Red backed shrikes have not been common this year but a male in superb plumage allowed me to watch him for some time as he sat on top of a hedge near La Tache's bio farm. the fact that he was reluctant to fly away indicates that he probably had a nest nearby; a pair did breed close to here last summer.
After the scorching heat of most of July we had fierce storms and strong winds for two days. Many trees have been toppled or damaged and my village is still on only provisional electricity supply as it's taking a week to repair power lines. Much of the sun flower crop is lying on the ground after the southerly gales. Today we are back to blue skies and I daresay high temperatures by this afternoon.
Several swifts were feeding high up yesterday so they have not quite left us yet and orioles were still singing this morning. Starlings are flocking and one flock of well over a thousand birds was wheeling around Chasseneuil last Friday evening. From my house I have heard stone curlews calling all night, presumably displaced by the harvesting. Almost all the grain is now in and fields are already being harrowed; it makes you wonder how ground-nesting birds manage to survive
Wednesday 31 July 2013
Monday 22 July 2013
Honey Buzzard
Honey buzzards are always special to see, having the attraction of being a relatively uncommon summer visitor coupled with a much more attractive appearance than the common buzzard, and so I was delighted to see one soaring low over the house yesterday evening. The garden has been a good place to be to see and hear birds during the recent very hot spell; a family of golden orioles have been flitting through its trees for several days now and while sitting on the terrace on a very warm evening I listened to the purring of a nightjar coming from a nearby wood. Other visitors include green and great spotted woodpecker, white wagtail, turtle dove and tawny owl.
The farmers have been making the most of the heatwave by harvesting the grain and a common sight has been small flocks of black kites following the combines. Swallows are now flocking after the breeding season and swifts are still much in evidence in the larger villages and towns.
The farmers have been making the most of the heatwave by harvesting the grain and a common sight has been small flocks of black kites following the combines. Swallows are now flocking after the breeding season and swifts are still much in evidence in the larger villages and towns.
Monday 15 July 2013
Quails, Stone curlews and Montague's Harriers
Well after all my moaning about this year's weather, Summer has kicked in with a vengeance with temperatures in the 30's during the last couple of weeks and set to continue into the foreseeable future; I don't think the lawn will continue to look green for much longer.
A consequence of the eolians construction is that the stone curlews have taken to hanging around the cleared ground at the base of the excavations. On several occasions when I have cycled up there, I have unintentionally flushed up to four birds at a time. They fly off to no great distance calling noisily. Flushing a quail is much more difficult even when you can hear one calling from the grain almost at your feet but I must have taken one by surprise yesterday as I round downhill and it flew up explosively and whizzed away just above the crop, dropping down about 100 yards away. A bird that you don't really think of as flushable is a montagues harrier but they often seem to sit in the ground and this includes the tracks that cross the plains' One held his position until I was within 30 yards or so this week.
Two golden orioles have been visiting the garden recently, their distinctive call always sounds quite tropical and reminds me of the mynah birds during my time in Sri lanka. The blackcap that is in the garden sings almost continuously throughout the day and has been doing so for about a month now.
Of the birds that I have mentioned in recent posts, the tree pipits are still singing in several locations and I heard a snatch of nightingale song from a hedge on the plains lat week. There were still plenty of swifts flying around Mansle yesterday but it can't be long before we lose these early departees.
Cetti's warblers have not been much in evidence this year and I have not heard one on the Son-Sonnette for instance but one was calling from the undergrowth as I canoed on the Charente near Echoisy.
Flocks of white wagtails have begun to appear on the plains and this may be linged to the grain harvest which is just getting underway,
Red kites have been thin on the ground for me this year but I saw one above the N141 near Roumaziers.
A species which I have not seen (alive) in France this year is a lesser spotted woodpecker but one sadly came to grief when it flew into my front door.
A consequence of the eolians construction is that the stone curlews have taken to hanging around the cleared ground at the base of the excavations. On several occasions when I have cycled up there, I have unintentionally flushed up to four birds at a time. They fly off to no great distance calling noisily. Flushing a quail is much more difficult even when you can hear one calling from the grain almost at your feet but I must have taken one by surprise yesterday as I round downhill and it flew up explosively and whizzed away just above the crop, dropping down about 100 yards away. A bird that you don't really think of as flushable is a montagues harrier but they often seem to sit in the ground and this includes the tracks that cross the plains' One held his position until I was within 30 yards or so this week.
Two golden orioles have been visiting the garden recently, their distinctive call always sounds quite tropical and reminds me of the mynah birds during my time in Sri lanka. The blackcap that is in the garden sings almost continuously throughout the day and has been doing so for about a month now.
Of the birds that I have mentioned in recent posts, the tree pipits are still singing in several locations and I heard a snatch of nightingale song from a hedge on the plains lat week. There were still plenty of swifts flying around Mansle yesterday but it can't be long before we lose these early departees.
Cetti's warblers have not been much in evidence this year and I have not heard one on the Son-Sonnette for instance but one was calling from the undergrowth as I canoed on the Charente near Echoisy.
Flocks of white wagtails have begun to appear on the plains and this may be linged to the grain harvest which is just getting underway,
Red kites have been thin on the ground for me this year but I saw one above the N141 near Roumaziers.
A species which I have not seen (alive) in France this year is a lesser spotted woodpecker but one sadly came to grief when it flew into my front door.
Tuesday 2 July 2013
Early July
This is my first post for a while which shows that there has not been a great deal of note on the birding front.The weather is just about beginning to settle and it's getting distinctly warmer -----just about in time for what is traditionally the quietest time for bird activity, but who knows what will happen in these rather unpredictable times?
Two days ago I watched hundreds of swifts steaming south over the house and I presume this is the beginning of a very early return migration for this species. Many are still around, of course, but it could be that the non-breeders have had enough of struggling to find flying insects and have decided to move back south.
The nightingales seem to have stopped singing within the last week or so and I have not heard a cuckoo for several days though I did watch one yesterday repeatedly going to the ground in a sunflower field presumably to pickup food items. As for other migrants, the orioles are still quite vociferous as are blackcaps, tree pipits and melodious warblers., and I have heard an occasional quail calling from the grain fields.
Two days ago I watched hundreds of swifts steaming south over the house and I presume this is the beginning of a very early return migration for this species. Many are still around, of course, but it could be that the non-breeders have had enough of struggling to find flying insects and have decided to move back south.
The nightingales seem to have stopped singing within the last week or so and I have not heard a cuckoo for several days though I did watch one yesterday repeatedly going to the ground in a sunflower field presumably to pickup food items. As for other migrants, the orioles are still quite vociferous as are blackcaps, tree pipits and melodious warblers., and I have heard an occasional quail calling from the grain fields.
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