The Last Cranes?

Yesterday (28th) gave us a clear blue sky all day and, prompted by a friend's report that he had seen two skeins of cranes pass over Fontenille on the 28th, I dutifully set off on my bike in the hope that some might have rested for the night in the Tardoire valley. I came across none that had but I was rewarded withe the sight of about 350 of them in five skeins during the course of a couple of hours. They were mainly at height and heading deteminedly south except for the smallest group of twenty or so which were circling low over the trees and may in fact have eventually settled somewhere in the valley.
This is of course remarkably late for cranes to be still migrating and is possibly the result of continued climate change as much as a response to the recent cold snap.
I saw my first redwings of this winter in the poplars in the Son-Sonette valley today. There is also a cold weather influx of song thrushes but no sign yet of fieldfares or bramblings.

Golden Plovers

Today's bitter north wind kept me indoors but I did have the reward of seeing a flock of about eighty golden plovers calling as they circled above the house for some minutes before settling in the field opposite. This is very likely evidence of the cold weather bird movement referred to in my last post. It's very likely that lapwings, fieldfares, redwings and bramblings will make their appearance soon.

Late December

The weather has remained mild with some rain but temperatures are forecast for a sharp drop tomorrow and that may bring some changes on the bird front. At present, though, there is little of note to report other than the usual large flocks of skylarks in the fields and what seems to be a seasonal invasion of jackdaws and rooks to farmland which is usually monopolised by crows.
I did hear a lesser spotted woodpecker close to the house on Boxing Day but failed to locate it, a very different situation to the one that I recently reported. That individual was just above my head in a small tree at the side of the Sources de Trouve.
Other location details that I omitted from that last post were that the black woodpecker was flying over and calling in the Braconne forest and that the siskins (my first of the year) were feeding at the top of silver birches in a garden at Saint Angeau. The goldcrest was in another garden nearby. The flock of fieldfares (my first of the year in Charente) were by the Bandiat as were the reed warblers, and the kingfisher and water pipit were on the Trouve at Magnac along with more than a hundred little grebes.
Incidentally, the Tardoire and Bandiat rivers are now flowing above ground after recent rains. Sadly, the Bonnieure is being stripped of many of the trees along its banks near to Saint Mary.

Fifty-plus Species

Today's continued sunshine encouraged me to go farther afield which meant the car rather than the bike. I visited the Braconne forest and the Trouve and Bandiat rivers in the hope of a few different species to add to yesterday's total. The result was a good one, pushing the total to the mid fifties over the two days. As always, a few common species eluded the trawl but the full list below shows that it is very feasible to come across over sixty winter species in Charente during a twenty four hour period.

The Winter List  Dec 21/22

Black woodpecker
Great spotted woodpecker
Lesser spotted woodpecker
Green woodpecker
Tawny owl
Hen harrier
Buzzard
Kestrel
Rook
Crow
Jackdaw
Magpie
Jay
Wood pigeon
Collared dove
Heron
Little egret
Mute swan
Mallard
Gadwall
Little grebe
Moorhen
Coot
Kingfisher
Cormorant
Lapwing
Blue tit
Great tit
Long tailed tit
Goldcrest
Firecrest
Short toed treecreeper
Nuthatch
Wren
Dunnock
Robin
Chiffchaff
White wagtail
Grey wagtail
Skylark
Meadow pipit
Water pipit
Stonechat
Siskin
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
Hawfinch
Greenfinch
Blackbird
Song thrush
Mistle thrush
Field fare
Starling
House sparrow
Cirl bunting
Reed bunting

Tis the Year's Midnight.....

The shortest day of 2014 brought some welcome sunshine after several days of soggy gloom. Venturing out to look for birds became feasible again and my 15K cycle ride turned up 32 species. December's mild weather means that there is no sign of winter arrivals of field fares, redwings or bramblings but a solitary lapwing near La Tâche was perhaps a remnant of migration earlier in the month. Sadly this bird seemed to be injured as it was in the same part of the ploughed field in which I'd first seen it some days earlier. On that occasion it was accompanied by a few white wagtails but there was no sign of them anywhere today.
Linnets were flocking in their hundreds though and there were also large numbers of chaffinch and skylarks on the plains. Curiously I did not see or hear any goldfinch or greenfinch on my journey but a solitary hawfinch was in a tree near the bio farm.
The only other birds of note were a hen harrier, a chiffchaff  and a flock of starlings which were pleasantly carolling in a tree near the wind turbines.
Robins were far less common than say a month ago so perhaps some have dispersed

Late Cranes and Hawfinch

The three hundred or so cranes which passed over me in five skeins during yesterday's bike ride make the headline because of their lateness but there were several other birds of note among the three dozen species which made an appearance. The main part of my journey was within the still dry Tardoire valley (in fact I cycled along the stony river bed for a while) where I came across an interesting mixed flock of cirl and reed buntings. I have not seen the latter species since the spring. A little pishing encouraged the appearance of several goldcrests and firecrests from within the foliage of a conifer plantation and a red kite obligingly soared overhead but the most striking birds of day for me were two hawfinches which typically sat very still while I admired their plumage.

UK Interval

Regular readers of this blog may have noted an absence of posts from me during the last fortnight. The birth of a third grandson took me away to the UK and while there I toured the nation, catching up with friends and relatives. The social schedule meant that birding took a back seat but I managed to fit a bit in and among the highlights were snow buntings on the Great Orme, 23 red kites counted along the M40 and several bullfinches in Gloucestershire.
Fortunately at least a few folk kept an eye on Charente's birds and I see that Cagouille reported large movements of cranes.
I've returned with a cold of course ! but I managed to cycle out on to the plains today and was grateful to see a skein of seventy cranes heading south plus another twenty five species in the warm sunshine.

Red Kite

This is rather a limbo time for birds in Charente as we have lost all of our summer visitors except for a few over-wintering chiffchaffs and perhaps the occasional blackcap but few wintering migrants have yet turned up.
 As mentioned in recent posts the main crane migration is very late this year and the only thrush movements have been a few song and mistle.
Red kites tend to wander at this time of year though and a very beautiful specimen shared a thermal above the Bonnieure valley with a sparrowhawk yesterday and a hen harrier was on the plains today, so together with the plentiful buzzards and kestrels it has not been a bad time for birds of prey.

Cetti's Warblers

Cetti's have been difficult for me to find in Charente this year but two and possibly three individuals were singing on the Son-Sonnette yesterday.
Still no cranes for me despite yesterday's superb weather but I met two other people who have seen skeins of over a hundred birds in the last couple of days.
As forecast, the warm, dry weather ended with a monsoon-like downpour early this morning and temperatures have reverted to their norm for late autumn.

Cranes (and 40 Kilometres)

Today's post title should have read 'Forty Species and Forty Kilometres' as that was my bird list and cycling distance on this hot last day of October but it was Stella and not me who saw a skein of about fifty cranes flying over La Tâche --- but the world would be less interesting without a touch of irony!
Mr Plumency of La Tache  reports that cranes flew overhead on the previous day also.

The highlights of my wanderings were more diminutive, being a goldcrest, the first I've come across for a long time, and a coal tit, another species which has been elusive of late. Marsh tit was around again today but the absence of crested tit spoiled the full set of six for this family.
Tawny owls are calling at night and in the early morning at the moment (and occasionally even in the middle of the day)
Finches were scarce with only chaffinch and goldfinch making an appearance.

Harrier and Marsh Tit

The superb late October weather continues and maybe it's holding back the cranes as I have not yet heard of any sightings of their return migration.
The sunshine encourages cycling however and a trip along the Bonnieure valley gave me my first view of a hen harrier for some days back. It was a ringtail as most seem to be at this time of year. Perhaps the adult males have wandered off southward.
Similarly, I have not seen a marsh tit for a while so to track one down in the woods after I had heard it calling made a nice end to the warm afternoon.
The plains still have plenty of skylarks and meadow pipits but little else except for a few white wagtails.
Birders have a thing about lists and it occurred to me that as I've just reached 66 that I might start putting together a variant on the usual personal year list and instead have one based on the twelve months that start on my birthday. I've not counted up but I reckon I've seen about 50 in the Charente so far.

Thirty Five Species in Twenty Six Kilometres.

On an extremely hot October day, a twenty six kilometre saunter on my bike turned up thirty three species of birds (the owls revealed themselves during the evening). I've not done a list for while so here's one, but in no particular order except that non-passerines come first.
Perhaps just as interesting are the species which didn't show up but were around a similar area on the previous day. These include mistle thrush, chiffchaff, linnet and long-tailed tit.
Song thrushes have not been around for a while but there appears to have been a influx yesterday.
No sign of the cranes yet.

Crow
Jackdaw
Jay
Magpie
Tawny Owl
Little Owl
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Grey Heron
Moorhen
Buzzard
Kestrel
Sparrowhawk
Green woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker

Grey Wagtail
White Wagtail
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
House Sparrow Starling
Wren
Robin
Dunnock
Cirl Bunting
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Meadow Pipit
Skylark
Woodlark
Firecrest Nuthatch Short-toed Treecreeper Stonechat Blackbird Song Thrush

Birthday Merlin

It's the day after my birthday and the temperature in the sunshine is a remarkable 42C ! Yesterday was not quite so warm but still very pleasant for late October. A cycle trip around the plains turned up 32 species of birds none of which was particularly remarkable except for a female merlin which was dashing around among the skylarks. I saw what might have been a second bird later in another field but it might have been the same individual.
The skylarks numbered in the hundreds, a big increase on recent days.
The near-white buzzard was sitting prominently in a tree  near La Tâche.

Quiet October

The sun has largely won its battle with the clouds during recent days but despite the mild weather there has not been too much to report of late.
The harvesting of the maize is virtually over and most of the fields are now either being prepared or already contain their winter crop. The first finch flocks are starting to form but at present they consist only of goldfinches and linnets. Meadow pipits are plentiful and favour the young rape plants while small flocks of white wagtails are often following the ploughs.
The kestrels which nested on the gable end of my house are back again and often sit there or fly noisily around. Today I saw them mating while perched in a tree in the garden, a curious sight at this time of year!
I have seen the occasional hen harrier on the plains and the very light phase buzzard was perched near La Tâche this afternoon.
The flocks of skylarks are still quite small but some individuals are still in song as are a few woodlarks.

Late Wheatear

The Indian summer seemed to have come to an end last week and we've had a spell of cool, wetter weather. This probably explains why I've not seen swallow for a few days and yet I came across a wheatear on the plains this week, leaving things a little late for making his way back to Africa.
Elsewhere there has been little of note to report except for the occasional hen harrier and plenty of meadow pipits.

Late stone curlew

And the stone curlews still haven't gone as I clearly heard one in the field behind my house in the darkness of Thursday evening. Elsewhere though things seem to be slowing down; swallows are no longer commonplace and the calls of the remaining chiffchaffs seem to be the last sounds of summer.
While cycling to Chasseneuil on Wednesday I stopped to listen to a singing woodlark, the first I've  heard for a long time.
The nearly albino buzzard is still flying around as he has has been for several seasons now.

Stone curlew and other migrants

It's turned out to be a hot end to the summer and this has perhaps encouraged some visitors and passage migrants to linger.
I thought that stone curlews had already departed but one flew over my head last Sunday. It seemed he had been flushed by a solitary hunter with his dog but. Either he was undetected or the chasseur recognised him as a protected species.
I have seen occasional wheatears, redstarts pied flycatchers and whinchats this week but chiffchaffs have been the commonest migrant along with the swallows which seem now to be moving southwards rather than feeding.
Meadow pipits began to appear on the plains yesterday but among all this movement the black redstarts are still singing from rooftops and two arrive each evening to roost on my terrace.

Short-toed Eagles

Yesterday was one one of those delightful early autumn ones, sunny and still but with clear light after the recent storms and it encouraged me to take a longer bike ride than usual. It turned out to be a good thing because while cycling in the Braconne forest not far from Le Grande Fosse I heard an unfamiliar call which turned out to be coming from the sky rather than a tree. It took a little time to get a view above because of the canopy but when I finally found a gap I was treated to the sight of  a family of short-toed eagles circling above.
I watched them for some twenty minutes, never seeing more than three at a time because of the obstructed view but there were possibly four individuals. They were circling quite low and calling incessantly, the sound being wader- like and plaintive. They held their wings with the carpal joint well forward and with the primary tips often upturned. The barring on the pale underwing was clearly visible as was their dark breast.
It's the first time I've seen these summer visitors this year and I think the first time ever in the Braconne though they are recorded as breeding there.

The forest was surprisingly full of migrants. They were feeding on the swarms of flies which I mentioned in my previous post. Every ride that I went down had common redstarts, flycatchers, chiffchaffs and robins darting out from the bushes or landing on the ground.
On the way to the forest, near La Rochette ,  I came across a flock of about twenty blue-headed wagtails together with a couple of wheatears and whinchats
Large numbers of swallows were feeding on dark columns of flies high up in the sky..

After The Storm

After last night's electrical storm today's weather was fresh and breezy but still warm.
Swallows have been around in some numbers during the last few weeks, not so much heading determinedly southwards but busily feeding over the fields. This morning there were literally hundreds of them around La Poterie, exploding from the overhead wires as I cycled by.
Speaking of flocks, starlings have also been gathering in tightly packed numbers over the last week or two, most of them in their bright new speckled plumage.
A few flycatchers are still around, both pied and spotted but blackcap numbers seem to be diminishing.
The plains were pretty empty of bird life today except for buzzards which were present in double figures and a few kestrels.
I know little about insects but the swarms of tiny midges which I have referred to recently seemed to have been replaced today by equally large swarms of more substantial flies which were a little painful to cycle through. Several passerines were enjoying the food supply though including the flycatchers, chiffchaffs and a family of stonechats near the bio farm.

Another Kingfisher

In his novel 'The Spire' William Golding has his despondent main character say 'No kingfisher will fly for me' and I have come across numerous people who say that they have never seen this not too uncommon bird. It's understandable why, as views are often fleeting ones of a fast-flying and compact bird which might not reveal the blaze of colour if the light is wrong.

 Luckily kingfishers often announce their arrival with their high piping call as the one on the Bonnieure did yesterday. It's the second bird that I've seen within a couple of weeks so maybe post breeders are revealing themselves more at the moment. (In days gone by when there used to be fish in the pond at La Poterie I was treated to views or a kingfisher sitting in a tree in my garden.)

Wheatears on the plains numbered seven yesterday but there were no whinchats. A single blue-headed wagtail was calling as it flew around.
The sunflower harvest is underway at the moment and this may generate some bird activity.

The Chasse Begins

A quick trip to the coast on the last day before the chasse began produced surprisingly little of note. Sacred ibis, wood sandpipers, hobby, cetti's and fan-tailed warbler were probably the highlights but perhaps more interesting was seeing not only double figures of French bird watchers but bird-ringing taking place at the reserve at Moëze. It's easy to start thinking that not many others have an interest in birds in these parts.
Back on the local patch, wheatear and whinchat numbers have tailed off in the last few days but common redstarts, tree pipits and pied flycatchers are still around. Sadly, one of the latter fell victim to my (or rather, my wife's) cat in the garden this week.
A single golden plover was flying around and calling on the plains on Sunday, not the wisest thing to be doing on the first day of the chasse.

Twenty Plus Wheatears

It's been a good autumn migration for wheatears this year; I cannot remember ever seeing as many in one day as the twenty or so which were on the plains and in the Tardoire valley this morning. Other migrants included the occasional whinchat, yellow wagtail, willow warbler, whitethroat, redstart and tree pipit. There was no sign of the golden plovers or any stone curlews.

Resident birds of note were grey wagtail on the Bonnieure and several jackdaws near Fougère . I think that I've noted before that this latter species, like the rook, is very localised around here.

The weather continues to be very hot and there has been only a gentle breeze for several days.

Golden Plovers

A cycle ride around the Lairiere Plains turned up a few wheatears, Whinchats and tree pipits but the sight of three golden plover was more unusual. I first saw them as they flew across near the eoliens but they circled around and landed in a recently planted rape field. They were still feeding there when I left some twenty minutes later. I hope they have moved on before the chasse begins on Sunday.

There are still plenty of swallows flying around and another ploughed field held about a dozen white wagtails while above, eight buzzards were sharing the same thermal.

Blue-headed Wagtails

I had the chance today to take a quick look again at the nondescript area mentioned in my last post ( I was returning from a shopping trip). Only two wheatears were present in the field and just a single whinchat but at least a dozen blue-headed wagtails were feeding there, some of them in replendent yellow plumage. I'm still not sure what the attraction of this particular ploughed field is.

Nearby, at Les Vielles Vaures, a female sparrowhawk was causing some consternation among the birds but there was nothing there of note except for three coypu which ran across the track.

Later this afternoon a tree pipit alerted me by its call to its presence in my garden before showing itself at the top of a tree.

It may be a result of my feeding grain to the three mallards on La Poterie's pond but the moorhen population there was well into double figures today.

Wheatears,Whinchats and Returning Migrants

Despite the recent hot weather (yesterday in my garden it was 33C in the shade and 54C in the sun !) the migrating birds seem to know when it's time to leave and the last few days have seen plenty of evidence of this.
There is a stretch of a quiet, nondescript road in the Tardoire valley just west of La Rochette which seems to appeal to some migratory birds. I have come across wheatears and Whinchats there before, both in Spring and Autumn, and yesterday six of the former and three of the latter were in the same field. Some of the wheatears showed vestiges of their male summer plumage. A further three Whinchats were together near La Poterie later.
The number of pied flycatchers in my garden has increased to three or more and a spotted flycatcher accompanied them yesterday. At least two robins have also moved in and when not singing their plaintive autumn notes they are busily chasing off the flycatchers. To be fair though, the flycatchers also often refuse to let each other settle.
The value of hedgerows to migrating birds seems particularly important at this time of year. They provide fruit, insects and corridors of cover which attract passerines and it's a great shame the the agricultural practice of grubbing them out continues. Last Friday, near the bio farm at La Tâche a short stretch of hedge held several migrating birds including at least four redstarts, a whitethroat, a red backed shrike and several willow warblers. Elsewhere, I have seen a few tree pipits which seemed to be on the move.
I must not have spent much time looking at river this year as it was not until this week that I came across my first Charente kingfisher of 2014. It obliging sat on the bridge just below me as I paused on my bicycle at the beautiful Charente River crossing at La Salle.
The only hen harriers I have seen this week have both been males but I have not seen stone curlews for a few days although I have heard them.

Five Tits and a Garden Pied Flycatcher

All but one of Charente's six species of tit were together in the Braconne forest this week, viz
blue, great, long-tailed, marsh and crested. Only the coal tit was missing but I have found these to be elusive recently. The flock was accompanied by firecrests, nuthatches, treecreepers and, very fleetingly, a lesser spotted woodpecker.
It's that time of year when pied flycatchers turn up in my garden and sure enough one was calling as it flitted among the trees yesterday.
Robins are revealing themselves much more of late. They seem to be more reclusive during the breeding season.
And as for the weather, it still won't settle down!

Charente Maritime and Waders

I called in at Mortagne sur Gironde yesterday and was pleasantly surprised at the extent of the salt marsh and reed beds. Dozens of ringed plover and dunlin were feeding on the edge of the estuary accompanied by a resting little tern. Two montague's harriers were hunting and large numbers of sand martins filled the sky. I suspect that bluethroats would be found here earlier in the year but mid August is not really the time to locate them. A few migrating willow warblers were flitting around in the reeds though. Little egrets were present in double figures.

Hobby

A hobby was hunting over the plains today and I came across yet another family of red backed shrikes between La Tâche and Goise. Green woodpeckers seem to be particularly common at present.

Pied Flycatcher

I've seen a few spotted flycatchers over the last few days but near Saint Angeau one small group, perhaps a family, was accompanied by a pied flycatcher, my first this year.
Red backed shrike family groups are still around but orioles seem to have gone quiet.
Swallows are feeding in numbers over the ploughed fields and together with the cool weather they give an ominous sense of summer approaching its end.

Garden Birds in August

It's early August and despite its being pleasantly warm, this must be the coolest Charente summer for a long time. Today was clear blue skies and a high in the upper 20's but clouds and showers are forecast for the next few days. My lawn is still very green, very different to the parched straw look of  virtually every August that I can recall.
I had a good bird day in the garden last week though, with 26 species heard or seen while I took my breakfast on the terrace. These included two male golden orioles, a hoopoe, a tree pipit and both green and great spotted woodpeckers.
 I did create anther blog some time back called 'Breakfast Birds' although I have never written any posts. Perhaps I'll reactivate it;  the basic idea was to encourage others, wherever they live, to record what birds they see or hear while they are breakfasting.
Away from the garden things have quietened down as one would expect at the height of summer. I went for a bike ride today without my binoculars so sure was I that little would turn up. I was right more or less although I did see my first male common redstart for a few weeks.
Stone curlews were still calling on the plains last week and black kites were scavenging the recently harvested or ploughed fields.

Flycatchers et al

A spotted  flycatchers would never win a competition for dazzling plumage but this generally retiring migrant always catches the eye because of  its posture and behaviour. Typically one sees its slim pale form sitting motionless on an exposed branch and then a quick sortie to catch a passing insect before returning to the same perch or one nearby. Yesterday I saw one such at La Poterie pond and another pair at Mouton's bridge.
Mistletoe thrushes were feeding in the fields today and yesterday. They are among our earliest breeders and seem now to be flocking up and starting to disperse.
'Green woodpeckers have started to be very vociferous recently and there is still plenty of oriole activity.

Herring Gulls

According to 'Les Oiseaux de Charente' herring gulls are listed as accidentals in Charente, ie occurring irregularly. As I cycled over the plains yesterday I watched five of them accompanying a tractor which was ploughing. Three black headed gulls were with them as was a black kite. On one occasion a herring gull with something in its bill was chased for some distance by another and was forced to release whatever it was in flight.
Much of the grain is now harvested and ground-nesting birds are being displaced. I heard several stone curlew calling in the distance but could not locate any.
Later, near La Rochette, I watched the family of red backed shrikes which I had first come across as just a pair some weeks ago. It has been a very good summer for these migrants and I found yet another (the5th) adult male in the Bonnieure valley yesterday.
Black kites always become more evident during the harvest and no fewer than eight birds were circling with a few common buzzards near La Tâche last week.
Speaking of flocks of birds, over twenty corn buntings were together on the plains in recent days and what must have been more than a single family of orioles, as more than one adult male was present, were feeding on elder berries near La Moulin d'Oiseaux.
I usually make mention of the weather in these posts and it is perhaps described as still rather unsettled with more cloud cover and rain than is usual fot July. Several days recently have been extremely hot-- in the upper 30's-- but there have been cool and overcast days also and the evening before last produced a long and violent electrical storm with considerable rain. In consequence everywhere is still looking remarkably verdant for this time of year.

July Lapwing

There were several interesting birds about on this morning' early bike ride around the plains but the most unexpected was a solitary lapwing feeding among the stubble. The species does not breed in this habitat and I assume that it has been disturbed from its usual breeding location or that it is a very early passage migrant.
An oriole is calling as I write this and I heard two others during the ride. A male appeared briefly in my garden earlier in the week.
Several stone curlews were visible in the stubble fields today. They appeared to be family parties and flew some distance when disturbed so it's difficult to say exactly how many different birds wer around but probably between six and nine. Their noisy nocturnal wanderings have brought them close to the house on several occasions recently.
Several quails were calling and corn buntings seem now to have formed small flocks or family parties.
The black kites which have been following the ploughs recently were not to be seen but a male hen harrier made an appearance.
The pair of red backed shrikes were in their usual spot.
The weather has not really settled down yet this summer .Clear skies such as today's have been curiously uncommon and the wind has been in the north for a while. In fact it was so cold and wet last Sunday that I fled to northern Spain for four days!

Shrike Number 4

I've been cycling in Brittany for the last week or so but today's local ride turned up my fourth male red backed shrike within a few kilometres of the house. Either it's a very good year for this attractive migrant or I've not been looking well enough in the past.
I could hear a golden oriole calling near to the house this afternoon.

not the best shrike pic but it was the best that my small camera would do.
clicking on it might make it bigger.

Midsummer Round-up

The longest day is almost with us and our summer birds have settled in. A spotted flycatcher near Saint Angeau yesterday was my only new species of recent weeks unless I include a family of resident goldcrests in Le Forêt de Belaire . These birds are as tiny as the much commoner firecrests in Charente.
A little owl was calling in my garden at midnight last night, the only owl species that I have seen or heard for quite a while.
Two male hen harriers were hunting close together on the plains last week but I have seen only female montague's harrier this year and on only two occasions.
It appears to be a good year for red backed shrikes as I found my fourth breeding pair a couple of days back.
Hay harvesting has already taken place and, apart from skylarks, the ground nesting birds are not much in evidence on the plains, I assume the pair of stone curlew are still thereabouts but I have heard only a few quail this year and harriers are not particularly common.
A few nightingales are still singing but the orioles seem now mainly quiet although I did see a singing male last week; family groups of black redstarts are everywhere and serins are particularly noisy at the moment.
The weather has been rather variable for a couple of weeks with a strong northerly breeze most days but the coolish temperatures have still allowed plenty of butterfly activity. I saw my first comma of the year yesterday and marbled whites, red admirals, white admirals, peacocks and clouded yellows are all about, along with the occasional purple emperor and some different types of fritillary which I always have trouble separating.

Stone Curlews and Nightjar

This is a rather better photo of a stone curlew than the ones that I usually take and it's here by permission of Creative Commons.
There were two pairs of these on the plains yesterday ---- or possibly just a single pair which surreptitiously moved to a second field without my noticing them. I first saw them close to eolien 4 so the new giants are seemingly not disturbing them.
Melodious warblers were particularly common yesterday with singing birds in double figures during the course of a three hour walk.
I heard the churring of my first nightjar in La foret de Belaire at the unlikely time of 5pm .

Reed Warblers.... And others.

It definitely seems to be warbler time at the moment. I took a walk along the Son-sonette yesterday where at least two reed warblers were present in the usual reed patch which has survived the poplar plantations. Other warblers there were whitethroats, chiffchaffs, blackcaps and melodious.

There are three Charente warblers which I have yet to come across this year :

Dartford:   I've never yet managed to find one here but its range seems to be very limited and in the high Charente.
Cetti's:  usually around but yet to be located in its usual waterside haunts.
Bonelli's. The Forêt de Braconne is the best place for this species so I must get there again soon.

Willow Warbler

As a follow up to yesterday's post, another trip to the forest revealed that the suspected willow warbler did in fact turn out to be one, or two in fact, as a pair seemed to be feeding young deep in a clump of bracken. There was never any song but both birds called incessantly and were incredibly active hunters of grubs, settling in one place for hardly a second and twitching their tails sideways in the manner distinctive of the species. They are classed as a breeding bird in Charente but I have come across them rarely and then mainly as a passage bird.
The good news about the red backed shrike is that he was together with a female yesterday so it looks like they will breed again in the same location.
Back to the forest, I located a different wood warbler singing in an area where I have found the species in earlier years.
Close to my house, the first hawfinch that I have seen for some time flew across the road in front of my car.

Honey Buzzard and Wood Warbler

Just when it seemed that things were starting to quieten down on the bird front, today produced a few pleasant surprises. The weather is still not very late Mayish but I risked a trip to the Forêt de Belaire this morning (and only got wet once). Several cuckoos were calling as I arrived but I was drawn to a sound which I had not heard since 2012 and located a wood warbler among some beech trees. He was quite confiding and I presume holding territory. He sang incessantly but resorted almost all of the time to the second half of his two part song, shivering his wings to accompany his trill which sounds something like a spinning coin.
A heavy shower caused me to take refuge under an oak tree but it proved to be a fortunate choice as a pair of crested tits were feeding above me. This is the the third location in the Charente where I have come across them. A very elusive bird which was also feeding nearby was almost certainly a willow warbler but I could not get on to it well enough for a definite i.d.
After the shower passed I came across my first honey buzzard of the year soaring above a clearing, his pigeon like head and his distinctively barred tail showing well. This migratory raptor is sadly a frequent victim of the hunters on the Mediterranean Islands.
There was plenty of birdsong to be heard; tree pipits, serins, melodious warblers, whitethroat, turtle doves and golden orioles were singing along with at least three nightingales.
I had quick look over the plains as I passed by; three or four black kites were flying around or sitting on the ground and a late pair of passage yellow wagtails were near the éoliens but there was no sign of the stone curlews.

Red Backed Shrike

It's been a couple of weeks since my last posting, partly because of the appalling weather which has not been conducive to doing much outdoors but also perhaps because the main Spring migration tends to fizzle out by mid May.
There are always the late arrivals to look out for though and the red backed shrike is one of them. The male is surely one of our most elegant birds and with the intention of seeking one out I detoured from a trip to La Rochefoucauld to the hedges around the bio farm near La Tâche where they have bred in recent years. Sure enough, one was there and typically perched on the top of a bush to let me watch him for a few minutes.
From a wheat field nearby at least three quail were calling and by the eoliens two harriers were hunting; the male was definitely a hen harrier but the female could have been a montague's.

Mystery Waders

I've been busy building a swimming pool over the last week and this has left little time for birding other than around the house.
A pleasant sight was when a male redstart appeared in the garden yesterday but around 9pm this evening while crossing the yard I caught sight of a fast flying group of waders heading north west more or less along the line of the D27. I had no binoculars with me and glimpsed them for only a few second but they were of medium size and had sharply pointed wings. Golden plovers immediately come to mind but why they should be flying past the house at this time is a bit of a mystery.

Melodious warbler

Most of the summer migrants are in now with just a few late species such as the shrikes to make an appearance. A melodious warbler showed up today or at least was singing from within a bush in my garden while I was busy working.
In fact it was a good day for birdsong, perhaps the hot weather was encouraging. Besides the usual suspects I heard cuckoo, oriole, hoopoe and firecrest while shovelling a few tons of calcaire.

Hobby

The weather has been decidedly cool over the last few days and this has slowed the birding down but a few observations are of note.
I came across my first migrant hobbies this week, one near Vadalle and the other above the Bandiat .
There was a little sunshine yesterday albeit with a cool northerly wind, and this allowed for some canoeing on the Charente where a common sandpiper was flying around near Mansle.
A golden oriole was very vociferous near the house this morning and a black redstart is sitting on eggs in the garage.
A pair of stone curlews are still crouching motionless in a ploughed field on the plains

Wheatears and Swifts et al

Today Spring finally arrived for me because the wheatears turned up ! Two males and a female were in ploughed fields on the plains this afternoon and beautiful as ever they were. The males were in the same field of view as a solitary stone curlew.

The weather has been unsettled though and there was considerable but needed rain yesterday. But just before it arrived I saw my first swifts of 2014 above Pont d'Agris and a single bird was flying high over the plains this morning.

A golden oriole has been singing in the woods near my house for the last three days but I have yet to see it and the same goes for turtle doves which I've heard purring yesterday and the day before.
Two white storks were flying above the Tardoire yesterday and there were three little egrets by the Bandiat and one at Fougère with a cattle egret on Wednesday. Five greenshank there showed that my previous note about the last of the waders was premature.

A flock of about ten blue headed wagtails were with cattle at Agris and whitethroats have suddenly become quite common in various locations. The song of the nightingale is now just about as frequent as that of the blackcap.

A common sandpiper was at Touvre today but nothing else that was unusual.

Last waders?

There's just a little water left in the flooded fields and five greenshank were making the best of it near Fougère today. There were also two egrets there, one cattle and one little. No sign of the black stork and only a couple of grey herons.
Despite forecasts of much lower temperatures and showers, the weather has remained dry and pleasantly warm (20+ degrees) but with far more cloud cover and the wind has shifted from last week's cool northerly to a much pleasanter gentle south east breeze. Yet there was little visible sign of migration today and I still await the first wheatear, always the definitive bird of Spring for me.

Black Stork Update

The black stork is still happily feeding at Fougère but there was little else there today and the fields are drying rapidly. There was some sun today but the wind has shifted more to the east and it was nippy enough to prevent me taking a bike ride!

Golden Oriole

The warm sunshine continued today but temperatures were much lower because of a keen north wind yet a golden oriole was calling near to the house, the first that I've heard this year.
Near Fougère the black stork was still busily feeding alongside a dozen grey heron. There were also seven greenshank, two redshank and a green sandpiper there along with dozens of yellow wagtails and swallows.
In fact there were more migrating hirundines around today than at any time up to now this Spring ; at least a hundred swallows were at the Bandiat along with house and sand martins. Many of them took to perching in the treetops and on the ground in a ploughed field.

BLACK Stork !!

Not a white stork but a black one was the big event of today at Fougère.
 " Les Oiseaux de Charente" records just one previous individual back in 1970. This beautiful specimen was flying around in the late afternoon of a day which was curiously bereft of any other herons/storks/egrets. It is the first that I can remember seeing in France although I have seen them on several occasions in southern Spain and on one occasion on the Isle of Wight .
The bird should still be down in Spain or over to the east of Europe but I'm happy that this lost individual turned up on my patch and hope it manages to get to its destination.
The very warm weather continues to produce some other new migrants, today there was a male whinchat at Fougère  and several dozen blue headed wagtails. The only wader there was a green sandpiper.
Yesterday I saw my first tree pipit of the spring which was singing at La Poterie,  and two bright male common redstarts. There was also a whitethroat at La Tâche.
Away from migrating birds, I came across my first red legged partridge of the year yesterday (remarkably really) .
 Carrion crows  form large flocks hereabouts but the one I saw today of over a hundred birds was of rook proportions.

Sand martins

My first sand martins of the year were flying near Fougère today mixed in with some swallows. House martins are already flying around their breeding haunts at Saint Angeau.
The two great white egrets were still near the Tardoire and over twenty herons were with them. I presume that the two greenshanks were the same ones as yesterday but there were also seven little ringed plovers present.

27 grey herons and 2great white egrets

The wetland migrants seem to be drying up along with the flooded fields. Today at Fougére there were just two greenshank, two green sandpiper and two great white egret. The most remarkable sight was that of at least 27 grey herons standing together in a field-- I can't be more exact as they scattered in different directions.
The waders seemed rather tired and one green sandpiper stayed put as I cycled passed only a few feet away.
Yesterday at the Bandiat I came across my first whitethroat of the year. Six green sandpipers were also present.
Stone curlew was present near La Tâche today.
The walls of my house are at present being used as nesting areas by four species: kestrel, house sparrow, starling and black redstart. I've yet to find out what is nesting in the garden.

The Tardoire : a brief update

Most of the floodwater has now receded although the fields are still very muddy. Greenshanks were in double figures but the swan and great white egret population has shrunk to one of each. A few yellow wagtails and a black kite were nearby.

Black tailed Godwit

Waders are still making use of the flooded Tardoire and today's new arrival was a resplendent black tailed godwit in full summer plumage.

Other species were:
12 greenshank
4   little ringed plover
2   redshank
2   ruff
1   green sandpiper
5   white stork
12 grey heron
2   mute swan
dozens of yellow wagtails and meadow pipits.
Several nightingales were singing

Spotted redshank and Nightingale

Today's weather was again very warm and sunny so the temporary wetland continue to dry up. Migrants are still making use of them though hand at Fougere today there were fifteen or so greenshank, several redshank and green sandpiper, half a dozen little ringed plovers,one ruff,three great white egrets, one little egret, a male shoveler, several yellow wagtails and the inevitable mallards and grey herons. The visiting swans have dwindled to two.

The Bandiat continues to disappoint but an elegant spotted redshank was an unusual sight, and  I heard my first nightingale song of the year.

A pair of stone curlews were in the vicinity of the eoliens near La Tâche.

Shoveler and Gadwall

Today was warm and mainly sunny but the fields around the rivers are still pretty sodden an so worth visiting in search of migrants attracted to water.
At Fougère today the list was quite interesting:

One male shoveler
Three gadwall
A dozen mallard
One white stork
Three great white egret
Seven mute swans .
Fifteen redshank
One greenshank
Eight green plover
One little ringed plover
Nine black headed gulls
One merlin
One black kite
(But no partridge in a pear tree!)

None of these birds would usually be present in these fields other than during migration. This applies to a much lesser extent to the fifteen or so grey herons that were dotted about.

Other notable observations from the last few days include a black woodpecker seen briefly near La Tâche and a pair of marsh tits near La Poterie.

Saturday's tally of birds within a ten kilometre radius of La Poterie fell just short of fifty species.

Greenshank and Merlin

The pattern of at least one new arrival each day has continued for the last week or two, and I hope it may it continue for some time yet!
Today it was a migrating greenshank which made an appearance by the flooded Bandiat. It flew around calling for several minutes and I never saw it actually land. Green sandpipers have been present most days but today's flock of seventeen birds was the largest gathering that I have ever come across.
The seven swans are still there.
The passerines in the flooded fields were mainly pipits and linnets and their numbers attracted the attention of a female merlin but the sortie which I witnessed failed to find a victim.

House Martins and Stone Curlews

Today's incessant rain wasn't conducive to much birding but I took a drive out in the late afternoon. The Tardoire  seemed devoid of birds on the ground, except for the swans, but hundreds of swallows were busy feeding just a few feet from the ground and quite a few were resting on the tops of the sunflower stubble. Mixed in with them were my first house martins of this Spring, all looking very smart and tidy in their fresh black and white plumage.
I detoured over the plains on my way back and had good views of a pair of stone curlews ( or Eurasian thick knees if you prefer the new nomenclature). They were in a bare field close to Artenac.
Close to the house a cuckoo has been calling for most of the day.

Rock Sparrows

Rock sparrows are described in 'Les Oiseaux de Charente' as being quite rare and sedentary which may explain why I've never seen one here, until yesterday that is ----and not one but a flock of about a hundred!
They rose up from  field near the Tardoire, flew around me noisily for a while and then settled on nearby trees and a power cable, giving me good views for several minutes. I left them there and went on a short distance towards the river. There was no sign of them on the way back some forty minutes later. I've not heard of them occurring in such large numbers before but I assume this is a wintering flock prior to pairing up for breeding.
It was a bit ironic that this sighting of an unusual sedentary species happened when I was looking for Spring migrants., and of them there were not many yesterday. Six or seven green sandpipers were feeding in the muddy fields along with a few yellow wagtails and a solitary great white egret.
The half dozen mallards were all males as seems to be the case at this time of year. The seven mute swans were looking a little disconsolate as their 'lake' gradually shrinks and grey herons numbered fourteen.

Here's what the rock sparrows looked like, showing their crown stripe and white tipped tail well.

 It's not my pic. I don't know who owns the copyright.

Blue headed wagtails and ...............

Every day of the Spring migration yields a promise of what might have arrived during the hours of darkness when most birds prefer to be on the move. So it is with anticipation that promising sites are visited on a daily basis.
But of course it would be too good to be true if something of interest were turned up every single day,  and bird watching is often an exercise in patience and hope as much as anything else..
These philosophical musings are merely a preamble to saying that the only new migrants today were a couple of dozen blue headed wagtails near Fougere. They were in beautiful bright plumage which stood out among the muddy sunflower stubble even at a distance.
A few black headed gulls were still present as were the seven swans but there was nothing else of note except for a couple of green sandpipers and a lapwing.
The cuckoo which I heard at the house yesterday was showing himself this morning, and later in the day I saw two more migrating black kites above Montignac.

Whiskered Tern and Cuckoo

Today was the real last day of March despite my referring to yesterday as such----a slip which many retired folk will recognise.
And it was a good day, both weatherwise with a return to warm sunshine and there were lots of interesting birds around to boot.
I heard my first cuckoo of the year from the garden this afternoon and earlier I saw my second hoopoe.
I was shovelling gravel for much of the day but I managed to pop down to the Tardoire in the late afternoon. The first bird which caught my eye was a whiskered tern which was delicately dipping into the flooded field as it incessantly quarter up and down, sometimes surrounded by fifty or so black headed gulls.
A telescope was necessary to view the distant waders and they amounted to several ruff, six green sandpipers, three lapwing, two redshank and a little ringed plover.
As for wildfowl, the four mallards were accompanied by a pair of garganey and a male wigeon.
The mute swans still numbered seven and grey herons totaled about the same.
A few water pipits were feeding close to where I was standing.
A brief visit to the Bandiat where the floods are once again fast receding, revealed another beautifully plumaged male garganey but nothing else that was not there yesterday although the sight of a little grebe swimming around in the middle of a flooded road made me smile, and ten grey herons stood stock still in a field like a line of sentries.
During one of my morning gravel runs I saw three black kites together near the N10.
Corn buntings have become a common sight and sound over the last few days.

Raptors and Waders .... and a hoopoe

The last day of March delivered several interesting birds. The floods around Fougere held eight ruff and six green sandpipers, all giving rather better views than was available in the murk a few days ago. Seven mute swans were still floating around with a single black headed gull., A black kite was hunting over the fields along with a dozen or so swallows and a male garganey looked resplendent on the water.

There were no waders or hirundines showing on the Bandiat floods but a great white egret was stood in the nearby field along with seven grey herons.While I was watching these, my first hoopoe of the year flapped its way by, In another flooded field were a pair of garganey while close to the river itself were a pair of  little grebes, a coot and several male mallards.

I crossed the Lairiere plains on the way home and heard stone curlew calling but could not locate them. A hen harrier demonstrated why the fighter plane was named after him by hanging motionless just above the ground for several minutes. A much less common species, though, was a male marsh harrier hunting low over the rape fields.

Mute Swans

The wetter weather has restored some water to the flooded riverside fields and the Tardoire near Fougere has been hosts to eight mute swans for the last two days. From where? is the question.
There seem to be a few nesting pairs on the Charente such as at Mansle  and a very large flock is at Touvre but I have never seen them in numbers in this part of the department. Why any of out nearby birds should leave their usual haunts to swim around in a flooded field is a bit of a mystery. Perhaps it is part of local pre-breeding dispersal or maybe they have come in as more distant migrants. A French gentleman who I met at The Bandiat told me that three swans had been there recently.
The Bandiat is generally pretty quiet at the moment though. A single black headed gull and a snipe were yesterday's highlights and today there was a solitary cattle egret there. The only other birds of note are a few swallows, little grebes, coots and moorhens.
The Tardoire has see a little more activity. Today a single white stork accompanied  the swans and yesterday there was a smattering of waders. Views were distant as it is not usually possible to get close to the birds. A small flock of lapwings and four redshank were straightforward enough but two small waders were probably little ringed plovers , and even through a telescope I could only just make out a couple of ruff still in winter plumage.
Grey herons numbered a remarkable eighteen.

Swallows and Garganey

The hot spell is over, at least for now, and today was wet and chilly,  yet bizarrely the swallows chose to start arriving and a couple of dozen of them were harvesting the insects that were still around the flooded Bandiat.
There was also considerable activity on the water; at least four little grebes were engaged in noisy and aggressive courtship as were the same number of moorhens, but the stars of the show were a pair of beautiful garganey. These summer visitors used to be regular in some numbers at this location but I have not seen them for a while. Let's hope more are to follow.
As for the waders, the redshank count had increased to four birds and a pair of little ringed plovers were feeding at the edge of a muddy field.
There was no bird activity at the Tardoire where the flood waters have now almost receded.
Stella reports about fifty cranes flying north yesterday afternoon.

White Storks

The very warm spell continues and the flooded fields are quickly drying out but migrating birds are taking advantage of these temporary wetlands. Yesterday the Tardoire valley near Fougere held 18 white storks, about a hundred black headed gulls, 13 grey herons, three little egret, a few mallards and a single green sandpiper.
The latest addition to the garden's summer visitors is a blackcap which was singing loudly yesterday afternoon.

Black Woodpecker and Redshank

Visits to what remains of the flooded Bandiat and Tardoire rivers produced no migrants other than a solitary redshank---and perhaps the coot at the Bandiat was also migrating--, but a quick visit to the Braconne on the way back yielded the delightful sight of a black woodpecker which very thoughtfully flew to the trunk of a tree close to where I was standing.

Egrets

I mentioned the 5 little egrets on the flooded fields near Fougere last week and they have now reappeared but the great whites are no longer there. Meanwhile a pair of cattle egrets were on the flooded fields near the Bandiat on Friday . There was no other sign of migration there except maybe for double figures of reed buntings, not long distant migrants of course but a flock of this size was obviously on the move.

Cranes in the Dark

Cranes often migrate in the darkness and on Sunday evening a skein of about 400 birds few low over the house at dusk There was just enough light to see them silhouetted against the sky.
Spring days come  no better than yesterday's and I had another look at the flooded Bandiat near Fougeres. It was a little more promising with four little egrets and six grey herons feeding there. It is usually only during migration that gulls are seen in this part of Charente and a noisy flock of about 40 black headed gulls were on the mud about half way towards Biagne. They were unfortunately on the south side of the flood and viewing is only possible from the north so the views were a little distant and I did not have my scope but I am almost certain that at least on mediterranean gull was among them. I will try to check again today.
Other interesting birds yesterday were a female brambling in a flock of mixed finches near St Colombe, a little owl sunning itself on the tower of the fortified farm there and a female hen harrier near Coulgens.

March Cranes----and a Very Hot Spell

A quick dash over to the UK has kept me away from the blog but as was pointed out in a comment to my last post, the main migration of cranes took place some two weeks ago when thousands passed over in the space of 48 hours. There were a few stragglers today with a noisy group of about 80 birds flying quite low over the house at around 5pm.
The remarkably hot weather (23C today in the shade and 38C in the sun!!!) coupled with the flooded fields lured me to the Tardoire and Bandiat yesterday in the hope of some early wetland migrants. It's too early of course and  I saw little except for two great white egrets and a smattering of lapwings but as long as the fields don't completely dry out the conditions are very promising for when the migrants really start to arrive over the next few weeks.
Meanwhile the songbirds are in full voice, most noticeably blackbirds, robins, song thrushes and skylarks but I've heard the occasional stonechat and yellowhammer joining the chorus.

Return from Oz

Well I'm back at the ranch after five weeks or so of birds which I struggled to identify, but very interesting and different it all was--- but this is a Charente blog so no more on that.
I gather that it's been pretty wet in my absence but the sun is shining today and it's good to hear the songs of blackbirds, robins, and skylarks, all of which seem to think Spring has arrived.
 A red kite was soaring over the house yesterday and reed buntings accompanied the cirls in the nearby fields so that's two unexpected species to greet my arrival.
Cagouille reports returning cranes this week so I'll keep a look out during this morning's walk.

January Cranes

Cagouille in his recent comment reports a small flock of cranes moving south but Norman Clark in Fontenille saw two flocks moving north yesterday. So what does this tell us?
 It may be a response to a short-term weather pattern or a sign of some confusion caused by elements of climate change. It may even be evidence of some cranes that have wintered not far way and which are moving around locally. The ones seen going north are possibly easier to explain . They could be an early sign of the return migration which usually starts around mid February.
In whatever case, it is good to see them-----but not for me, alas, as I have been in Wiltshire for the last couple of days (where I finally caught up with bullfinch!)
I'm off to Oz later today for bit of exotic birding. I trust that others will continue to monitor the Charente scene in my absence.

Hawfinches and Winter Warblers

I can often go several weeks before coming across a hawfinch but a flock of at least ten birds was very visible in the mature woodland that lies behind the chateau at La Rochfoucauld. The birding literature refers to the chateau walls as having been a site for wintering wallcreeper on several occasions. That wasn't the reason I was there but I always have a scan when I'm passing in the winter months.
ST treecreeper and firecrest were also about.
I forgot to mention a female blackcap among the birds at Touvre a few days back, and a pair of this delightful species was at St Front today;  the male, doubtlessly stimulated by the warm sunshine, was chasing his partner  through the branches in a rather lascivious fashion.
A Cetti's warbler called as I cycled along the Son-Sonette, the first I have heard there for some time and there were also chiffchaffs around which meant that I saw more species of warbler  than finches today--- quite remarkable for January!

New Year List

It's traditional for birders to get a little excited at the start of a new year with the prospect of starting with a clean sheet and refreshed optimism (rather sad really but it keeps us occupied), nevertheless, what with visitors and champagne etc I've not really got moving yet and so my 'new' list is probably less than 30 and as yet doesn't even include greenfinch.
But I  did manage to get some fresh air at Les Sources de Touvre yesterday and came across both little and  great white egret . A cetti's warbler was very confiding and gave me close views of this usually skulking chestnut-coloured beauty. And on New Year's Day itself I saw a sparrowhawk, the third one this week in fact, and that's a 'common' species which I often fail to come across for weeks on end.