March 13, 2007
Just another manic Monday
Yesterday dawned bright and sunny, so I decided to take my scope into work for a spot of 'digiscopie' on the campus. This turned out to be a good decision, as that afternoon Sylvain Vincent found a drake Ring-necked Duck (Fuligule a bec cercle) at the Etangs de Saclay, just 10 minutes away by car! I persuaded Romain to give up work for the afternoon and within the hour we were watching the bird. While this species is annual in some numbers in the UK (and perhaps these days in France), it is a rare treat for one to show up so far inland. Unfortunately, like all the good birds at Saclay, it stayed as far away as possible from the causeway, and often hid for long periods in the reeds. Even after a return visit this morning, these are the best shots I could muster.
A Great Crested Grebe (Grebe huppe) posed in perfect light on glassy smooth water was a tempting photo target - but predictably as soon as my camera appeared it went to sleep!
Back on campus, I searched in vain for Hawfinches (apparently not using last year's roost site), but struck lucky with this roosting Black Woodpecker (Pic noir).
Better than my usual Monday!
Posted by rjhall at March 13, 2007 2:47 PM