January 15, 2007
Finch feeding frenzy
After watching Al Gore's thought-provoking docufilm on global warming, Sunday morning on the Orsay campus felt more like March than mid-January, with woodpeckers drumming and even some blossom on the trees. The bright, sunny conditions also allowed me to put the new camera through its paces. A berry-laden tree was attracting much attention from a mixed group of Bullfinch (Bouvreuil pivoine), Chaffinch (Pinson des arbres), Greenfinch (Verdier) and Goldfinch (Chardonneret elegant). I managed a few shots of Bullfinches and Greenfinches gorging themselves. The different feeding styles of the two species was very apparent - the Bullfinches would typically crush a whole berry between their powerful mandibles...
... while the Greenfinches used their sharper bills to peck their way in.
Blackbirds (Merle noir) and Redwings (Grive mauvis) were making short work of the ivy berries.
Last year's young Moorhens (Poule d'eau) are in a plumage somewhat reminiscent of their crake cousins.
New year, new camera
Following the demise of my beloved Nikon CoolPix on Surprise Island last year, my parents kindly bought me a replacement for Christmas with an equally silly name, the Fuji FinePix F30.
Since this didn't fit quite as snugly into my scope eyepiece as the CoolPix, I invested in a state of the art digiscoping adaptor (ahem). Take two pieces of cardboard, cut out two concentric circles from each, and stick together with sellotape. Et voila! One perfectly functional, portable digiscoping adaptor.
I spent the best part of Christmas week in fog-shrouded England, offering limited opportunities to test out the new set-up. For posterity, here's the first bird photo I took with this camera, a female Blackbird from my (former) bedroom window.
Chilly, overcast weather on Boxing Day didn't stop me indulging in a Rossi's ice cream on Southend seafront. The regular wintering Ring-billed Gull was nowhere to be seen, but several Mediterranean Gulls were some compensation (the latter sandwiched between a Common and a Black-headed Gull).
A worn 1st-winter Herring Gull.
Living in land-locked Orsay, dark-bellied Brent Geese are always a pleasure to see.
New years in the south of France was more people than bird-oriented, but I did manage to bargain a couple of hours at Les Baux de Provence to dip Wallcreeper (Tichodrome echelette) for the year (perhaps due to the exceptionally mild weather in the Alps). Nice scenery though.
As some compensation, while admiring the view out towards Aix-en-Provence, I spotted my first French Bonelli's Eagles (Aigle de Bonelli), a pair soaring over the Alpilles. Several Blue Rock Thrushes (Monticole bleu) were not quite in photographic range (but I took a photo anyway)...
... and the Alpine Accentors (Accenteur alpin) were equally coy (though the latter flight shot was taken when it was practically dusk).
The sunset driving back towards Arles made the trip worthwhile in itself.
