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 .