February 21, 2008
Etang de Berre and the Crau
I joined birding buddies Romain and Sandrine for a pleasant if chilly day of birding in the south. Our first stop was polluted, smelly Berre l'Etang - why this spot is so favoured by birds when the Camargue is just a short hop away is beyond me! After a short search we located the returning Green Heron (Heron vert) on its favoured ditch by the sewage works. The bird barely moved in the half-hour we watched it, frequently shut its eyes and its plumage appeared to be very worn - could it be on its last legs?
Giving us its best grumpy old man stare.
The Black-necked Grebes (Grebe a cou noir) in the port are always fun to watch - this one was spinning Phalarope-like with one leg cocked as it tried to preen.
On the salt pans many Flamingoes (Flamant rose) were coming into breeding condition.
A quick 'sea-watch' from the Port de la Pointe revealed 3 Common Scoters (Macreuses noires) among the masses of grebes.
We stopped at a couple of sites in the Crau in the middle of the day hoping for bustards or sandgrouse, but it was pretty dead save for some Red-legged Partridges (Perdrix rouge). Mas Chauvet produced a calling flyover Richard's Pipit (Pipit de Richard), and a nice mixed passerine flock consisting of Linnet (Linotte melodieuse), Chaffinch (Pinson des arbres), Tree Sparrow (Moineau friquet) and Corn Bunting (Bruant proyer). Southern Grey Shrike (Pie-grieche meridionale) was a lifer for Sandrine in the adjacent coussouls.
We finished the day seeing not a lot in the Alpilles, though being beseiged by sheep was novel.
Between job interviews, I often stare at the tree just outside the window, which is usually bustling with activity, mostly Blackcaps (Fauvette a tete noire) with the occasional Sardinian Warbler (Fauvette melanocephale) thrown in.
Some of the other usual suspects include House and Tree Sparrow (Moineau domestique et friquet), and the Collared Doves (Tourterelle turque, who have recently taken to eating cat food while the cat stares on).
