Large flocks of lapwings (vanneau huppé), containing several thousand birds, were resting/feeding in fields along the Mansle-Valence road today. They are making their annual movement back to their northern breeding grounds. Their migration does not attract as much public attention as that of the cranes (gru cendré) but in a different way the phenomenon is just as beautiful and remarkable.
Around the garden there are the first signs of birds pairing up for breeding; tits (mésange) and blackbirds (merle noir) were (respectively) chasing each other today and a pair of moorhens (poule d'eau) have been active around the pond for a week or so now.
The crane migration continued yesterday with almost 1000 birds passing over the house in the afternoon.
Both Lapwings and masses of Cranes seen today. Diane
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