Sunday 31 May 2009 - Osselle and Chateau de Bois - 31/5/09

The morning was spent at Osselle, where I was disappointed to see that many areas of rough grass had been mown, I only hope that the Blue-headed Wagtails nesting there had already fledged, but seeing adults carrying food to sites that hadn't been cut showed that there would have been a few nests with young in them shredded.

Mute Swan - cygne tuberculé - 4, the pair on the island are still sitting, but no young.

Shoveler - canard souchet - pair

Great Crested Grebe - grèbe huppé - 4

Honey Buzzard - bondrée apivore - 1

Black Kite - milan noir - 2

Red Kite - milan royal - 1

Buzzard - buse variable - 3+

Kestrel - faucon crécerelle - 1

Moorhen - poule d'eau - Adult with 5 chicks

Common Sandpiper - chevalier guignette - 1

Kingfisher - martin-pêcheur - 1

Bee Eater - guêpier - 2

Cuckoo - coucou - 1 heard

Skylark - alouette des champs - 1

Blue-headed Wagtail - bergeronnette printanière - 3+

Nightingale - rossignol - 3+ singers

Black Redstart - rougequeue noir - recently fledged young seen

Whinchat - tarier des prés - 1 male

Melodious Warbler - hypolaïs polyglotte - 1 singing

Golden Oriole - loriot - 1 heard

Carrion Crow - corneille noire - recently fledged young

Starling - étorneau - adults carrying food

Tree Sparrow - moineau friquet - several

Chaffinch - pinson - singing

Goldfinch - chardonneret -1

Greenfinch - verdier - 2 songflight

Serin - sérin cini - pair.

The afternoon at Chateau des Bois saw Sparrowhawk, Turtle Dove and 2 Yellowhammers. In butterflies there were Swallowtail, Scarce Swallowtail, Painted Ladies, Meadow Browns, Marbled Whites and White Admirals. A Wildcat was disturbed from a mown field.

Tuesday 26 May 2009 - Forêt du Risol and Frasne 26/5/09

The highlight of the day was a Hazel Grouse that flew out of trees and over the path in the forest, also present were Ring Ouzels and Bullfinches.

Between the forest and Mouthe there were many Mistle Thrushes, 2 Fieldfares, a Meadow Pipit, singing Willow Warblers, White wagtail and a Black Kite.

Lac de Remoray held a few Tufted Ducks, G C Grebes, Coots, singing Reed Warblers, a Fieldfare and a Red Kite

Frasne had about 10 Pochards, some Tufted Ducks, 2 G C Grebes, a pair of Mute Swans a Curlew, a Yellow-legged Gull, 3 Black Kites, 2 Tree Pipits, Willow Tits, a Fieldfare, Willow and Reed Warblers, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Collared Dove. On the raised bog there was a Tree Pipit, a Bullfinch and a Crested Tit.

Monday 25 May 2009 - Pagney and Osselle 25/5/09

Pagney

Mute Swan - cygne tuberculé - 5

Great Crested Grebe - grèbe huppé - 3 adults  +2 young/jeunes

Coot - foulque - 7

Pheasant - faisan de Colchide - pair

Curlew - courlis cendré - 2

Lapwing - vanneau huppé - c10

Buzzard - buse variable - 1

Black Kite - milan noir - 3

Turtle Dove - tourterelle des bois - heard/entendu

Cuckoo - coucou gris - heard/entendu

Blue-headed Wagtail - bergeronnette printanière - many carrying food, one fledged juvenile 

Great Reed Warbler -  rousserolle turdoïde - 3

Whitethroat - fauvette grisette

Nightingale - rossignol - 1

Stonechat - tarier pâtre - many, family with at least 4 juveniles

Red-backed Shrike - pie-grièche écorcheur - 3 males, 1 female

Tree Sparrow - moineau friquet

Goldfinch - chardonneret

Greenfinch -verdier

Yellowhammer - bruant jaune - heard/entendu

Reed Bunting - bruant des roseaux - 1 male

Corn Bunting - bruant proyer

Cirl Bunting - bruant zizi - 1 in Saligney

Osselle

Mute Swan - cygne tuberculé - 4

Grey Heron - héron cendré - 5

Mallard - colvert - 30 males and 12 females

Black Kite - milan noir - 1

Buzzard - buse variable - 2

Honey Buzzard - bondrée apivore - 1

Hobby - faucon hobéreau - 1

Kestrel - faucon crécerelle - 1 male

Little Ringed Plover - petit gravelot - 1

Temminck's Stint - bécasseau de Temminck -1

Common Sandpiper - chevalier guignette - 1

Whiskered Tern - guifette moustac - 1 at 10h30am

Bee Eater - guêpier - 2

Blue-headed Wagtail - bergeronnette printanière

Nightingale - rossignol - 1

Melodious Warbler - hippolaïs polyglotte - 1 singing

Stonechat - tarier pâtre - 1 singing

Monday 18 May 2009 - Osselle 18/5/09

The storm overnight failed to deliver, the pool was very quiet with nothing new.

Great Crested Grebe - grèbe huppé - 2

Mute Swan - cygne tuberculé - 6 (3 pairs)

Mallard - colvert - c20, 1 brood of 5

Goosander - harle bièvre - 1 female

Black Kite - milan noir - 1

Kestrel - faucon crécerelle - 1 male

Hobby - faucon hobéreau - 1

Little Ringed Plover - petit gravelot - 2

Common Sandpiper - chevalier guignette - 2 displaying, the first nesting attempt was a failure then.

Great Spotted Woodpecker - pic épeiche - heard

Green Woodpecker - pic vert - heard

Bee Eater - guêpier - 2

Kingfisher - martin-pêcheur - 1

Cuckoo - coucou gris - heard

Blue-headed Wagtail - bergeronnette printanière - 3 nests being visited with food

Reed Warbler - rousserolle effarvatte - At least 5 singing around the complex

Lesser Whitethroat - fauvette babillarde - 1

Stonechat - tarier pâtre - 1 pair

Starling - étorneau - seen carrying food

Saturday 16 May 2009 - Osselle 16/5/09

The month of May giveth, but also taketh away! With the sun providing ideal migrating conditions there were no new waders in today. 

Mute Swan - cygne tuberculé - 2 pairs/couples

Goosander - harle bièvre - 2 females, 1 with a brood of new chicks.

Great Crested Grebe - grèbe huppé - 2 pairs/couples

Honey Buzzard - bondrée apivore - 3

Black Kite - milan noir - 1

Buzzard - buse variable - 1

Kestrel - crécerelle - 1 male

Hobby - hobérau - 1

Coot - foulque - 1

Common Sandpiper - chevalier guignette - 1

Little Ringed Plover - petit gravelot - 3

Black-winged Stilt - échasse blanche - 2

Blue-headed Wagtail - bergeronnette printanière - still taking food to the nest

Turtle Dove - tourterelle des bois - heard/entendu

Cuckoo - coucocu gris - heard/entendu

Grasshopper Warbler - locustelle tachetée - heard/entendu

Whitethroat - fauvette grisette - heard/entendu

Nightingale - rossignol - heard/entendu

A family of 3 Coypu and a few Painted Lady butterflies. Une famille de 3 ragondins et quelques belles dames.

Friday 15 May 2009 - Osselle 15/5/09

An early start in the pouring rain to go and see the 2 Black-winged Stilts that had been seen the day before, success!

La journée commence de bonheur et sous la pluie pour aller voir les 2 échasses blanches présentes depuis hier - réussite!

Other things of note:

Great Crested Grebe - grèbe huppé - 2

Goosander - harle bièvre - 3 females

Mute Swan - cygne tuberculé - 2 still on nest

Yellow-legged Gull - goéland leucophée - 1 2cy

Wood Sandpiper - chevalier sylvain - 2

Common Sandpiper - chevalier guignette - 1+

Little Ringed Plover - petit gravelot - 2+

Blue-headed Wagtail - bergeronnette printanière - seen attending a nest.

Saturday 9 May 2009 - Osselle 9/5/09

Much the same as yesterday though less waders.

1 male Kestrel, 2 Buzzards, 2 Common Sandpipers, at least 3 Little Ringed Plovers, 3 male Stonechats, 1 male Whinchat, 1 Grey and 1 Purple Heron.

Several Painted Lady butterflies were on the wing.

Friday 8 May 2009 - Osselle 8/5/09

Mute Swan - pair sitting.

Mallard - An increase in numbers - breeding season already over for some!

Great Crested Grebe - 1 pair present on the water, no sign of a nest so far.

Buzzard - 1

Wood Sandpiper - 2

Common Sandpiper -

Little Ringed Plover - 3+

Temminck's Stint - 1

Sand Martin - The colony on the island is much more active now, but there are plenty of tunnels being dug in a pile of sand still being worked on.

Stonechat - A pair and a male.

Reed Warbler - 1 heard

Golden Oriole - Heard

Tree Sparrow - 2

Linnet - 1

Friday 1 May 2009 - Petit Noir 1/5/09 - Big Day Out

Little Grebe - Grèbe castagneux

Great Crested Grebe - Grèbe huppé

Cormorant - Grand cormoran

Little Egret - Aigrette garzette - 3

Grey Heron - Héron cendré

Purple Heron - Héron pourpré - 2+

Mute Swan - Cygne tuberculé - Several pairs on nests and one pair with 7 cygnets.

Mallard - Colvert

Osprey - Balbusard - 1

Red Kite - Milan royal - 1

Black Kite - Milan noir - 5+

Marsh Harrier - Busard des roseaux - 1 female and 2 males, female seen carrying nesting material, + 1 female over the road at Chemin.

Montagu's Harrier - Busard cendré - pair seen at Petit Noir, 2 males together at Fretterans and a male at Annoire.

Buzzard - Buse variable

Sparrowhawk - Epervier - 1 male

Kestrel - Faucon crécerelle

Hobby - Faucon hobéreau - 1

Pheasant - Faisan colchide - heard

Coot - Foulque macroule - Several pairs, some on eggs some with large young.

Little Ringed Plover - Petit gravelot - 5+

Common Sandpiper - Chevalier guignette 2+

Redshank - Chevalier gambette - 2

Greenshank - Chevalier aboyeur - 6

Curlew - Courlieu cendré - Heard

Whimbrel - Courlis courlieu - 1 in a ploughed field most of the day.

Ruff - Combattant varié - 1 female

Yellow-legged Gull - Goéland leucophé - 1 adult

Common Tern - Sterne pierregarin - 3, Fretterans

Woodpigeon - Pigeon ramier - several pairs displaying

Collared Dove - Tourterelle turque

Turtle Dove - Tourterelle des bois - Heard almost constantly from mid morning on, several seen displaying.

Cuckoo - Coucou gris - Heard almost constantly, several seen.

Swift - Martinet noir

Kingfisher - Martin-pêcheur - 1

Bee eater - Guêpier - plentiful

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - Pic épeichette - 1 male

Skylark - Alouette des champs - 1 singing

Sand Martin - Hirondelle de rivage

Swallow - Hirondelle rustique

White Wagtail - Bergeronnette grise

Grey Wagtail - Bergeronnette des ruisseaux - 1

Blue-headed Wagtail - Beregeronnette printanière

Nightingale - Rossignol - heard everywhere, not seen.

Bluethroat - Gorgebleue - 1 male singing - lifer!

Stonechat - Tarir pâtre - A pair and a female seen.

Blackbird - Merle noir

Blackcap  - Fauvette à tête noire

Whitethroat - Fauvette grisette

Grasshopper Warbler - Locustelle tachetée - 3 reeling, one seen.

Reed Warbler - Rouserolle effarvatte

Great Reed Warbler - Rouserolle turdoïde - Lifer!

Willow Warbler - Pouillot fitis - heard

Chiffchaff - Pouillot véloce

Great Tit - Mésange charbonnière

Blue Tit - Mésange bleue

Short-toed Treecreeper - Grimpéreau des jardins

Magpie - Pie bavarde

Jay - Géai des chênes

Carrion Crow - Corneille noire

Rook - Corbeau freux

Starling - Etorneau sansonnet

Golden Oriole - Loriot - At least 5 heard, frustratingly, none seen.

House Sparrow - Moineau doméstique

Tree Sparrow - Moineau friquet

Chaffinch - Pinson des arbres

Linnet - Linotte mélodieuse

Goldfinch - Chardonneret

Greenfinch - Verdier

Corn Bunting - Bruant proyer - Many

Yellowhammer - Bruant jaune.

70 Species/espèces

Also seen were a few Rabbits and 3 Hares.

Aussi vus, quelques lapins et 3 lièvres.

Saturday 25 April 2009 - Osselle 25/4/09

Great Crested Grebe - 4 including a pair on a nest platform

Gadwall - 1 male

Mute Swan - 1 pair

Coot - 0 !!!

Grey Heron - 1

Black Kite - 3

Red Kite - 1 near Routelle

Common Sandpiper - 1

Little Ringed Plover - 2 displaying

Woodpigeon - 2

Sand Martin - back in number, seem to be ignoring their old nest colony on the island in favour of a sand bank near the entrance to the site

Blue-headed Wagtail - a few around the pools

White Wagtail - a few, 1 seen prospecting a nest site in machinery.

Stonechat - 1 seen

Tree Sparrow - one or two

The first Swifts of the year were over Besançon in the evening.

Monday 13 April 2009 - Petit Noir 13/4/09

Highlights of a visit to this excellent spot on the Franche-Comté/Burgundy border were-

Marsh Harrier - adult male, Montagu's Harrier - 2cy female, Osprey, Black Woodpecker, Cuckoo, 2 Great White Egret, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Stone Curlew, at least 4 Little Ringed Plovers, including a pair mating, 2 Common Terns, many Corn Buntings, Yellowhammers, Blue-headed Wagtails, Nightingales, Whitethroat, 1 Lesser Whitethroat.

Friday 3 April 2009 - Marais de Saône and Osselle 3/4/09

I'm just very unlucky with certain specis of birds, the Marais de Saône is supposed to be crawling with Penduline Tits at the moment, I didn't see any!

La Vèze

Snipe - bécassine des marais - 5 + 1

Green Woodpecker - pic vert - heard

Great Spotted Woodpecker - pic épeiche - Pair

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - pic épeichette - 1 male

Song Thrush - grive musicienne - many singing

Dunnock - accenteur mouchet - at least 2 singing

Robin - rougegorge - a few, including one very grey bird with less orange on breast.

Willow Warbler - pouillot fitis- many singing

Chiffchaff - pouillot véloce - many singing

Blackcap - fauvette à tête noire - 1 singing male

Willow Tit - mésange boréale - several heard and seen

Lesser Redpoll - sizerin flammé (cabaret) - 6

Siskin - tarin des aulnes - c20

Bullfinch - bouvreuil pivoine - 1 male

Greenfinch - verdier - 4 feeding on lawn by airfield

Linnet - linotte mélodieuse - Pair by airfield.

Reed Bunting - bruant des roseaux - 1 male and 1 female

Saône

Buzzard - buse variable - 1

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - pic épeichette - Pair displaying.

Osselle (very few birds!)

Great Crested Grebe - grèbe huppé - 6 birds including a displaying pair

Great White Egret - grande aigrette - 1 flew over

Grey Heron - héron cendré - 1

Mute Swan - cygne tuberculé - 2 pairs

Mallard - colvert - just a few pairs

Goosander - harle bièvre - 1 copulating pair

Coot - foulque macroule - almost entirely absent, one or two

Kingfisher - martin-pêcheur - 1

Swallow - hirondelle rustique - 1 or 2

Sand Martin - hirondelle de rivage - 1 or 2, where are they all???

Blue-headed Wagtail - bergeronnette printanière - 1 singing, plus about 5 others.

Blackcap - fauvette à tête noire - 1 female

Short-toed Treecreeper - grimpéreau des jardins - 1

Stonechat - tarier pâtre - 1 pair

Black Redstart - rougequeue noir - 1 pair

Starling - étorneau sansonnet - several singing

Tree Sparrow - moineau friquet - At least 3 checking out nest sites.

Sunday 22 March 2009 - Osselle 22/3/09

An early morning visit to Osselle showed that despite the ice, Spring is here, with a good passage of early migrants. Snipe, Hen Harrier, Alpine Swift and Water Pipit are all new for my Osselle list.

Great Crested Grebe - grèbe huppé - 5

Mute Swan - cygne tuberculé - 4

Tufted Duck - fuligule morillon - 2 male, 3 female

Pochard - fuligule milouin - 2 male, 2 female

Goosander - harle bièvre - 2 male, 1 female

Black Kite - milan noir - 1

Buzzard - buse variable - 2

Hen Harrier - busard Saint-Martin - 1 female

Snipe - bécassine des marais - 5

Little Ringed Plover - petit gravelot - 2

Alpine Swift - martinet alpin - 2+

Kingfisher - martin-pêcheur - 1

Woodpigeon - pigeon ramier - c30 + 1 heading North

Great Spotted Woodpecker - pic épeiche - 1 male

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - pic épeichette - 1 heard/entendu

Green Woodpecker - pic vert - 1 heard/entendu

Skylark - alouette des champs - 1 singing/chant

Swallow - hirondelle rustique - several/plusieurs

House Martin - hirondelle des fenêtres - several/plusieurs

Sand Martin - hirondelle de rivage - several/plusieurs

White Wagtail - bergeronnette grise - 40+

Water Pipit - pipit spioncelle - 1

Stonechat - tarier pâtre - 1 male, 3 females

Black Redstart - rougequeue noir - 13+

Robin - rougegorge - c10

Chiffchaff - pouillot véloce - 3 singing/chant

Tree Sparrow - moineau friquet- 1

Goldfinch - chardonneret - 2

Linnet - linotte mélodieuse - 1 female

Reed Bunting - bruant des roseaux - c20

Wednesday 18 March 2009 - Gare d'Eau 18/3/09

A lovely afternoon with beer in the park next to the river. Spring is definitely getting here. One or two Buzzards and Black Kites going backwards and forwards were replaced by a group of 2 Buzzards and 4 Black Kites heading North. Flyovers included a Peregrine, a Kestrel, a male and a female Sparrowhawk and a Black Stork. On and around the river, there were the ubiquitous Mallards, a pair of Goosander, a Heron, a few White Wagtails, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Woodpigeon and a Green Woodpecker was heard yaffling. Chaffinches have been going over the town all day in groups.

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http://nickderry.webs.com

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Monday 16 March 2009 - Osselle 16/3/09

The sun has come back to Franche-Comté and where better to enjoy it than at Osselle, where I haven't been for months now. Birds were quite thin on the ground, on the pools there were 2 Mute Swans, 4 Great Crested Grebes, 3 Pochards, 5 Tufted Ducks and not very many Coots and Mallards. 3 Herons stalked the edges. Spring migration is underway with a group of about 10 Reed Buntings in the willows by the swimming lake, also 1 Chiffchaff seen whilst another was singing elsewhere. Groups of Chaffinches were constantly heading North, also a group of c25 Woodpigeon. 4 White Wagtails were on site.

A Peacock Butterfly was on the wing.

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http://nickderry.webs.com

Thursday 12 February 2009 - Audincourt 12/2/09

The train to work produced the Great White Egret between Clerval and Isle sur le Doubs. At work there were an immature Grey Heron, 2 Dippers, a Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail.

New on my website -  A gallery of Wallcreepers, and some black and white illustrations from Falco.

www.nickderry.webs.com

Sur le chemin au boulot, il y avait la grande aigrette depuis le train entre Clerval et Isle sur le Doubs. Au boulot, il y avait un jeune héron cendré, 2 cincles plongeurs, un martin-pêcheur et une bergeronnette des ruisseaux

Nouveau sur mon site web - une galerie de tichodrome et des illustrations en noir et blanc de Falco

www.nickderry.webs.com

Thursday 29 January 2009 - Swans, Besançon 28, 29/1/09

28th January

Non-birding friends wanted to feed the 5 Mute Swans that have turned up in the town, on closer inspection it's a family party with 3 young. Also seen around were 1 Short-toed Treecreeper, 1 White Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Buzzard, 1 Moorhen and 2 tame Herons, 1 first winter and 1 adult. A domestic Greylag is still hanging around in the same area.

29th Janaury

Swans still present, plus the adult tame Heron, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 domestic Greylag and 1 adult Black-headed Gull.

thanks to Tabitha for the photo.

Monday 26 January 2009 - Besançon 26/1/09

With a huge influx of Kittiwakes into the region I decided to pop into town to see if any had got lost around Besançon - of course there weren't any!

Avec l'invasion des mouettes tridactyles dans la région, j'ai tenté ma chance en ville - bien-sûr il n'y en avait pas!

Mute Swan / Cygne tuberculé - 5 adults, 5 adultes, Pont de la République

Moorhen / Poule d'eau - 1 Gare d'eau

Coot / Foulque - 1 Ile Malpas, 1 Parc Micaud

Cormorant / Cormoran - 41 in the roost at 5pm, 41 au dortoir à 17h, Parc Micaud

Kingfisher / Martin-pêcheur - 1 Tarragnoz, 1 Pont de la République

White Wagtail / Bergeronnette grise - 1 Rivotte

As usual, Mallards, Goosanders and Herons.

Comme d'habitude, des colverts, des harles bièvres et des hérons.

Saturday 24 January 2009 - January - janvier

Here are the highlights of the month so far:

Sunday 11th January - Wallcreeper on St Pierre Cathedral.

Tuesday 20th January - Walk in the forest at Les Grandes Barraques, 2 Yellowhammers, Marsh, Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Woodpigeon, Nuthatches, Short-toed Treecreeper, Jay, Chaffinches, Robins, Blackbirds

Thursday 22nd January - Dipped on a Great Grey Shrike at Amagney, 1 Water Pipit, over 100 Starlings, about 10 Fieldfare, a few Mistle Thrushes, 2 Willow Tits seen plus others heard, 3 Siskins seen plus others heard, Greenfinch,  2 Dunnocks, Grey Heron, Buzzard. A Roe Deer was seen running away from the hunt, ducking under a fence to escape.

Friday 23rd January - Back to Amagney but still no sign of the Shrike in very wet and windy weather - 4 Fieldfare, Starlings, Mistle Thrushes, 2 Tree Sparrows in a large group of Chaffinches, 1 male Great Spotted Woodpecker on a fatball, Buzzard.

 http://nickderry.webs.com

Wednesday 17 December 2008 - Black Redstart - rougequeue noir 17/12/08

One fem/imm Black Redstart was seen from the car in Trepillot Industrial Zone.

Une femelle ou un jeune de rougequeue noir a été vu depuis la voiture dans la zone industrielle de Trepillot.