Plovers (and turbines again)

There has been some pleasant warm sunshine of late but it can only be appreciated if you can get out of the the brisk north wind ! The birds don't seem to mind though (it was DH Lawrence who said that you never saw a bird that felt sorry for itself) and the cranes are still making their way south. I saw a flock of about 100 yesterday.

 Lapwings or green plovers as they used to be called, usually turn up in these conditions and a flock, again of about 100, were in a freshly ploughed field near the house today. They were accompanied as so often by a sizeable flock of starling and also by a pair of golden plovers. The latter seem more easily spooked and continued to fly around calling after the other birds had resettled on the ground. As I have surely mentioned before, it saddens me that both these harmless and beautiful plovers are still on the chasse list in Charente.

Speaking of which, I witnessed the distressing sight of a deer being shot in the field opposite my house yesterday. I have no objection to hunting deer and wild boar as their numbers doubtlessly need controlling (nor am I a vegetarian) but I find it distasteful that people can actually enjoy the activity.  The seeming insensitivity to the creatures' suffering is also disturbing; yesterday the wounded animal spent several minutes pathetically trying to fend of a pack of excited dogs while the chasseurs leisurely made their way across the fields, seemingly in no hurry to put it out of its misery.

Anyway that's my little rant for today---so back to the birds. The truth is that there is not a great deal of activity going on. Today's (chilly) cycle ride produced nothing of note other than the plovers and perhaps the large numbers of meadow pipits which are still frequenting the rape fields.  I have had a few sightings of male hen harriers over the last few days and I came across another very pale morph buzzard on the way to Ruffec----not quite as startling as the near white individual which is often around these parts but impressive nevertheless.
My brother reported two great white egrets near Rocheouarte last week. I've not seen an egret of any species around here for quite a while; I must visit the wetlands more often.

And finally, looking for all the world as though the space shuttle has landed, here is a shot of the plains on Sunday. The first, and almost completed, of the eight turbines is on the horizon.

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Cranes..........at last

Posts on this blog have been rather infrequent recently. I'd like to think this reflects more on the paucity of recent bird news rather my lack of application.
That said, the mystery of the missing cranes (for me at least) was partly solved yesterday when a couple of thousand flew over the house in mid afternoon.  The weather was far from ideal with low cloud and a north easterly wind on which the skeins we removing along at a rapid pace. Some were doing their usual circling until stragglers caught up but then quickly moved on southward....and I don't blame them as the weather has been rather dire here for the last couple of weeks.
Elsewhere, raptors are perhaps newsworthy?  have seen several hen harriers this week and kestrels have been particularly plentiful. The growing flocks of larks on the plains attracted the attention of a female Merlin and a sparrow hawk during the last few days.
Mention of the plains reminds me that the eoliens have finally started to appear there. In less than two weeks the masts of all eight of them have turned that open landscape into one which resembles Fawley oil refinery. I just hope I can learn to love them.