Today it is raining which is something that I have not been able to say for many weeks. The long period of hot and dry weather has been even less conducive to birding than the usual inactive days of summer. I’ve done less cycling than usual and the birds have joined me I think in hiding from the heat.
The local forays which I have taken, though, have nearly always turned up about 30 to 40 of the usual summer suspects which for those not familiar with Charente are listed at the end of this post. A few birds such as mute swan and dartford warbler are not listed as they are very localised I do not often visit their habitats.
A few re-elections on the summer of 2019 .... I have seen fewer shrikes than usual but more yellow wagtails and cisticolas. Wood larks, rock sparrows and black woodpeckers are still to be found but only very occasionally and although I have not come across them, bee eaters have been reported nesting.
The last few days have seen the beginnings of return migration and I have seen my first wheatears and whinchats since the spring. Pied flycatchers have arrived in my garden as they always do at this time of year and on a visit to the lakes I came across greenshank and wood sandpipers, birds which are also on the move.
A (very) random list of Charente’s summer birds.
Barn owl
Tawny owl
Little owl
Hoopoe
House sparrow
Starling
Robin
Wren
Dunnock
Swallow
House Martin
Swift
Black redstart
Common redstart
Stonechat
Skylark
Tree pipit
White wagtail
Yellow wagtail
Grey wagtail
Corn bunting
Cirl bunting
Chaffinch
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Linnet
Serin
Hawfinch
Firecrest
Blackcap
Chiffchaff
Whitethroat
Melodious warbler
Bonelli’s warbler
Cetti’s warbler
Blue tit
Great tit
Long tailed tit
Marsh tit
Short toed treecreeper
Nuthatch
Golden oriole
Red backed shrike
Green woodpecker
Great spotted woodpecker
Wood pigeon
Collared dove
Turtle dove
Carrion crow
Rook
Jackdaw
Jay
Magpie
Common buzzard
Hen harrier
Black kite
Kestrel
Sparrow hawk
Hobby
Kingfisher
Quail
Pheasant
Red legged partridge
Moorhen
Grey heron
Little egret
Great white egret
Cattle egret
Common sandpiper
Stone curlew
Mallard
