March 31, 2008
Easter around Bordeaux
Thanks to a very generous leaving present from my French colleagues, I spent the Easter weekend in the Aquitaine region, with a wine-tasting and overnight stay in a chateau overlooking the Dordogne.
Through the alcoholic haze I heard my first Hoopoe (Huppe fasciee) of the year, while Black Kites (Milan noir) soared overhead.
After the wine-tasting, our next stop was the Bassin d'Arcachon, via scenery reminiscent of the Brecks. No time for birding here, but I did enjoy the rare sighting of a 2CV rally!
The dunes de Pilat offer exceptional views out towards the Banc d'Arguin (notable for a returning Elegant Tern in the Sandwich Tern colony)...
... and over the forest. In spite of trying, I couldn't rustle up a Goshawk.
The Black Redstarts (Rougequeue noir) were tame and approachable here.
The afternoon was spent walking the trail in Le Teich bird park, home to oodles of nesting White Storks (Cigogne blanche).
This one was in the process of sprucing up its nest...
... while these two got a bit fruity after a bout of bill-clapping.
The park offers great views of many of the nesting species, such as Great Cormorant (Grand Cormoran). Note the displaying bird in the first picture.
The herons were in prime breeding condition too, judging by the contrasting pink and yellow bills on the Grey Herons (Heron cendre)...
... and the green lores on this Great White Egret (Grande Aigrette).
Several Spoonbills (Spatule blanche) showed well in flight overhead, though typically those on the ground spent the whole time snoozing.
Good numbers of winter wildfowl were still around, including Pintail (Canard Pilet)...
... and Common Teal (Sarcelle d'hiver, the answer to the last entry's quizbutt) almost too close to the hide to photograph.
Signs of spring included 2 singing Willow Warblers (Pouillot fitis), large numbers of Barn Swallows (Hirondelle rustique) and 2 Little Ringed Plovers (Petit Gravelot). The wintering Black-tailed Godwits (Barge a queue noire) were also acquiring their rusty breeding plumage.
The reserve contains decent numbers of native terrapins (Cistude d'Europe).
After a day of glorious sunshine, Easter Monday dawned grey and rainy. At least this meant we had the magnificent sand dunes and beaches of the Cap Ferret to ourselves. I couldn't find myself a wheatear, but Cirl Bunting (Bruant zizi) and Crested Lark (Cochevis huppe) were some consolation.
A couple more photogenic storks.
March 21, 2008
Introducing... the Harlequin
Last week's brief spell of warm weather drew out some early emerging Harlequin Ladybirds (Harmonia axyridis).
It's amazing to think that when I left Britain 4 years ago this species had never been recorded here in the wild. Having been released to control aphid populations on mainland Europe, it was inevitable that it would eventually arrive in Britain, either naturally or on imported plants (there is even a record of an individual arriving in a suitcase from Canada!)
Why should we care? The species is a voracious predator of aphids, but also of other invertebrates, including the larvae of our native ladybirds. Given its propensity to reach high densities in its introduced range, the double whammy of competition and predation could seriously impact on the populations of a number of aphid predators (and their parasites). Additionally, they aggregate in large numbers in people's houses while searching for overwintering sites, making a mess and quite literally causing a stink by 'reflex-bleeding' a pungent fluid when threatened. In the US, sufficiently large numbers gather to feed on grapes around harvest time each year that they taint the taste of wine.
I've just joined a research team investigating the spread and potential impacts of the Harlequin - any sightings of you have of this species can be recorded here. Thanks to the efforts of the general public, the spread of the Harlequin through Britain has been well-documented: in just 4 years it has been recorded from most of England with a few records from Wales and Scotland in the last couple of years. We often receive specimens - dead and living - by post from people wanting confirmation of the ID. This is just part of a group collected in one person's house, and displays the remarkable diversity of patterns on the wing cases (elytra).
Over the next few months I hope to post more about Harlequins and our native ladybird species (I now have an identification key) - watch this space!
Cherry Hinton revisited
A few years back before I went globetrotting, among my favourite local spots in Cambridge were Cherry Hinton Pits and adjacent Cherry Hinton Hall. The pits themselves are a nightmare to view due to no public access and the difficulties of setting up a scope on a busy cycle path, but nonetheless support half decent numbers of Aythyas and small gulls in the winter (a migrant Arctic Tern was about my best sighting here). In cold weather the brook that runs alongside the bike path can offer phenomenal views of Water Rail, while the diversity of trees along the brook, allotments and particularly in Cherry Hinton Hall has proved attractive to finches including Brambling and Siskin.
Last Friday I returned to the area in warm, sunny weather. I couldn't turn up a Brambling among the handful of Chaffinches in Cherry Hinton Hall, but this singing Chiffchaff was a sign of approaching spring.
This pinioned Shelduck is presumably the same bird that was here 5 years ago.
A showy (Winter) Wren
Oodles of Collared Doves were display-flighting, though a 'singing' Stock Dove stayed out of sight.
Following the brook towards Cherry Hinton pits I saw a displaying Sparrowhawk, a fly-by Kingfisher and surprisingly (to me), a small rookery with a couple of active Rooks nests in an area surrounded by relatively new housing. The pits themselves were very quiet, with my Aythya 'flock' consisting of one drake Tufted Duck! No Water Rails materialised along the ditch, although the bright sunshine brought out the subtle colours of the numerous Moorhen and female Mallard.
Most surprising find of the day was two Lesser Redpolls - my first record of this species within Cambridge city limits - feeding on weeds amongst the birch and alders lining the brook.
Back in town I took advantage of the gorgeous light to photograph the various scavengers on Parker's Piece...
... while a Dunnock and female Blackbird posed outside my flat.
Read on for the answer to the previous post's quizbird...
... an optimistic attempt to snap a fly-by Kingfisher
Another quizbird
Taken last week in Cambridge. Hint: the bird is flying right. Answer in the next entry.
March 11, 2008
Abroad no more
As of this week I'm back in Britain, starting a job in Cambridge working on invasive harlequin ladybirds. When I arrived, the weather was like this...
... but has now given way to icy gale force winds! Technically I guess I should change the title of the blog, but (a) I have several return trips to France in the offing and am planning my annual August visit to California and (b) I have no idea how to change the title! The March birding doldrums and settling in to the project may mean that posts are scarce over the next few weeks, but I hope to be birding my brains out again come spring migration.
Great Spotted Cuckoo-fest
I made the most of my last week of unemployment in the south of France with a 20km hike around the salt pans and lagoons to the south-west of Montpellier. Good numbers of Avocets (Avocette elegante) and Black-tailed Godwits (Barge a queue noire) were foraging in the shallows, many of the latter coming into breeding plumage.
Many of the local residents were in song, including Fan-tailed Warbler (Cisticole des joncs), Cetti's Warbler (Bouscarle de Cetti), Corn Bunting (Bruant proyer) and Stonechat (Tarier patre).
Spring seems to be well underway here; I saw several Sand Martins (Hirondelle de rivage) and a single Barn Swallow (Hirondelle rustique), plus 2 migrating White Storks (Cigogne blanche) flying high overhead. Giant Orchids were in bloom...
... and large numbers of processionary moth caterpillars (processionnaires) were on the march.
A sound reminiscent of a Little Grebe jogged my memory, and soon after I was enjoying splendid views of 2 noisy pairs of Great Spotted Cuckoos (Coucou-geai) - the quizbirds of the last post.
The salt pans held the usual hundreds of Greater Flamingos (Flamant rose), Great Crested Grebes (Grebe huppe) and a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers (Harle huppee). Little Egrets (Aigrette garzette) were dotted around the shore.
A reed-lined freshwater lake held several duck species, including Red-crested Pochard (Nette rousse). I flushed this female Marsh Harrier (Busard des roseaux) from close to the path.
Flyover Great White Egret (Grande Aigrette).
The last part of the walk took me past stables full of passerines including White Wagtails (Bergeronnette grise), Serins (Serin cini), Crested Larks (Cochevis huppe) and this Skylark (Alouette des champs).
The aim of this was to reach the Estagnolle reserve, but in spite of walking the reserve's perimeter, I couldn't see a (legal) way in. I saw the back end of a (grass?) snake disappearing into reeds at the water's edge, and finished the tour with my third hirundine species of the day, House martin (Hirondelle des fenetres).
