La France

A shameful lack of entries recently, not entirely due to a lack of activity, more a case of lack of time and/or energy and/or sobriety in the evenings to write anything up.

Spent four days in NE France (Pas de Calais) with the family this week, a pleasant diversion of which more in a bit. Previous birding since the last entry included a very dismal seawatch (having missed the hoped-for Balearic Shearwater by less than an hour), and various potterings.

The most notable trip out was on 20th July: received a text from Simon Ingram inviting me on a planned drive to Beauworth (wherever that was) that evening for Quail. Seemed like a good idea, so picked Steve P up straight from work and drove to Simon's, where Ashley Howe was also in on the "twitch".

During the drive out it became increasingly apparent that Simon's only gen was that the bird had been heard singing "from a barley field near Beauworth"! Which left us driving round anywhere that could be construed as "near" there checking all the barley fields, somewhat handicapped by the fact that without knowing which field we were targetting we weren't sure how long to wait for the singing bird that may not have been there. Oh and also by the fact that none of us were 100% sure what a barley field actually looked like!! Needless to say we dipped, and I bowled up at home at 1115pm, very hungry having not had any dinner. I might ask one or two more questions beforehand next time!

France was pleasant enough, camping, pootling about, and mostly being lazy, although I did have a couple of walks out from the campsite. That it definitely wasn't a birding trip is reflected by the "in France" trip list of 51 (including Gannet from the boat). Some OK stuff though. I suppose the pick was Crested Tit, of which a few were heard and one showed well in the campsite. I was especially pleased to ID it first on call despite these being my first records since 1994 at the latest (which is rather shameful). Singing Turtle Doves nearby were also nice, with other records including a Spotted Flycatcher, several Whitethroates and a pleasing number of singing Yellowhammers (but strangely no Skylarks). House Sparrows were everywhere, highlighting the fact that they aren't in southern England.

The butterfly list was just nine, but including my first Clouded Yellows of the year (quite a few). Painted Ladies were everywhere, with the campsite buddleias dripping with them. Moths attracted to the shower block lights included a Poplar Hawkmoth. (It's quite possible that there were also some real rarities but I'm not a mothman so couldn't say).

All very pleasant to potter around somewhere new, with just a subtle difference in the avifauna. A trip further south in France is being mooted for next summer, which will hopefully offer more in the way of variety.

Main priority now is to get out and about a bit more in this country. Autumn migration seems to be under way and I ought to get out and sample some of it soon.

4:55 PM - Saturday, August 1, 2009 - post comment

Marquenterre Somme estuary reserve news!

Hi there,
Today in the Somme estuary in north-eastern France
carnage by chasseurs as Osprey, Honey Buzzards,
Black Kite and masses of waders flew over the reserve as chasseurs on the perimiter peppered Oystercatchers and other hapless birds with shots
en masse and the resident Storks, Spoonbills, Stilts
and Avocets went mad!
We need to send birders there en masse to intimidate the stupid chasseurs hunting on the edge of this top European bird reserve so near to the UK!
Kind regards,
Birdman.P.Breen the green p birder from sunny Jersey! Green p on the hunters!

Anonymous - 6:50 PM - Saturday, August 1, 2009

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