March 11, 2008
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).
