May 30, 2006
Alps trip day 4: back to Lyon
The last day of the trip was spent driving back to Lyon to catch our respective trains/planes in the early afternoon. A random stop along the road SW of the Col du Lautaret produced some very pleasant surprises, including two singing Wrynecks (Torcol fourmilier)...
... a singing Rock Bunting (Bruant fou, my first in years)...
... and several obliging Red-backed Shrikes (Pie-grieche ecorcheur).
Another attractive orchid.
From the col we drove pretty much non-stop to the Charmont Som, just north of Grenoble. Nothing new was seen here, but we took the opportunity to enjoy our last looks at Alpine Swifts (Martinet a ventre blanc), Alpine Choughs (Chocard a bec jaune), Marmots and a singing Wheatear (Traquet motteux).
Four new species, lots of species I hadn't seen in years, great weather, great scenery and good company - hope I can get back to the Alps again this summer!
Alps trip day 3: south Vanoise and Queyras
After a night spent in Moutiers, we had a quick jaunt down to Meribel-Mottaret where we saw more Nutcrackers (Cassenoix mouchete - much easier to find than I expected), before racing down the peage to the Termignon entrance to the Vanoise National Park.
The rocky slopes held a few Alpine Ibex...
... and Chamois.
This cheeky White Wagtail landed on our wing mirror.
The winding road up to the car park at Bellecombe allowed access to some nice high alpine meadows, where the stars of the show were a nesting Snow Finch (Niverolle alpine - barely visible leaving the nest hole in this first shot)
... a stunning male Rock Thrush (Monticole de roche)...
... and an equally stunning adult Lammergeier (Gypaete barbu).
Add to this numerous Whinchat (Tarier des pres), Wheatear (Traquet motteux), Water Pipits (Pipit spioncelle) and Alpine Chough (Chocard a bec jaune), and you have a site that's well worth visiting!
Following this we had a loooong winding car journey to our next destination - the chalets de Clapeyto in the Queyras National Park. The scenery at the Col d'Izoard was impressive.
Birding around the car park closest to the chalets produced a decent assortment of species, including Willow Tit (Mesange boreale), Bonelli's Warbler (Pouillot de Bonelli), Treecreeper (Grimpereau des bois) and yet more Nutcrackers (Cassenoix mouchete).
Best of all were a few flighty Citril Finch (Venturon montagnard). I set off in hot pursuit and after about 40 minutes finally pinned down this pretty singing male.
However, while chasing this bird, Marcel was enjoying his life Wallcreeper (Tichodrome echelette) above the chalets - he came back down to fetch me, but we couldn't relocate it! It now has the dubious privilege of joining a list of 'bogey birds', including Great Spotted Cuckoo, White-tailed Ptarmigan, Least Storm-Petrel and Short-tailed Shearwater which have eluded me on multiple occasions (even when others around me have got on them). Guess it's a good excuse to come back to the Alps!
Alps trip day 2: east Vanoise
After spending the night just outside of Geneva with the daughter of my ex-boss from California (small world!), we drove south for two hours to start the high alpine birding in the Vanoise National Park. A last-minute tip-off caused us to alter our plans and drive to the town of Rosiere, close to the Italian border. We decided to explore a promising-looking side road (signed les Eucherts), and shortly after parking the car we had great views of my lifer Ptarmigan (Lagopede alpin) in flight! There was still plenty of snow at this elevation (1900m).
We soon heard Rock Partridge (Perdrix bartavelle) calling from a rocky outcrop - however, patient scanning revealed nothing but our first Alpine Marmots of the trip. In glorious sunshine, a Golden Eagle (Aigle royal) and Northern Goshawk (Autour des palombes) both put on a good show. We had a couple of false alarms for Snow Finch (Niverolle alpine) which turned out to be White Wagtail (Bergeronnette grise) and Northern Wheatear (Traquet motteux).
With the exception of Water Pipit (Pipit spioncelle, seen here in extreme heat haze!)...
... many of the birds found here are typical of much lower elevations in Britain, including Whinchat (Tarier des pres), Tree Pipit (Pipit des arbres), Yellowhammer (Bruant jaune), Linnet (Linotte melodieuse), Redpoll (Sizerin flamme) and Lesser Whitethroat (Fauvette babillarde, trying its best to hide in the bare willow branches).
Winding up an adjacent road to La Sassiere produced few new birds, but more stunning Alpine scenery...
... and a Red Fox hunting in the snow.
In the afternoon we drove along the Val d'Isere, hoping to bird at the Col de L'Iseran, only to find it was still blocked with snow! However, a stop at the end of the valley got Marcel his lifer Alpine Choughs (Chocard a bec jaune) and a skulking Alpine Accentor (Accenteur alpin) sheltering from the wind. Meanwhile I took some photos of this obliging Yellowhammer
and an Alpine Marmot.
With the way ahead blocked we had no choice but to turn back, and we decided to return to La Rosiere. Stopping off on the route up produced singing Bonelli's Warbler (Pouillot de Bonelli) and another pretty orchid (ID anyone?).
Back at the top Marcel's bionic eyes produced a fly-by Snow Finch, a Chamois and this black blob in a tree, which turned out to be a male Black Grouse (Tetras lyre) - another great bird to end the day with.
Alps trip day 1: Haut Jura
Last week Davis birder Marcel Holyoak joined me for 3.5 days of manic birding in the French Alps and the Jura. Our first stop was a pre-dawn visit to the Foret de Risoux, accessed from the town of Bois d'Amont. Two of our target owls, Tengmalm's and Eurasian Pygmy (Chouette de Tengmalm et Chevechette d'Europe), as well as Hazel Grouse (Gelinotte des bois) are supposed to breed here, although we had no luck with any of these elusive species. Perhaps the commonest bird up here was Ring Ouzel (Merle a plastron), which appeared to be singing from every treetop at dawn.
The supporting cast of species included my first Treecreeper (Grimpereau des bois) in France, Crested and Willow Tits (Mesanges huppee et boreale) and Tree Pipit (Pipit des arbres). After a minor skirmish with some customs officers we hopped over the border to Switzerland to bird around the Lac des Joux.
The wood at the end of the lake held a noisy breeding colony of Fieldfares (Grive litorne) and a heard-only Golden Oriole (Loriot d'Europe), while both Red and Black Kites (Milans royal et noir) soared overhead. The wet meadows in this area are supposed to hold Corncrake (Rale des genets) and Common Rosefinch (Roselin cramoisi), although we saw neither.
After a hearty breakfast we drove north to bird the Mont d'Or, where I encountered my first lifer of the trip - a Nutcracker (Cassenoix mouchete)!
We had decent scope views of a half-dozen of these birds during the afternoon, though none of them stayed put for very long. A decent supporting cast of forest birds included Firecrest (Roitelet a triple bandeau), and many more Tree Pipits and Ring Ouzels - this shot shows the extent of the white crescents on the underparts of the alpestris subspecies.
The flowers were pretty impressive too.
At the summit we spent at least an hour scanning the cliffs for Wallcreeper (Tichodrome echelette) without success - as you can see, there was no shortage of habitat!
Black Redstarts (Rougequeue noir), Skylark (Alouette des champs), Meadow Pipits (Pipit farlouse) and Crag Martins (Hirondelle de rochers) kept us entertained.
After a brief baguette stop we decided to break up the forest birding with a visit to the nearby Lac de Bouverons, in the hope of picking up a few waterbirds, but instead found perhaps the most exceptional bird of the trip. A persistent high-pitched yapping alerted us to the presence of a raptor - an Osprey perhaps? Soon the culprit emerged with a Red Kite in hot pursuit. The bird was clearly an eagle, though a bit smaller, lacking in white tones and shorter-winged than Golden Eagle, the most likely candidate. The bird obligingly flew directly overhead a few times before heading off over the lake, and thanks to these outstanding photos that Marcel managed with his digital SLR, we were able to confirm its ID as a Lesser Spotted Eagle (Aigle pomarin) - a lifer for both of us and an excellent find in France! These two photos show the darker flight feathers and double commas at the bend of the wing. When viewed flying away from us, a harrier-like white rump patch was visible.
This shot gives a good size comparison with the a Red Kite.
After a day of pleasant, if uneventful, birding, this bird gave us a much-needed adrenalin rush!
May 21, 2006
Weird weather and wonderful warblers
On Friday evening I returned to my local Melodious Warblers (Hypolais polyglotte) so see if I could get better photos. The sun was shining and this individual was in full song.
This male Black Redstart (Rougequeue noir) was making the most of the glut of green caterpillars that seem to be falling from every tree.
Any thoughts of birding on Saturday were dashed by extremely strong winds and rain - in fact, I didn't leave the house! Bad news for the Woodpigeon (Pigeon ramier) and Magpie (Pie bavarde) nesting in the garden - both nests appear to have been blown away. Still plenty of time to rebuild though....
Sunday's weather looked more promising, so after stopping off for some delicious Greek goodies at the market in Gif, I headed to the Coupieres Basin.
To my great surprise I found a singing Marsh Warbler (Rousserolle verderolle) - only my second ever! I watched the bird on and off for a good 2 hours, during which I heard it mimic Great Tit, Linnet, Wren, Chiffchaff and Blackbird amongst others. Here are the best shots I managed of this bird.
The weather ranged from torrential downpours to brilliant sunshine. During one of the showers, this crazy Moorhen (Gallinule poule-d'eau) decided to climb into one of the trees!
I had great views of this Turtle Dove (Tourterelle des bois) preening and drying off in a sunny period.
Other birds seen and heard here included many Cuckoos (Coucou gris), Nightingale (Rossignol philomele), a female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Pic epeichette), and two 'reeling' Grasshopper Warblers (Locustelle tachetee). I managed to find and (poorly) digiscope this one distant bird.
Nearby in the Bures Basin, at least 2 Fan-tailed Warblers (Cisticole des joncs) were giving their incessant 'chip, chip' song-flight. I saw several of this fish sp. in the river Yvette - it seemed to be about 20-25cm long. Anyone know what it is?
I had a few other firsts for the year, including my first Spotted Flycatcher (Gobemouche gris) on campus, a Painted Lady and this female Banded Demoiselle.
I got back home just before the next weather front hit Orsay... roll on summer!
May 17, 2006
Local surprises
This evening I worked my way home through the Bois des Rames and birded the woods and fields immediately adjacent to my house. The latter site now has two singing Melodious Warblers (Hyppolais polyglotte)- my first in goodness knows how many years!
Another big surprise was this pair of Stonechats (Tarier patre).
Given that the male was observed song-flighting, I assume they're breeders rather than late migrants.
This area also holds a healthy population of Linnets (Linotte melodieuse).
The Common Redstart (Rougequeue a front blanc) in my street is still singing, although he seems to have abandoned his favourite tree and is singing from a wider range of locations.
The highlights of a walk in the Bois des Rames were my first Hobby (Faucon hobereau) of the year and a perched Cuckoo (Coucou gris). This impressive-looking beetle crossed my path - reminiscent of a Stag Beetle but with smaller 'antlers' (It is, in fact, a male Lesser Stag Beetle - cheers Dean!).
Pigeons
The highlight of a quiet week in Orsay was spotting a Woodpigeon (Pigeon ramier) nest in an oak tree barely 15m from my lounge window. A common species in most of Europe, admittedly, but watching the nest-building...
mating...
and brooding
isn't helping my quest to get into work by 9am!
Last weekend saw me back in Southend-on-Sea, for the wedding of my oldest birding friend, Neil. We first went birding together 17 years ago - yikes! He and his new wife are off to Australia for three weeks - I hope she'll forgive me for lending Neil my Australian field guide... A walk along Southend seafront was pretty devoid of birds, but I liked the perch chosen by this impertinent Collared Dove (Tourterelle turque) - she's not amused!
May 9, 2006
Letter of complaint to Leica
Six weeks after first informing Leica of the broken support on my telescope, the scope was finally returned to me today, unrepaired, after I declined their 900+ Euro repair quote. I fixed the support back to the scope with superglue (cost 5 Euros), only to find that one of the lenses appears to have been dislodged in transit from Germany to France (the optics were fine when I took the scope to the French dealer in March), and the scope is now unusable. After ranting and raving at anyone that would listen, I decided to focus my anger by writing a letter of complaint to Leica. I've attached a copy of the email below, which it may interest you to read. I'll also keep you informed of any future correspondence I receive from Leica. In the mean time, I'll do my best to continue providing mediocre quality digiscoped shots with my ancient Kowa TS-611!
Chuffed
We just had our second successive holiday weekend in France, so I headed over to Switzerland to visit Andrew. We decided to take the train to Lucerne, and another mountain train to the top of Mount Pilatus. This was ostensibly a 'non-birding trip' - fortunately no optics were required for the avian stars of the show - these well-fed Alpine Choughs (Chocard a bec jaune)!
We nicked some bread from the canteen for some truly eye-popping views of the species, only the second time I've ever seen them.
When choughs attack...
This one seemed exceedingly curious about my camera.
Frankly, it was just as well the Alpine Choughs performed for us, as the mountain weather led to less-than impressive views on the cable car down...
Fortunately things were better at lower elevations, where I encountered my first Ring Ouzels (Merle a plastron) in years. If only I'd bought my scope!
Back in Zurich, birds around the lake included Common Terns (Sterne pierregarin), Black Kites (Milan noir), Alpine Swifts (Martinet a ventre blanc), and many Red-crested Pochards (Nette rousse) - I assume this is a ferally breeding population.
A soaring White Stork (Cigogne blanche) over Basel city centre rounded off the weekend nicely.
Orsay update: early May
Last week saw warm, sunny days, and the mass arrival of migrants including Common Swifts (Martinet noir), Garden Warblers (Fauvettes des jardins - including one in my garden this morning) and Nightingales (Rossignol philomele). The male Redstart continues to sing on my street - he was in full song when I left the house at 515am to catch a train last Friday! Best bird of the week was a male Pied Flycatcher (Gobemouche noir) in the Bois des Rames - my first in years! I've also seen a/the Black Woodpecker (Pic noir) in flight a couple of times - but no sign of a nest unfortunately. Serins (Serin cini) are a frequent highlight of my walk to work - though they never seem so obliging when I have my camera to hand!
Now the trees have leafed out it's becoming tricky to digiscope in the shade of the canopy. A walk in the woods last week produced a Jay (Geai des chenes) gathering nest material...
and a typically retiring Stock Dove (Pigeon colombin).
I often see Kestrels (Faucon crecerelle) hunting in and over the woods - I always thought of them as more of a species of open fields (Motorway verges!) in Britain.
The woods are ablaze with colour from the Bluebells and other flowers I haven't got round to identifying yet (blush).
Any ideas what this UFO with long antennas is?
Thanks to Dean Stables for the ID of this moth, Adela reaumurella. You can see better pictures of this species, and many other fantastic bug pictures, on his website.
May 2, 2006
There's no place like home
The holiday weekend saw me not straying far from home. I spent a very full day in Paris with visiting friends - not much in the way of birds, but we did get to share our lunch in a mosque with some enterprising House Sparrows (Moineau domestique).
The best birding was literally right on my doorstep. The male Common Redstart (Rougequeue a front blanc) continues to sing 24-7, so presumably he remains unmated.
Around the block, Common Whitethroats (Fauvette grisette) have arrived en masse and are vigorously establishing territories.
My local Tree Sparrows (Moineau friquet) remain frustratingly hard to photograph - this is about as far out into the open as they stray...
On arriving back at the flat, I detected Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Pic epeichette) feeding in the oak trees in the garden through its repeated loud calls (song?). To my surprise, the bird was a female (I'd previously assumed only the males gave the 'whinnying' call).
The bird fed on the oak flowers for the best part of an hour, providing a great opportunity to study the bird at eye-level. However, now the trees are really leafing out it's getting increasingly difficult to track birds in the canopy!
