Ireland was predictably wet (although the seabirds were great) but Charente was even wetter on the day we arrived back with the first serious rain since June. Despite that, the village pond has completely dried up and our two mallards have sadly disappeared probably into the belly of Monsieur Reynard. A few moorhens are bravely hanging on but even they are vulnerable to predators which no longer have to deal with the water.
I've got back into my cycling routine after all those Irish breakfasts (to say nothing of the Guinness) and have caught up with the autumn migrants which are moving through. As there is no wetland nearby, the most productive areas have been on the open plains near the eoliens and the hedges around the bio farm near La Tâche.
Wheatears have been around in small numbers over the last week or so, as have whinchats, and the first meadow pipits have made an appearance. I flushed a small flock of yellow wagtails on one occasion and have come across several common redstarts and blackcaps on most days. Other warblers have been less frequent, I have seen just one whitethroat and only a couple of willow warblers.
Swallows are still around in big numbers feeding over the harvested fields and robins are more plentiful than during the summer. Black redstarts are sometimes around in small groups and one bright male has inexplicably started singing in my garden as though it is spring.
The garden has been quite productive in fact; spotted and pied flycatchers have graced it over several days and firecrest and grey wagtail have put in appearances.
The most notable sighting of this week, though, have been two zitting cisticolas in the maize in the Tardoire valley and a male merlin hunting on the plains today.
It's still September so there's more to come.... and I note that a rare pallid harrier was seen in the east Charente earlier this week.
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