Hold That Page

 At least two flocks of cranes were calling this morning as they flew over the house between 5 and 6am----so the cold weather is causing some movement.

Spain tomorrow

Well the cold wind certainly came today but it as yet has not brought any migrants from the north--or not that could be observed from my garden. Tomorrow I'm off to northern Spain for a few days to see what has blown in there.

Birthday List

Yesterday I reached the 64th milestone which seemed a good opportunity to see how many birds were out there to celebrate it with me. There was no chance of  finding 64 species but one for each two years seemed a possibility. In the end I managed 35 and that was without a few usual suspects such as linnet and nuthatch.
The highlight was several brightly plumaged male brambling in amongst the other finches which were feeding on unharvested sunflowers. One of these flocks mainly consisted of over a hundred goldfinches which made a bright spectacle in the sunlight. Another gave a tantalisingly brief view of a tree sparrow--my first this year.
Five mistle thrushes--possibly migrating birds were feeding near Ventouse and a troupe of rooks were in a field near Artenac. This species is highly localised in these parts but the available food after the harvest is probably encouraging some wandering. For the same reason, woodpigeons and collared doves were plentiful, one flock of the latter contained about 100.
The temperature is forecast to plummet over the next 24 hours as cold air comes in from the north and this should produce flocks of lapwings and perhaps cranes migrating south

Cranes

The skies actually cleared this afternoon and as though taking advantage of the improved conditions, a skein of about 100 cranes flew south over the house. Unusually, they were completely silent.

autumn flocks

The weather in Charente, as seemingly everywhere in the world, is behaving rather strangely. We have had lots of unseasonal rain over the last week and the leaden skies of the last three days have been evocative of the UK on a bad weekend. Neverless the birds still go about their business.
 There is no sign of the crane migration as yet but large flocks of larks and finches are feeding on the plains and a flock of woodpigeons numbered several hundred this morning. Another very large flock of mid-sized birds was moving south at speed but at such a distance that they were frustratingly unidentifiable even with binoculars. They were possibly starlings and numbered 500+.
A few wheatears were still around Lairiere on Thursday along with black redstarts, meadow pipits, cirl buntings, meadow pipits, white wagtails and a pair of stonechats. A distant male harrier was probably a hen but could have been a late migrating montagues especially as a very late hobby flew by at La Tache yesterday. A few chiffchaffs are still feeding in the bushes and I heard some woodlarks on the plains.
Carl reports a tree sparrow in his garden at Laplaud, a species which I always feel should be more common in these parts but which has eluded me for a couple of years.

Surprisingly, the sun has just tentatively appeared so I think I might venture out!

Quail

The 'wet my lips' call of the quail was commonly heard on the Lairiere plains throughout the summer but these migratory birds have been silent for some weeks now. So it was a surprise this evening to flush a bird from the edge of a yet to be harvesteed maize fields. In fact this was my first sighting this year as these birds are notoriously difficult to locate even when they appear to be calling just a few feet away. This individual may, of course, not be one that bred here but could be on passage from further north.
There is little else to report on this rather rainy day except that a little owl was calling in my garden this evening and a robin was still singing at 8pm.

lapwings et al

Yesterday morning it was overcast but very mild when I cycled over the Lairiere plains. I saw my first autumn flock of migrating lapwings --almost 30 of them moving SE. Four wheatears wer still in the fields and lower down near the bio farm was a cluster of passerines in the hedgerow including several chiffchaffs, a pair of blackcaps, a pair of stonechats, two robins and a whinchat. Meadow pipits were around in large numbers and I saw my first big flock of autumn finches, maybe a thousand birds or so near Artenac. They were mainly linnets but many goldfinches were with them. A male sparrowhawk was sat on a fence post nearby and a female hen harrier was quartering the fields.
In all, 34 species of birds made an appearance but there was no sight or sound of ring ousels, a rare but regular autumn migrant.

wheatears moving through

I always regard migration as the best bit of birding, probably because it cn offer surprises, no matter how slight, and so it was a delight this week to come across a half dozen or more wheatears on the Lairiere plains and another one near Le Pont d'Agris. hey were making use of the very recently ploughed fields to feed as they paused on their jorney to Africa. A few meadow pipits and white wagtails accompanied them.
Buzzards and kestrels were abundant in the last of the clear warm weather. Three of the former were circling over the house and I saw well into double figures in the course of  a morning. One of these which obligingly remained sitting on his roadside fence post as I cycled by was a dark chocolate colour, demonstrating the the french name of le buse variable is more descriptive than the english one.
Chiffchaffs are still 'hoo-weeting' away in the bushes and a female blackcap was near La Tache on Thursday.

Common Buzzard --le buse variable--in typical plumage but local birds can vary from almost the colour of black kites to very pale ones which resemble short toed eagles.

The last 24 hours have been ones of light showers and that is the forecast for the rest of the week. The temperature today reached 20+ however and although it's expected to fall over the next few days,  it still feels very mild and the occasional swallow can be seen flying around.

early october

 The temperature has dropped to upper teens and with some cloud covering the sun today, it's felt a lot cooler; the forecast is much better for the weekend however.
Black redstarts, chiffchaffs great tits and cirl buntings were all crowded into a very small tree in the garden this morning. I've been busy with the builders at the house for the last few days so I'm not sure what's happerning further afield!

garden whinchat

After the short wet spell, warm dry weather has returned for a few days which has encouraged the buzzards to indulge in some soaring. Swallows are still about in some numbers and in the garden yesterday was a migrating whinchat and a singing chiffchaff. A few white wagtails have been in the fields recently taking advantage of the ploughing which is beginning for the winter crops. Last night was a full moon and both tawny and little owls were calling.

The new kitten which we have inadvertently acquired after it was abandoned in a sunflower field at a very young age is fascinating to watch at play but I fear that she is growing into an agile and a skillful hunter as I have already had to rescue several dragonflies and stag beetles from her clutches. I think a large bell is in order before she turns her attention to the birds.