13 Mar 2012
After a weekend hillwalking in Wales my year list now stands at a phenomenal 59 species! Vince is on 69, so I have some catching up to do.
Bird Lists
1 Jan 2012
I have always kept a Life List and a list of garden sightings, but I have never kept a year list, so this year I have decided to put that right. I have been prompted into this by Vince, my hillwalking and bird watching mate, who keeps track of his yearly sightings via BTO’s BirdTrack. I doubt I shall break any records, but it should be interesting and add a little friendly competition to our birding.
The list can be viewed here
Garden List Additions
31 July 2011
It is very rare nowadays for me to add to my garden list, but this weekend I have been lucky enough to add two species.
On Saturday morning a pair of stock doves were on the thatched roof of my neighbour (birds seen “from” the garden qualify for my list). Then on Sunday morning as I opened the curtains I spotted a common whitethroat as it alighted in a potentilla just outside the window. It then moved into the buddlia and appeared to be eating insects on the flowers. It only hung around for a couple of minutes before flying across the road into a neighbouring garden.
This brings my total garden species list up to 72 (Full list here).
Brittany Apr-May 2011
(or Three go off to France to escape the royal wedding)
Thu 28th April 2011
David, Steve and I decided to take the opportunity of the royal wedding/May day bank holidays to get in a few days bird watching in Brittany (and of course avoid the wall-to-wall coverage on every TV, radio and newspaper of the event). So Thursday evening found us waiting at Portsmouth for the 20.15 sailing of the Bretagne to St. Malo. Once on board we headed for the restaurant for a cup of tea and a snack, then went out on deck to watch as we sailed out of port. A relaxing pint in the lounge bar before heading to our cabin to turn-in.
Fri 29th April 2011
The ferry docked at 08:15 local time and we were soon on our way south. Our first destination was the Forêt de Rennes where we hoped to find various species of woodpecker. Nothing much seen en-route other than woodpigeon, starling and house martin. It took little more than an hour to get to our chosen spot in the forest – a point on the D528 where several tracks converge.
As we wandered through the woods birds were heard, but as is usually the case in woodland, they were difficult to see. I thought I heard and glimpsed a willow tit, but I was not confident enough to claim it as a definite. A tree pipit was seen well as it delivered its song from a dead branch high up in a pine tree. Cuckoo were heard in the distance but the only woodpeckers heard were green and great spotted. A treecreeper was seen as we neared the car. Although the song sounded like Eurasian, the distribution maps show that it is short-toed that are present in Brittany. As both species are known to be able to do the other’s songs we were unable to say for sure which flavour this was.
Moving on, we travelled west on the N24 to the Forêt de Paimpont, where, after an exploratory drive on the minor roads in the forest, we stopped by the Étang du Pas du Houx. A white wagtail was on the road in front of us. As we scanned the water a bird of prey was spotted over the trees on the far side of the lake. It immediately stooped and disappeared behind the trees. Within seconds it re-appeared along with a second bird, being mobbed by crows. Our first booted eagles for the trip.
Still beside the car, we heard what sounded like a firecrest in the top of a pine tree. We only managed to get brief glimpses of the bird in the dense foliage so could not confirm this. In an adjacent tree a family of tits were calling. We think these were either marsh or willow tits, but again they did not show well enough to be certain. Oh to be a more skilled birder!
We walked eastwards along a track (part of the GR37) past the southern edge of the lake and into the forest. Species added to our list included grey wagtail, nuthatch and jay. Crested tit were again seen well, and pochard were present on the lake when we returned to the car.
This is an area of old saltpans that is now managed as a nature reserve. Access is not permitted during the breeding season, but it can be viewed from the entrance and the road.
A good selection of birds seen here, including common tern, little egret, grey heron, cormorant, lesser and greater black-backed gulls, whinchat and stonechat. The common terns approached very close as we viewed from a wooden footway. A walk in nearby woodland produced nuthatch, long-tailed tit and more crested tit.
After a long day travelling and birding we headed for our B&B in Arradon, where we were greeted by Catherine Sadek, one of the owners. Just time to dump all our gear in our rooms and have a quick shower before walking the short distance to the restaurant that David had booked for our evening meal (L’Auberge d’Arradon). And a very nice meal it was too.
Sat 30 Apr 2011
Breakfast at 8.00am, served by Richard Sadek, our host. A traditional French affair of croissant, bread, jams, yoghurt and tea/coffee. No time to hang about as we wanted to get away as soon as possible to the La Grande Brière, a journey of 75km.
Our first port of call was Île de Fédrun. This turned out to be a bad choice as there was nowhere that we could walk, only trips on punts, which none of us were keen on. So we drove back a short distance through St. Joachim to get a better view of some sacred ibis we had passed earlier. Black-winged stilt, lapwing, marsh harrier, little egret, and grey wagtail were also seen here as we scanned over the marsh from the side of the road.
With traffic speeding past, our viewing point did not feel very safe, so we moved on toour next destination, Rozé. This turned out to be a very productive area. Serin were in the top of a pine tree in a garden next to our parking spot. We crossed the canal and began the walk to the hide. Scanning over a field with a few cattle, song and mistle thrush were found, and white stork could be seen circling high in the distance. Suddenly Steve called out that he had found a bluethroat. Woohoo! It was perched on a fence post about 50m away. A first for all of us.Our exploration of this site produced over 50 species, notably zitting
cisticola, turtle dove, cetti’s, marsh harrier, white stork, yellow wagtail, black and whiskered tern, sacred ibis, cattle and great white egret, bar-headed goose, black-winged stilt, garden warbler, and cuckoo. As we neared the hide they were just locking up for the day! On the walk back a Camberwell beauty and swallowtail butterfly were nice additions, along with one other butterfly that David thought may have been a pearl-bordered fritillary.
All-in-all a very nice birding spot (Steve remembered that he had been here before – and the hide was closed on that occasion too!).
Time to move on – our next destination was La Chaussée Neuve. Black kite, marsh harrier, zitting cisticola, booted eagle and kestrel were spotted as we slowly made our way there.
A viewing mound at La Chaussée Neuve provided some height to look over the surrounding marshes. New additions to our list here included Mediterranean gull, black-tailed godwit, whitethroat, yellow wagtail and purple heron. Dark and threatening clouds began to approach so we returned to the car, arriving just as the rain began.
Time was getting on and we decided we had better make tracks back towards our home base, but there was still time left to visit a couple of sites on the Golfe du Morbihan. The thunderstorm continued as we drove back to the gulf, but luckily it had cleared by the time we arrived. We parked up on a headland just north of St. Colombier. Whimbrel and curlew were seen together, allowing us to compare the size difference between these two species. Bar-tailed godwit and grey plover in breeding plumage were a fine sight, and a few Brent geese could be seen off-shore (tens of thousand of Brent over-winter in the gulf).
A short drive brought us to our last site for the day, the beach at Chateau Suscinio. Pools held several
species of wader (avocet, black-winged stilt, redshank, dunlin, bar-tailed godwit and little ringed plover). Skylark and zitting cisticola were performing their singing display flights and we watched a cuckoo feeding on caterpillars in a small bush.
species of wader (avocet, black-winged stilt, redshank, dunlin, bar-tailed godwit and little ringed plover). Skylark and zitting cisticola were performing their singing display flights and we watched a cuckoo feeding on caterpillars in a small bush.
Returning to our b&b quite late in the day, we showered quickly before walking the short distance to Les Logoden crêperie for another delicious evening meal (washed down with Bonnet Rouge local beer and a couple of jugs of the local cider).
Sun 1 May 2011
We awoke to a wet morning and at breakfast Richard informed us that the forecast was for a rainy day. We finished breakfast quickly so that we did not waste any time before setting off on the 80km drive to the Guérande saltpans.
We continued to explore in the car, stopping at several locations to wander around. Another bluethroat was found at one such place, and also a zitting cisticola gave good views as it perched on a small shrub.
About 50 species were seen in this area, but only a couple of new ones to our list – turnstone and a heard only grasshopper warbler which we failed to find. It fact it went silent as we searched around for it.
We stopped at a pâtisserie in Le Croisic for a pain au chocolat to sustain us, before heading back to the Golfe du Morbihan for an afternoon visit to the Réserve Naturelle des Marais de Séné. This is an area of old saltpans that has been restored as a nature reserve.
As David and I were trying (unsuccessfully) to persuade a mole cricket out of its burrow in the path, Steve located a melodious warbler. It was singing well, but it was very coy about showing itself and we only had brief views of it. In the last hide we watched a couple of cuckoos feeding on the hairy caterpillars in the bushes, and the visit was crowned by two spotted redshank in full breeding plumage, which none of us had seen before.
After returning to our b&b we walked to Les Logoden crêperie again for our evening meal as we had enjoyed it so much the previous night. (Ok, we admit that it was the pretty French waitress that spoke so good English that was the main attraction!). This time we just kept to the cider and gave the beer a miss.
Mon 2 May 2011
An early breakfast today so that we could leave by 7.00am for the drive back to St. Malo. An uneventful journey and we arrived in plenty of time for the 10.30 sailing of the Bretagne back to Portsmouth.
Sea watching from the deck was disappointing as all we saw were a few gannets, cormorants and gulls. There was a fairly strong north-easterly wind which hit us as we rounded the Cherbourg peninsula. We went back out on deck as the ship pitched into the waves with lots of spray breaking over the bow. David and Steve saw a petrel (probably a storm) which I was miffed not to have seen. With nothing much to see, we returned inside and installed ourselves in the restaurant and watched the waves breaking over the bow. Soon after it was announced that the outside decks were off-limits for the rest of the voyage due to the conditions.
We docked in Portsmouth about 18:30, slightly later than scheduled due to the sea conditions. An uneventful drive back to Oxfordshire and the long weekend was all over.
Steve and I would like to express our thanks to David for making all the arrangements and driving us safely around (we will gloss over the incident when DL attempted to drive off with Steve half in/half out of the car!).
The Bird List | |
| Mute Swan | Greylag Goose |
| Brent Goose | Bar-headed Goose |
| Shelduck | Mallard |
| Garganey | Shoveler |
| Pochard | Tufted Duck |
| Pheasant | Great Crested Grebe |
| Petrel (Storm ?) | Gannet |
| Cormorant | Cattle Egret |
| Little Egret | Great White Egret |
| Grey Heron | Purple Heron |
| White Stork | Sacred Ibis |
| Spoonbill | Black Kite |
| Booted Eagle | Marsh Harrier |
| Buzzard | Kestrel |
| Hobby | Moorhen |
| Coot | Oystercatcher |
| Black-winged Stilt | Avocet |
| Little Ringed Plover | Grey Plover |
| Lapwing | Knot |
| Dunlin | Black-tailed Godwit |
| Bar-tailed Godwit | Whimbrel |
| Curlew | Spotted Redshank |
| Greenshank | Redshank |
| Turnstone | Black-headed Gull |
| Mediterranean Gull | Lesser Black-backed Gull |
| Herring Gull | Great Black-backed Gull |
| Whiskered Tern | Black Tern |
| Common Tern | Woodpigeon |
| Collared Dove | Turtle Dove |
| Cuckoo | Swift |
| Green Woodpecker | Great Spotted Woodpecker |
| Skylark | Swallow |
| House Martin | Tree Pipit |
| Meadow Pipit | Yellow Wagtail |
| Grey Wagtail | White Wagtail |
| Wren | Dunnock |
| Robin | Nightingale |
| Bluethroat | Redstart |
| Whinchat | Stonechat |
| Wheatear | Blackbird |
| Song Thrush | Mistle Thrush |
| Cetti's Warbler | Zitting Cisticola |
| Grasshopper Warbler (h) | Sedge Warbler |
| Reed Warbler | Melodious Warbler |
| Blackcap | Garden Warbler |
| Whitethroat | Wood Warbler |
| Chiffchaff | Goldcrest (h) |
| Firecrest (h)? | Long-tailed Tit |
| Blue Tit | Great Tit |
| Crested Tit | Willow Tit (h)? |
| Marsh Tit | Nuthatch |
| Treecreeper | Jay |
| Magpie | Jackdaw |
| Rook | Carrion Crow |
| Starling | House Sparrow |
| Chaffinch | Serin |
| Greenfinch | Goldfinch |
| Linnet | Yellowhammer |
| Reed Bunting | |
| Total 117 species | |
The Insect List | |
| Swallowtail | Camberwell Beauty |
| Pearl-bordered Fritillary ? | Large Copper |
| Mole Cricket | Broad-bodied Chaser |
Others | |
| Coypu | Unidentified Lizard |
Vale of White Horse RSPB Local Group Weekend 2011
Day 1 - Fri 25 Mar 2011
A leisurely walk around the rest of the reserve produced a good list of birds including many singing chiffchaffs along with brimstone and peacock butterflies. Waders seen from the hides included lapwing, little egret, snipe and a green sandpiper which put in a brief flying display before disappearing from view behind a grassy tussock. Bullfinch were heard in the hedgerows but only one was seen briefly. The day’s total was 53 species.
The drive to the River Haven Hotel in Rye took longer than expected due to delays through Bexhill and Hastings (not a good choice of route by my TomTom). In the evening we walked the short distance to Baileys of Rye, where we had an excellent dinner.
Day 2 - Sat 26 Mar 2011
After breakfast a drive of less than two miles to Rye Harbour for today’s birding. I was told that the ostriches seen en-route could not be included on the list!
The walk from the car park to the Point was quite productive. Ringed plover, avocet, oystercatcher, golden plover and dunlin were present on the small lakes to our right. Meadow pipit and skylark were also seen and heard. From the Point a distant flock of Sandwich terns could be seen on the beach, and a skein of Brent geese flew over heading east. Other birds of note seen on the beach were turnstone, sanderling, grey plover and knot.
The Ternery Pool was busy with gulls. Mainly black-headed, but there were a couple of dozen Mediterranean gulls in their full breeding plumage. We all agreed that these were rather splendid gulls with their truly black heads and blood red bill and legs. There were a few Sandwich terns amongst the Med gulls. PM reported seeing a wheatear here, but it eluded the rest of us.
Our walk continued past the Watch House, around the western end of the Long Pit lake and past Camber Castle. Cetti’s warblers were heard (but not seen of course) and linnets and a reed bunting perched up on the gorse bushes. Despite careful searching no stonechats were found. Near Camber Castle several pied wagtails were foraging on the grass. Amongst them were a few of the continental race white wagtails.
From the hide at Castle Water we were surprised to find a female ruddy duck as there are supposedly not many left. As we continued around the north of Castle Water green woodpecker and marsh harrier were added to our day’s list (total 64 for the day).
Mermaid Street Old Borough Arms
Day 3 – Sun 27 Mar 2011
There was quite a lot of rain overnight and it was still raining as we began breakfast. Thankfully, as we prepared to leave for RSPB Dungeness the rain had stopped and the sky was beginning to clear. By the time we arrived at the reserve it was sunny, but windy.
We learned in the Visitor Centre that during the past week a booming bittern had been heard, a firecrest was present near Christmas Dell hide and a penduline tit had been seen from the Hanson-ARC hide. So, suitably enthused, we set off around the reserve.
VWH Local Group members at Dungeness
A marsh harrier was seen in the distance and a Cetti’s warbler burst into song close to the Visitor Centre. We slowly worked our way around the various hides and although many species were seen, no new ones for the weekend. We spent sometime in the area around Christmas Dell hide looking for the firecrest, but sadly without luck. A large flock of starlings occasionally wheeled around or perched up on wires.
Several Cetti’s warblers were heard and our patience eventually paid off when we managed to get some sightings of one as it flitted between the bushes. At Denge Marsh hide we at last found our first stonechat for the weekend (a pair in fact that appeared to be in the process of nest construction). The skills of a hovering kestrel were admired through a ‘scope. Quite amazing how it keeps its head totally motionless in the air whilst beating its wings furiously to maintain station.
After lunch in the Visitor Centre hide a few of us went back to Christmas Dell in search of the firecrest. After half an hour our patience ran out so we returned to the cars and drove across to the Hanson ARC site. Goldeneye and pochard were seen from the hide, but sadly no sign of the reported Slavonian grebe or penduline tit.
bushes between the Old Lighthouse and the power station. A smart male posed atop a short concrete post giving us fine views. Several black redstart mingling with the wheatears gave splendid views as well. Either of these two species could probably have been claimed as the star bird of the weekend if it was not for what was just a few yards away – a male and female serin feeding on the ground amongst some linnets. Click here to see a photo of these birds posted on Bird Guides.
Before heading home David, Steve, Tim and I headed for the beach for a bit of sea-watching. The view out to sea was restricted by mist, but we did see porpoise moving along the coast fairly close to the shore.
A huge thank you to Steve and everyone else who arranged this trip, it was a splendid weekend.
The Bird List | |
| Mute Swan | Greylag Goose |
| Canada Goose | Brent Goose |
| Shelduck | Wigeon |
| Gadwall | Teal |
| Mallard | Pintail |
| Shoveler | Pochard |
| Tufted Duck | Goldeneye |
| Ruddy Duck | Little Grebe |
| Great Crested Grebe | Cormorant |
| Little Egret | Grey Heron |
| Marsh Harrier | Sparrowhawk |
| Buzzard | Kestrel |
| Moorhen | Coot |
| Oystercatcher | Avocet |
| Ringed Plover | Golden Plover |
| Grey Plover | Lapwing |
| Knot | Sanderling |
| Dunlin | Snipe |
| Green Sandpiper | Redshank |
| Turnstone | Black-headed Gull |
| Mediterranean Gull | Great Black-backed Gull |
| Common Gull | Lesser Black-backed Gull |
| Herring Gull | Sandwich Tern |
| Feral Pigeon | Woodpigeon |
| Collared Dove | Green Woodpecker |
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | Skylark |
| Meadow Pipit | Pied Wagtail |
| White Wagtail | Wren |
| Dunnock | Robin |
| Black Redstart | Stonechat |
| Wheatear | Blackbird |
| Fieldfare | Song Thrush |
| Cetti’s Warbler | Blackcap (h) |
| Chiffchaff | Goldcrest (h) |
| Long-tailed Tit | Blue Tit |
| Great Tit | Marsh Tit |
| Nuthatch | Treecreeper |
| Magpie | Jackdaw |
| Rook | Carrion Crow |
| Starling | House Sparrow |
| Chaffinch | Serin |
| Greenfinch | Goldfinch |
| Linnet | Lesser Redpoll |
| Bullfinch | Reed Bunting |
| Total 88 |
Birding in the Brenne II – Spring 2010
Sun 09 May 2010
After last year’s successful trip to the Brenne, David, Alan, Chris and I eagerly set off for a repeat trip to the same area. The first leg of the journey was an evening drive down to Portsmouth to catch the 22:45 ferry to Ouistreham. This was a change of plan as originally we had booked the following morning’s sailing to Cherbourg, but this had been cancelled at short notice. Sadly, this meant no sea-watching to kick start our list. After a cuppa in the restaurant we adjourned to our cabins in the hope of getting some sleep before the early morning start.
Mon 10 May 2010
We rose early for breakfast at 5.00am, then down to the car deck ready to disembark. Once off the ferry we soon had our first bird – a herring gull! The early start gave us the opportunity to visit a couple of sites in Normandy before the drive south to the Brenne, so our first destination was the museum at Utah Beach.
The monotonous “dzip… dzip… dzip…” song of a fan-tailed warbler could be heard coming from the bushes next to the car park. The bird was difficult to locate, but eventually it gave a brief display. The beach was devoid of birds, probably because of the sand-storm being whipped up by the wind. We moved a couple of kilometres along the coast to the Beaugillot Nature Reserve. An hour or so’s birding here found, amongst others, great white egret, black swan, marsh harrier, and a small flock of spoonbill. A coypu was in front of one of the hides.
Next, a short drive to the nearby Ponts D’Ouve reserve. Sadly no sign of any bluethroats, but we did manage to get a brief glimpse of a Cetti’s warbler as it flew across the river. A white stork was in its nest with young, a grasshopper warbler was heard, and another spoonbill was seen from the hide. Raptors included hobby, marsh harrier and kestrel.
The journey south was quite long, but fairly straightforward as it was mostly on motorways (A28/E502, A10/E05), which were very quiet compared to British motorways. A short rest stop at Alençon services for fuel and coffee and then we continued on our way. The only bird of note seen on the journey was a harrier, but from the car we could not be certain whether it was a Monty’s or hen.
As we neared Champ d’Oeuf David remarked that a clearing on the D14 through the Forêt de Preuilly looked an ideal place for nightjars (more on this later).
As last year, we were staying at La Confiance, owned and run by Sue and Chris Mooney. Sue was there
to greet us as we arrived, and as we unloaded the car a nightingale burst into song to greet us as well.
There was plenty of time to sort out our things and have a shower before walking around to Sue and Chris’s dining room for our four-course dinner.
Tues 11 May 2010
A short walk around the lanes of Champ d’Oeuf before breakfast found turtle dove, melodious warbler and a singing nightingale. After we had all breakfasted the first destination was the Chérine Nature Reserve near St. Michel-en-Brenne for a meeting with Tony Williams. He has lived and worked in the area for many years and is the best source for all the latest info. Although it is only a short drive, it took longer than expected as every “bird on wire” had to be investigated, and a marsh harrier held us up for several minutes. We had a good sighting of a water rail from the viewing window in the visitor centre whilst waiting for TW, and Alan spotted a reed warbler. Also black tern, little egret and marsh harrier.
TW’s info included the news that there were black woodpeckers nesting in a pine tree next to the restaurant at Étang de Bellebouche, so that was added to today’s itinerary. Also that the bee-eaters were no longer at Néons-sur-Creuse but had re-located to nearby Tournon-St-Martin.
The rest of the morning was spent thoroughly exploring the area around Chérine. First the Tower Hide at the north-east corner of Étang Ricot. Nightingale and blackcap were singing well in the wooded area surrounding the car park and a golden oriole was heard from the hide. Common tern, marsh harrier and black kite were also seen from the hide.
A few hundred metres further along the D17 there is a small parking area overlooking Étang de Monmélier. There was not much on the water, but a black-winged stilt flew over. (Note for next time: There is a track starting here that leads past Étang Miclos – this is worth checking out).
A purple heron was seen on a quick visit to the southern end of Bellebouche and a very pale, hovering bird of prey that I at first mistakenly thought was an osprey. It was in fact our first short-toed eagle.
We had worked up quite an appetite from our day’s birding, so the delicious four-course dinner which Sue and Chris had prepared for us back at La Confiance was well received. A calling tawny owl was the only addition to our list on a short evening walk around the lanes of Champ d’Oeuf.
Wed 12 May 2010
Our pre-breakfast recce found a pair of stone curlews in a field not 200m distant from our gîte. Today was to be bee-eater day, and despite TW’s advice, we decided that we would check out the site at Néons-sur-Creuse first.
En-route we stopped for a few minutes at Étang Bourreau, a small lake alongside the D50. Lots of swallow, house martin and whiskered tern about, and a male harrier at first thought to be a Montagu’s, was quartering the fields in the distance. Closer inspection identified it as a hen harrier. A red-backed shrike appeared on a wire as we were leaving.
We watched them for a good twenty minutes before deciding it was time to move on. As we had now bagged the bee-eaters there was no need to go to Tournon-St-Martin so we headed for Étang de la Mer Rouge. Here we found another red-backed shrike and had good views of a booted eagle. More whiskered tern and a nightingale was heard (not unusual, as we heard these almost everywhere we went). A hornet was also encountered here.
En route to La Gabrière a possible peregrine flew over, and on the étang itself our first black-necked grebes. Black kite and booted eagle flew over as we viewed the lake from the roadside benches.
Making our way to Étang de la Sous we stopped to get a better view of a short-toed eagle which flew over. Butterfly orchids were growing on the verge here. A very impressive new hide had been constructed at Étang de la Sous and from it we saw great white egret, whiskered tern and purple heron. European pond tortoise (very common in the area) was also noted. A great reed warbler began singing from the extensive reed beds in front of the hide and we eventually located it and had a fairly good view for several minutes before it disappeared deep into the reeds. On returning to the car we found a tick on the dashboard. Chris made sure to keep her trousers firmly tucked into her socks after that.
A visit to the hide on Étang Massé at Le Blizon was not very productive. (Note for next time: there is a track here that runs by Étang du Blizon which would be well worth exploring).
Another brief visit to the Étang de Monmélier specifically to find black-winged stilts, which was successful. Yet another short-toed eagle flew over.
The final destination for today was an exploration of the lanes to the south-east of Azay-le-Ferron, where little bustards used to be found. Local knowledge is that they are no longer here, but we thought it was worth a look. On the D18 1km south-west of St-Julien a couple of Montagu’s harriers were seen being mobbed by curlew, but sadly no sign of any little bustards.
Whilst having our evening meal with Sue and Chris we were delighted to see a nightingale on the lawn of La Confiance.
Thu 13 May 2010
The customary pre-breakfast walk found nothing new, but it was a surprise to see a stone curlew take-off from a pasture with grazing cattle. Today’s itinerary was to explore the forests (mainly for woodpeckers) in the morning, and in the afternoon to have a guided orchid walk. A new species for our list was added on the way to the forest - greylag goose at Étang de la Bienaise. Several cattle egret were spotted in a field on the D21 near Bellebouche.
We drove deep into the Forêt de Lancosme, parked where five forest roads meet and walked along a forest track. Spotting birds was difficult because of the dense foliage, but Bonelli’s warbler and crested tit were seen well. Wood warbler, garden warbler and a treecreeper (the standard Eurasian type) were heard, and a brief glimpse of a golden oriole as it flew across the ride. We spent several minutes trying to locate a bird with an unusual song. We eventually found the culprit – a blackcap. It was an very un-blackcap like song though, it sounded more like a redstart.
We moved on to the nearby chapel of St.Sulpice for another wander through the woods. Nothing new found, but a treecreeper was heard (this one sounded like the short-toed variety). We were pleased to find a chequered skipper butterfly, a species that can only be found around Fort William in Britain. Sadly, the only woodpecker noted today was the call of a great spotted. After returning to Champ d’Oeuf for a spot of lunch we headed off to Preuilly-sur-Claise to meet Susan Walter, an Australian naturalist living in France, and her partner Simon Brand, who were going to give us a guided orchid walk. We rendezvoused in the centre of the village, and after a brief introductory chat in the Hôtel de L’Image we made the short journey to their orchard. Alan and Chris travelled in style in the beautifully restored 1953 Citroën Traction Avant owned by Susan and Simon.
Having located a suitable spot to park the car we returned to Champ d’Oeuf for an early dinner. We left at about 9.00pm when there was still plenty of daylight, and en-route we saw a male hen harrier and stopped to have another look at the pair of stone curlews we had found earlier.
Our chosen spot was on the D14 in the Forêt de Preuilly, and after parking the car just off the road we walked a short distance into the woods. We were now surrounded by about 2m high scrubby vegetation with taller trees interspersed. It was a cool, but calm evening and several cuckoos were calling from the surrounding forest. As the light faded a bird was seen on the ground about 50m away. We struggled to identify it in the fading light, but our best guess was a mistle thrush. We all had doubts about this as the bird seemed much too grey. Afterwards we decided this could have been a fieldfare, as the area is not too far from their summer range.
As we stood in silence several large animals were heard routing around in the undergrowth just a few metres away from us. We did not see them, and had no idea what they were. We think they could have been either badgers or wild boar.
We were all beginning to have doubts that the habitat was right for nightjars, but at about 10.30 we at last heard the first brief churring call. The churring continued on and off for the next half hour or so, gradually increasing in intensity, from at least two birds. Suddenly the churring stopped and the frog like “kru-it” call began. The bird was obviously now moving and David and Alan began to wave white handkerchiefs. Instantly a nightjar made a close approach to us and then proceeded to fly around our heads. Although the light was now very feint, there was sufficient to enable us to see the bird in silhouette. In fact, it was the best views any of us had had of the species. Satisfied with our night’s work we made our way back to the car, only to have another nightjar flying around our heads as we got back to it.
Fri 14 May 2010
We lost count of the number of buzzards we saw sitting alongside the motorway as we journeyed north. A short break at La Dentelle d’Alençon services for coffee and to re-fuel broke up the journey. The plan was to get in a couple of hours birding at Sallenelles nature reserve on the Orne estuary before we went to the ferry and we arrived in plenty of time to do this. Shelduck, grey plover, oystercatcher, whimbrel and whinchat were added to our list here. There was one other bird that was heard only. It sounded at times like a song thrush, but this was only part of the song. Although we searched long and hard we never actually saw the bird, which we strongly suspect was a bluethroat.
Crossing the river and the canal via Pegasus Bridge we arrived at the ferry port in Ouistreham in plenty of time for our 4.30pm sailing to Portsmouth. Soon after the Mont St Michel docked an employee of Brittany Ferries walked round the waiting cars handing out a letter. This announced that there was a strike and they could not say when we would be allowed on board, it could be two hours, four hours or even twelve hours!
After a long and boring wait we eventually boarded and sailed about four hours late. There was not much time for sea-watching before the light faded, the only addition to our list during the crossing was gannet. It was well after midnight when we arrived in Portsmouth, and after dropping Alan and Chris at their home, picking my car up at David’s, it was not until gone 3.00am that I finally arrived home.
The weather had been unseasonably cold for the time of year, with a chilly north-easterly wind blowing. Warmer weather would probably have given us more birds, and butterflies were very thin on the ground this year compared with last, but nevertheless it had been a great few days enjoying the nature of the Brenne.
Special thanks to David for sorting out all the arrangements and doing all the driving, and to our hosts Sue and Chris for the splendid accommodation and food.
The Bird List
| Mute Swan | Black Swan |
| Greylag Goose | Canada Goose |
| Shelduck | Wigeon |
| Gadwall | Teal |
| Mallard | Shoveler |
| Red-crested Pochard | Pochard |
| Tufted Duck | Red-legged Partridge |
| Pheasant | Little Grebe |
| Great Crested Grebe | Black-necked Grebe |
| Gannet | Cormorant |
| Cattle Egret | Little Egret |
| Great White Egret | Grey Heron |
| Purple Heron | Black Stork |
| White Stork | Spoonbill |
| Black Kite | Short-toed Eagle |
| Booted Eagle | Marsh Harrier |
| Hen Harrier | Montagu's Harrier |
| Buzzard | Kestrel |
| Merlin (Doubtful) | Hobby |
| Peregrine (Possible) | Water Rail |
| Coot | Oystercatcher |
| Black-winged Stilt | Stone-curlew |
| Little Ringed Plover | Grey Plover |
| Lapwing | Dunlin |
| Snipe | Whimbrel |
| Curlew | Greenshank |
| Black-headed Gull | Common Gull (?) |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | Herring Gull |
| Great Black-backed Gull | Whiskered Tern |
| Black Tern | Common Tern |
| Feral Pigeon | Woodpigeon |
| Collared Dove | Turtle Dove |
| Cuckoo | Tawny Owl (h) |
| Nightjar | Swift |
| Bee-eater | Hoopoe |
| Black Woodpecker (h) | Green Woodpecker |
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | Skylark |
| Sand Martin | Swallow |
| House Martin | Meadow Pipit |
| Yellow Wagtail | Grey Wagtail |
| Pied Wagtail | White Wagtail |
| Wren | Dunnock |
| Robin | Nightingale |
| Bluethroat (h?) | Black Redstart |
| Whinchat | Stonechat |
| Blackbird | Fieldfare (Probable) |
| Song Thrush | Mistle Thrush |
| Cetti's Warbler | Fan-tailed Warbler |
| Grasshopper Warbler (h) | Sedge Warbler |
| Reed Warbler | Great Reed Warbler |
| Melodious Warbler | Blackcap |
| Garden Warbler (h) | Whitethroat |
| Western Bonelli's Warbler | Wood Warbler (h) |
| Chiffchaff | Long-tailed Tit |
| Blue Tit | Great Tit |
| Crested Tit | Nuthatch (h) |
| Treecreeper | Short-toed Treecreeper (h) |
| Golden Oriole | Red-backed Shrike |
| Jay | Magpie |
| Jackdaw | Rook |
| Carrion Crow | Starling |
| House Sparrow | Chaffinch |
| Greenfinch | Goldfinch |
| Linnet | Bullfinch |
| Yellowhammer | Cirl Bunting |
| Reed Bunting | Corn Bunting |
| Total 132 Species |
The Insect list
Compiled by Alan Strachan| Chequered Skipper | Wood White |
| Glanville Fritillary | Large White |
| Small White | Green-veined White |
| Orange Tip | Peacock |
| Wall | Small Heath |
| Common Heath Moth | Cinnabar Moth |
| Speckled Yellow Moth | Hummingbird Hawk Moth |
| May Bug | Gendarme Bug |
| Hornet |
The Flower list
Compiled by Chris Shayler| Early Purple Orchid | Lady Orchid |
| Monkey Orchid | Birdsnest Orchid |
| Early Spider Orchid | Fly Orchid |
| Sword-leaved Helliborine | Lesser Butterfly Orchid |
| Meadow Saxifrage | Meadow Thistle |
| Asparagus | Milkwort |
| Crosswort | Water Violet |
| Common Water Crowfoot | St. Bernard’s Lilley |
| Kerry Lilley | Common Cow Wheat |
| Lungwort | Solomon’s Seal |
| Purple Toothwort | Wood Spurge |
| Cypress Spurge | Portland Spurge |
| Large Flowered Sandwort |
Additions to My Life List 2009
31 Dec 2009
It’s been a good birding year for me. These are the species that I have added to my Life List during 2009.| Tundra Bean Goose | Welney WWT |
| Brent Goose (Dark Bellied) | Titchwell |
| Black Brant | Titchwell |
| Ferruginous Duck | Old Hall Marshes, Essex |
| Velvet Scoter | Titchwell (Offshore) |
| Red-throated Diver | Cley (offshore) |
| Night-heron | Etang Ricot, Brenne, France |
| Great White Egret | Pymoor, Cambridgeshire |
| Purple Heron | Etang Ricot, Brenne, France |
| White Stork | Ponts Douve, Normandy, France |
| Greater Flamingo | San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain |
| Black Kite | Cherine, Brenne, France |
| Egyptian Vulture | Near Torrevieja, Spain |
| Short-toed Eagle | Brenne National Park, France |
| Booted Eagle | Etang Ricot, Brenne, France |
| Montagu's Harrier | Near Azay-le-Feron, Brenne, France |
| Rough-legged Buzzard | Coveney, Cambridgeshire |
| Merlin | Old Hall Marshes, Essex |
| Black-winged Stilt | Cherine, Brenne, France |
| Pectoral Sandpiper | Keyhaven |
| Kittiwake | Cley (offshore) |
| Glaucous Gull | Cley Marshes NWT |
| Whiskered Tern | Brenne National Park, France |
| American Black Tern | Farmoor |
| White-winged Black Tern | Farmoor |
| Hoopoe | Brenne National Park, France |
| Black Woodpecker | Forét de Lanscosme, Brenne, France |
| Crested Lark | Champ d'Oeuf, Brenne, France |
| Crag Martin | Near Torremendo Lake, Spain |
| Fan-tailed Warbler | Beaugillot NR, Normandy, France |
| Marsh Warbler | Otmoor |
| Sardinian Warbler | Parc Natural de la Mata-Torrevieja, Spain |
| Western Bonelli's Warbler | Brenne National Park, France |
| Crested Tit | Forét de Lancosme, Brenne, France |
| Golden Oriole | Forét de Lancosme, Brenne, France |
| Red-backed Shrike | Etang de la Mer Rouge, Brenne, France |
| Spotless Starling | Parc Natural de la Mata-Torrevieja, Spain |
| Serin | Parc Natural de la Mata-Torrevieja, Spain |
| Cirl Bunting | Etang Ricot, Brenne, France |
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