrival of the migrants in sprng is probably the the most fascinating time of the year. The reasons for this seem pretty obvious; there's an element of unpredictability about what might be around on a daily basis as some species which have not been observable for several months begin to turn up (or don't) and there's always the chance of a local rarity as birds which are moving through your patch to settle on somebody else's might briefly reveal themselves All of this seems to reveal that birding is partly a sublimated form of hunting and collecting, and spring migration provides the most productive time for such pursuits
But the fascination of this time of year goes much deeper than that; it is all tied up with the celebration of the nature's regenerative cycle: it is a right of spring.
Such a celebration is not of course the preserve of just the birding world ; anticipating and observing the re-appearance of  the familiar flowers and blossoms of  spring causes a similiar response in most people. Nevertheless, bird activity in spring has elements which intensify such response. The unpredictability already mentioned is one of these. Within limits, anything might turn up becaue of the vagaries of weather conditions and there is also the important element of luck; passage migrants do not usually hang around, and being in the right place at the right time can be only partly anticipated.
But it is the curious phenomenon of migration itself which is the most important element. Millions of birds, and most of them tiny ones, undertake dangerous journeys of thousands of miles and then suddenly appear in our gardens and fields. And for just a few species we can  actually watch them undertaking the journey.
And so it was yesterday. An early walk around La Tache revealed five wheaters sat in a stoney field, They had arrived overnight and may well have been in a field in Spain the previous day. Three stone curlews were in another field. They have been with us for some weeks but the montague's harrier which rose from the ground in an adjacent field had possibly just arrived. Nightingales and cuckoos have also been with us since earlier in the month and were making their familiar sounds but the brief snatches of golden oriole song and the purring of  a turtle dove were reminders that some birds were only just turning up.
In the afternoon I had to drive to Cognac and that provided the most fascinating and moving displays of migration. All along the route a few black kites were slowly drifting by but at a completely different rate the swifts and the swallows were dashing  northwards in their hundreds, the former at very low levels and often slipping between the moving vehicles, the former only slightly higher. None of these small birds were settling. The wind was in the north and they were moving strongly into it. A day or two ago they were probably still in Africa; and to where were they going? Perhaps they will nest in church towers and barns in Scotland or Scandanavia or maybe they are close to their journey's end and will settle at a familiar spot in The Vendee. Either way, it was a privilege to be be able to watch them go by.

cold,wet swallows

You have to feel sorry for those birds which have arrived here from Africa. A trip to The Bandiat yesterday revealed a flock of about 100 swallows most of whch were hunting in tight formation low over a meadow, trying to find or put up some flying insects. Others, however, were simply sat in the middle of the track and could hardly stir themselves to let the car past.
The river itself was flowing strongly and the current was strong enough to take quite a lot of the water beyond the gouffres. Apart from 4 mallards, there were no migrants but it is rather late in the spring for stuff to be turning up now. In the nearby Braconne Forest a few nightingales were trying to sound cheerful in the miserable conditions.
Speaking of flocks of birds, about 100 linnets were noisily assembled in the orchards at la Tache yesterday and about 20 swift were feeding over the plains.

Wheatear and monty's and seasonal rivers.

Man Utd's 4-4 draw today may have jeopardised their championship hopes but today's birds were some compensation. A male wheatear dressed in his Spring finery was sat in the miiddle of a stoney field on the plains and shortly afterwards I stopped the car near La Tache to look at a raptor sat by the side of the road. It turned out to be a male montague's harrier which slowly flew off but only over a short distance as though it were tired. It possibly was a migrant which had just arrived.
 My first french house martin of the year (there were plenty in Spain) was flying across the plains along with 3 swifts and a few swallows of which there has been a steady northern migration all week.
At least two willow warblers were at La Poterie pond, one of which was singing. This species seems to be a passage migrant in these parts, choosing to nest further north. A cuckoo flew across the road near La Poterie, a reminder that it is really Spring despite the wet, cool April weather.

Yesterday I had a look at The Bandiat. The good news is that it was flowing strongly after the recent rain but there was no evidence of migration except for a singing nightingale. The new gouffre which I reported as appearing last year is possibly affecting the nature of the small marsh as some of the water which is overflowing from the main channel is disappearing down this hole rather than spreading outwards. I hope this does not make the area less attractive to wetland migrants.
Speaking of seasonal rivers, The Tardoire has been flowing quite well for a few days now but only in sections. There is plenty of water at Pont d'Agris but nothing at all just a little further downstream at Biagne. Somewhere in between the water must disappear underground. The vanishing rivers are a fascinating feature of this part of Charente; perhaps I'll try walking upstream along the dry river bed until I find the spot where The Tardoire is going underground at the moment. It's a curious though that after previous wet winters and springs this river has overflowed  and created temporary lakes along its valley providing a habitat for migrating waders, gulls and wildfowl.

Cold April and Montague's Harrier?

What a change in temperature over  the last few days! The wind is in northerly sectors and long trousers are back on. The only upside is that we've had quite a bit of needed rain.
Spring arrivals are still around of course but they must be a bit miserable. I saw a couple of swifts at Poitiers airport today and while driving there a male harrier which was almost certainly a Montagues was quartering a field near St Front---but I was driving at 80K.
Hen harriers are still a daily occurence and are mainly splendid males. Two of them were close to la Tache on Monday.
The forecast for the next few days is more of the same. The migration season is moving on quickly but I will try to check whether The Bandiat has any water yet and if any late passage wetland birds are making use of it.
A black redstart has built a nest inside the lounge of my La Poterie house which is nearing reconstruction. I reluctantly moved it to a nearby outside location before any eggs are layed. The downstairs windows will be installed shortly and I fear that the birds will be denied access. The inner lining of the nest was snugly lined with yellow insulation fibres taken from the building site.
 Other species which are nesting on the new edifice (but thankfully on the outside) are blue tits and house sparrows under the roof and kestrels on the gable end. Swallows are thankfully not regarding it as an accessible barn at present. Until a few years ago, some individuals would fly in through the open doors and sit around on light fittings and walls. I assume these were descendents of birds which used to nest here when much of the building was a milking parlour. Perhaps the genetic memory has now faded.

whitethroats

Migrants are still slipping in and today seemed to be the whitethroats' turn as three individuals were around La Tache this morning and I saw a fourth later in the day; none of them were singing.
While listening to two nightingales singing at La Tache (rather fewer than at Fontenille) I heard a clear snatch of golden oriole song. I could not locate the bird however and there were plenty of starlings about so it may have been a good imitation.
After the recent rain there is some water in the Tardoire at Pont d'Agris but the Bandiat is still completely dry.
A male hen harrier and a stone curlew were present in the same field near La Tache in the afternoon. Nuthatches and hoopoes were conspicuous around the village.

First Swift

The weather may have become rather showery and cooler but the migrants are still turning up. A walk around Fontenille at 8.30 am revealed at least 9 singing nightingales, a tree pipit and a male redstart along with numerous chiffs and blackcaps.
In the afternoon I saw my first swift of the year near La Rochefoucauld.
Hen harriers seem to be more common at the moment; I have seen one on each of the last three days in different locations.
A flock of about 20 woodlark was in a ploughed field near Fontenille yesterday and a female sparrowhawk was hunting along a hedge.

Dry Bandiat river and black kite

This is the first Spring that I can remember when the Bandiat has been completelty dry---not a good sign for the coming months. Consequently there was no sign of the usual migrant activity there except for a black kite which was feeding in a nearby ploughed field.
A stone curlew was near La Tache on the plains.

stone curlew

We had some welcome rain overnight and in the early part of the day but the cooler temperatures seem to have dampened down the bird activity. Nevertheless, when driving out of Fontenille this morning, I flushed a stone curlew from close to the road and later in the day while out walking I saw a marsh harrier for the third consecutive day, presumably the same individual.

nightingale etc

I heard my first (French) nightingale of the year this morning at Fontenille. nI the same area were two or three willow warblers also in song. Later in the day I watched my first common redstart of the year. His name does him no justice as he is surely one of the most brightly plumaged of our visitors. A black kite flew over the house to make it four new Charente species for 2012 today.
In total there were 44 species on show or to be heard around Fontenille. They included hoopoes (a pair) cuckoo, swallows, blackcaps, chiffs, tree pipit, serin and marsh harrier. These birds with the four already mentioned, confirm that migration is well under way...............but there is more to come!

Back from Spain

The trip to ndalucia went well with a trip list of exactly 150. Despite the mainly fine weather, evidence of summer passerine migration was less than expected. The raptor migration at Tarifa was spectacular however with flocks of 100+ black kites and griffon vultures occurring regularly. Highlights of the trip included some birds that are unlikely to make their way to Charente such as collared pratincole, lesser kestrel and black shouldered kite.
Charente had distinctly greened up during the two week absence and some summer visitors seem already well established. Swallows, cuckoos, hoopoes, chiffs, black redstarts and blackcaps are around daily and I have seen and heard tree pipits over the last two days.
I'm spending some time at Fontenille at the moment and song thrushes are particularly common at the moment both as singing birds and small flocks passing through. As always in this village, yellowhammers are particularly common even to the extent of small flocks. This species seems to be very localised in Charente and cirl buntings are much more widespread. Similarly, corn buntings are very plentiful especially in the dolmens area and flocks of ten or more occur. On the other hand, buzzards which are usually ubiquitous in Charente seem thin on the ground (and in the air) around Fontenille.
I'm still waiting for my first passage wheater but I did see a migrating marsh harrier today and Irv saw a black kite near Ruffec on Saturday. Every day in April can bring new visitors,