Well after all my moaning about this year's weather, Summer has kicked in with a vengeance with temperatures in the 30's during the last couple of weeks and set to continue into the foreseeable future; I don't think the lawn will continue to look green for much longer.
A consequence of the eolians construction is that the stone curlews have taken to hanging around the cleared ground at the base of the excavations. On several occasions when I have cycled up there, I have unintentionally flushed up to four birds at a time. They fly off to no great distance calling noisily. Flushing a quail is much more difficult even when you can hear one calling from the grain almost at your feet but I must have taken one by surprise yesterday as I round downhill and it flew up explosively and whizzed away just above the crop, dropping down about 100 yards away. A bird that you don't really think of as flushable is a montagues harrier but they often seem to sit in the ground and this includes the tracks that cross the plains' One held his position until I was within 30 yards or so this week.
Two golden orioles have been visiting the garden recently, their distinctive call always sounds quite tropical and reminds me of the mynah birds during my time in Sri lanka. The blackcap that is in the garden sings almost continuously throughout the day and has been doing so for about a month now.
Of the birds that I have mentioned in recent posts, the tree pipits are still singing in several locations and I heard a snatch of nightingale song from a hedge on the plains lat week. There were still plenty of swifts flying around Mansle yesterday but it can't be long before we lose these early departees.
Cetti's warblers have not been much in evidence this year and I have not heard one on the Son-Sonnette for instance but one was calling from the undergrowth as I canoed on the Charente near Echoisy.
Flocks of white wagtails have begun to appear on the plains and this may be linged to the grain harvest which is just getting underway,
Red kites have been thin on the ground for me this year but I saw one above the N141 near Roumaziers.
A species which I have not seen (alive) in France this year is a lesser spotted woodpecker but one sadly came to grief when it flew into my front door.
No comments:
Post a Comment