The return migration of the cranes seems to have been rather delayed this year possibly because of the mild sunny weather that we have been experiencing. Small flocks have been moving for at least a week but around 2000 birds passed over my house on the 3rd and 4th of November.
Since the last of the wheatears and whinchats finally disappeared on Oct 4th after their protracted stay on the plains, autumn migration has not been dramatic for me with little to report other than a solitary golden plover and a a couple of late house martins.
Of more interest though were a pair of peregrines which I found near Confolens. The location also yielded my first coal tit sightings for a couple of years and I watched a great white egret fishing in the Vienne river there but numerous reports of this species in the Charente have occurred recently while a friend in Fontenille reported four cattle egrets this week.
Speaking of the Vienne, but not strictly in the Charente Departement, I saw my first dipper in these parts close to Bellegarde airport. I had an hour or two to spare between dropping off one set of friends before another pair arrived and spent the time watching a stretch of the river from the D47 bridge. The bird obligingly stayed in view for some twenty minutes.
There have been some interesting recent reports of vagrant birds recently including a wallccreeper at Larochefoucauld chateau and another for several days at the chateau at Saint Germaine de Confolens.
Needless to say, I failed to locate either!
Many thousands of Cranes heading south during the past week, many of them flying quite low. It makes us fear for the impact on them of the many giant wind turbines that are sprouting like mushrooms all over this area. Do you know whether the turbines at La Tache have caused any problems for migrating birds?
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting spot this week has been a Hawfinch. We reinstated our bird table last weekend and one was back and forth all morning today.