June 30, 2006
IT'S HERE!!!
3 months after the breaking of my beloved Leica spotting scope, the brand spanking new replacement has arrived - yippee! Naturally I wanted to 'christen' it with a good bird, but being slap bang in the middle of the nesting season makes that rather difficult. Nonetheless, I was pleased with the results of this purring Turtle Dove (Tourterelle des bois) a short walk away from my house.
Yesterday birding novices Philippe and Virginie joined me for a walk around the Bures Basin. An unseasonal flyover Lapwing (Vanneau huppe) was about the most remarkable sighting, but the newbies were more than content with their first scope views of a confiding Goldfinch (Chardonneret elegant) and Greenfinch (Verdier D'Europe).
Closer to home I finally managed to get a couple of photos of a retiring Grasshopper Warbler (Locustelle tachetee). They can really throw their voices which makes finding them a nightmare!
I was pleased to discover that my local fields harbour at least 3 singing Corn Buntings (Bruant proyer), Grey Partridge (Perdrix grise) and large numbers of Skylarks (Alouette des champs). Unfortunately, this is about as close as they get!
