It’s been a good autumn for wheatears and whinchats and this year they have been favouring a stubble field near to the wind turbines. The wheatears have been difficult to accurately count as their plumage provides excellent camouflage against the stoney ground and it’s not until they move or show the white flash on their tails that they can be picked out before merging into the background again. Nevertheless they were up into double figures on several days in early September and there were still at least four there yesterday.
Whinchats are much more obliging as they like to perch at the very top of any available vegetation and they too have made double figures on a few occasions.
Little bustard have eluded me so far although small flocks have been reported from stubble fields a little further to the west of where I live. All these species are migrants on the move of course and I expect that they will all disappear within the next few days.
Most of the swallows seem to have gone now; there were hundreds busily feed above the wheatear field only a week ago but yesterday I saw only four. Their relatives, the house martins, were still around during yesterday evening, circling high above La Rochefoucauld.
I’ve not posted since last month and I can’t remember if I mentioned the first year woodchat shrike which I came across near Saint Front but this is the least expected bird which I’ve encountered this autumn.
Today we have the first rain for a very long time and it’s most welcome as is the respite from the very high temperatures of the last few weeks. I’m sure the birds are enjoying it, especially the moorhens who are walking about on the mud of the dried up village pond.
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