April 24, 2008
Almost birding in the south of France
I must be getting old. I went sightseeing with some non-birding friends in Aigues Mortes and Arles, passing along the edge of the Camargue in peak migration season, and I didn't even take my binoculars! Nonetheless I noted Black, Whiskered and a single Gull-billed Tern (Guifettes noire et moustac, Sterne hansel), Wood Sandpipers (Chevalier sylvain) and heaps of other shorebirds in the flooded ricefields next to the road. Many hirundines and Common Swifts (Martinet noir) were hawking over the Rhone in Arles, under the watchful eye of a Hobby (Faucon hobereau).
A stroll up the Pic St Loup yielded quality rather than quantity bird-wise, the highlight of which was this hunting Short-toed Eagle (Circaete Jean-le-Blanc).
Local breeders were in full song, including Redstart (Rougequeue a front blanc), Nightingale (Rossignol philomele), Firecrest (Roitelet a triple bandeau), Cirl Bunting (Bruant zizi), Crag Martin (Hirondelle de rochers) and Sardinian Warbler (Fauvette melanocephale). Subalpine Warblers (Fauvette passerinette) were particularly abundant.
This is the first time I've walked up in the springtime, and the wildflowers were fantastic.
A large millipede crossed our path.
Plenty of aerial thrill-seekers were taking advantage of the relatively good weather, and from the top we had eye-level views of gliders and para-gliders.
Biggest suprise of the trip was a group of 6 Little Bustards (Outarde canepetiere) seen as my plane was about to take off from Montpellier airport.
