My efforts were rewarded with my first of the season Garden Warbler, a purring Turtle Dove and renewing some old friendships with Cambirders.

On Saturday I got up at the crack of dawn to cycle out to Fen Drayton, and came across my first Cambs Cetti's Warbler - a species which seems to have flourished since I was last here. To my surprise, this one actually sat out in the open for a bit.

Sedge Warblers were abundant.

Common Terns were hawking over the lakes, and a couple of Avocets a single Oystercatcher were also seen. Walking the footpath along the river produced a pair of Egyptian Geese, one with an abnormally white head.

Grey Heron with freshly-caught eel.

I got back to Cambridge in time for lunch, by which point it seemed way too hot for any more bike-birding. I had another early start on Sunday morning and got out to Swaffham Prior Fen just before 7am, where this Barn Owl was still out hunting.

7 Grey and 4 Red-legged Partridges were out foraging in the freshly-ploughed fields.

The Cam Washes had a large feeding flock of Mute Swans...

... amongst which was a Black Swan.

Other wildfowl included another pair of Egyptian Geese, many Shelduck, Gadwall, Tufted Duck and best of all, a drake Garganey.

A bright male Yellow Wagtail landed on the path in front of me.

Kingfisher on the River Cam.

I biked along Wicken Lode, where at least 4 Cetti's Warblers were singing, a Grasshopper Warbler reeled and Turtle Doves purred while a Marsh Harrier and Hobby wheeled overhead - fantastic place.

Baker's Fen has had a good run of waders, and on my visit had 4 Greenshank and 2 LRPs, plus calling Redshank and Lapwings engaging in their tumbling display-flight.

A Reed Warbler posed relatively out in the open here.

In the midday heat of my bike-ride home, few birds were active. This Rook was sweating it out on a lamp-post at Stow-cum-Quy.

Ironically, the following Monday a female Red-foot was seen briefly at Fen Drayton. Still, new Red-foots are turning up every day and I have the feeling that more will be showing up in the county over the next few weeks..

The birds seemed to be moving painfully slowly towards the south-east corner of the field, and the penny finally dropped that if I stood on the east edge of the field I could look between the parallel rows of peas and hope to see a little more of the birds.

As luck would have it, the male came out to feed along some tractor tracks, offering full-body views.

Along with singing Corn Buntings, Yellowhammers, Skylarks and both partridge species, it was a memorable end to the bank holiday weekend. Needless to say as soon as I got home I fell into a very deep sleep!

Nesting White Storks (Cigogne blanche) could be seen from our hotel window.

We got up at first light next morning to maximise birding time before the drive back to the airport. One of the first lakes we visited was teeming with herons and shorebirds in the early morning light (Great White and Little Egrets in the first photo, Wood Sand/Chevalier sylvain in the second).

As the light improved, we picked up a flock of about 30 Ruff (Combattant varie).

A few Black-winged Stilts (Echasse blanche) looked to be on eggs, and the Lapwings (Vanneau huppe) already had chicks.

Amongst the Ringed Plovers (Grand Gravelot), John picked out a Temminck's Stint (Becasseau de Temminck) and another, and then another up to a total of 7 birds - the most I've seen in one place.

A single Curlew Sandpiper (Becasseau cocorli) was looking dapper in breeding plumage.

A lone Black-tailed Godwit (Barge a queue noire) and a couple of Greenshank (Chevalier aboyeur) at a nearby lake completed the wader tally. A few Whiskered Terns (Guifette moustac) were flying around.

Both Common and Red-crested Pochard (Fuligule milouin, Nette rousse) are local breeders.

2 breeding-plumaged Black-necked Grebe (Grebe a cou noir) and a distant male Golden Oriole (Loriot d'Europe) added a splash of colour.

We were able to add Reed (Rousserolle effarvatte), Sedge (Phragmite des joncs), Grasshopper (Locustelle tachetee) and finally a couple of Great Reed Warblers (Rousserolle turdoide) to the trip tally.

It was particularly nice to see Europe's three large herons side-by-side.

Since we had allowed plenty of time to get back to Grenoble airport, I suggested driving the back roads nearby in the hope of adding a couple more birds to the trip list. Our prayers were answered when I glimpsed a male harrier which I called as a Hen Harrier (Busard Saint-Martin). Shortly afterwards John picked up what he was sure was a male Montagu's (Busard cendre). For once, the two-bird theory turned out to be true, and we enjoyed great views of the two, occasionally in the same scope view!

These birds took our total trip list for the weekend to a very respectable 127, inlcuding some real stunners. I got on the plane feeling very satisfied with the preceding days' birding, but little did I know the birding wasn't over yet...

Our Friday evening scan from the car park yielded calling Citril Finch (Venturon montagnard) and and Black Woodpecker (Pic noir), plus a smart male Ring Ouzel (Merle a plastron).

On the Saturday morning snow hike we were often accompanied by Willow Tits (Mesange boreale), singing a very different song from that we hear in Britain.

The first Rock Bunting (Bruant fou) of the trip was seen close to where we first heard Rock Partridge.

Both Red-billed and Alpine Chough (Crave a bec rouge, Chocard a bec jaune) were feeding in the snow-patch meadows, with the latter species being by far the most numerous.

Interesting mammals included Mountain Hare, Alpine Ibex and many Chamois.

Following our success with Pygmy Owl, we got up at 4am to try our luck with Tengmalm's Owl (Chouette de Tengmalm), and sure enough, we enjoyed killer looks at one by torchlight. We drove the road hoping for Hazel Grouse or Three-toed Woodpecker, but no joy. A short and very cold walk in the forest did yield a singing Firecrest (Roitelet a triple bandeau), Common Treecreeper (Grimpereau des bois), a few calling Nutcrackers (Cassenoix mouchete)...

... and a female Black Woodpecker (Pic noir).

We were able to hear the bubbling call of lekking Black Grouse (Tetras lyre) while watching Rock Partridge the previous day, but it wasn't until Sunday that we were able to see a lone distant. This truly awful digiscope is nonetheless an improvement on the photo I got two years ago!

Back in our base of Lanslebourg-Mont-Cenis birds around town included nesting Crag Martin (Hirondelle de rochers), Black Redstart (Rougequeue noir), White and Grey Wagtails (Bergeronnettes grise et des ruisseaux) and Serin (Serin cini). A distant male Rock Thrush (Monticole de roche) to the east of town was the only one we saw. Since all the high mountain passes in the area were closed by snow, the bulk of our remaining birding was limited to the stretch of road between Termignon and Bonneval-sur-Arc at the foot of ascent to the Col de l'Iseran.

Many Water Pipits and a few Tree Pipits (Pipits spioncelle et des arbres) were seen close to Bonneval, as well as our only sighting of Dipper (Cincle plongeur). The road just beyond Bonneval yielded the first of a handful of Pied Flycatchers (Gobemouche noir)...

... and an extremely obliging Western Bonelli's Warbler (Pouillot de Bonelli).

The wildflowers all along the valley were stunning.

A random stop in a place where we had heard a Wryneck (Torcol fourmilier) proved fruitful, playing host to a Fieldfare (Grive litorne) colony, Whinchat (Tarier des pres), numerous finches and a Common Redstart (Rougequeue a front blanc).

This male Red-backed Shrike (Pie-grieche ecorcheur) was the only one recorded.

A drive up towards the Col de Mont-Cenis produced our only Golden Eagle (Aigle royal) in display flight before landing on a stone cabin (very distant, but note the huge size).

The meadows surrounded by pine forest looked ideal for Citril Finch, though we never had a confirmed sighting. Nonetheless we recorded several finch species, including Crossbill (Bec-croise des sapins) and Repoll (Sizerin flamme). I'm being deliberately ambiguous about the latter - according to BWP only Lesser occurs in the Alps, though one of the males we saw looked like a good candidate for Mealy/Common...

Among the passerine flocks on the drive out was a single Ortolan (Bruant ortolan), a French tick and a very satisfying end to Saturday's mega-birding. After leaving the high mountains on Sunday afternoon, we drove up the winding road to Chamrousse, near Grenoble.

The 'where to watch' guide claims that Ptarmigan and Snow Finch are gettable here, but the sunny weather had brought out the crowds and we didn't fancy our chances. A few Northern Wheatears (Traquet motteux) were looking to be the most interesting birds until we found a car park frequented by many Citril Finches (Venturon montagnard), including this singing male.

The two superstar birds of the day were duly celebrated that evening with champagne and delicious raclette - my best birding day in a very long time...

PS This bird was the previous post's Alpine quizbird.

Fuelled by a hearty tartiflette the night before, early next morning we tried walking a section of the snow-blocked road in the hope of getting a little closer to the good-looking habitat. This was very slow-going, and would certainly have been safer and easier in snowshoes, but after about an hour of trudging we got out to the other side relatively unscathed (although I did rather embarrassingly manage to fall on my backside just as two skiers cruised past us). Amazingly, we soon heard our first calling Rock Partridge, and much closer than we had envisaged. After a few minutes' panciked scanning, I picked up a bird on the nearest hillock.

John, who had dipped them on several previous trips, was over the moon.

We soon located a pair, and another, and a glimpse of a third calling bird just over the ridgeline bought the total to 5 birds.

I was much more impressed by the birds than I expected to be - overall a much smarter, cleaner-looking bird than the Chukars I'd seen. The inaccessibility of the habitat, the bird's scarcity and the fact that we'd both previously looked for and missed it made the victory all the sweeter.

Among them were a couple of Gull-billed Terns (Sterne hansel) - the answer to the recent 'quiz tern' entry.

Whiskered Terns (Guifette moustac) performed aerial acrobatics.

In the mid-afternoon heat a search for Spectacled Warbler at the Salin de Giraud was unsurprisingly fruitless, but I did come across about 40 Little Stints (Becasseau minute) feeding with the Kentish Plovers (Gravelot a collier interrompu).

A drive to Mas Chauvet (the wintering site for Richard's Pipits) yielded flight views of a Little Bustard (Outarde canepetiere), though the now howling wind made it impossible to hear my target Calandra Lark. 5 Wheatears (Traquet motteux) were sitting close together in the adjacent rocky plaine.

Last stop of the day was the Peau de Meau reserve, where a couple of Southern Grey Shrikes (Pie grieche meriodionale) were perched prominently.

Believe it or not, the big orange 'rock' in the centre of this photo is a male Lesser Kestrel (Faucon crecerellette).

The next morning was spent birding around Gruissan, unfortunately still in howling wind. In a sheltered spot on the hillside I got excellent views of a Tawny Pipit (Pipit rousseline).

Greater Flamingo (Flamant rose) flock with the impressive Narbonne cathedral in the background.

Pissevaches was pretty quiet save for oodles of Yellow Wagtails (Bergeronnette printaniere), a large flock of Sandwich Terns (Sterne caugek), 2 Little Terns(Sterne naine) and 5 Slender-billed Gulls (Goeland railleur).

An attempt to scan the beach for Audouin's Gull was aborted when I realised it was a nudist beach (shudder).

En route to Carcassonne airport, the viewpoint over the old citadel yielded a confiding White Wagtail (Bergeronnette grise).

Carcassonne from land...

... and from the air.

Several dragonflies of the Gomphus persuasion were out and about, but I didn't have my field guide with me and am not sure the angle of this photo allows the ID to be clinched.

A Purple Heron (Heron pourpre) glowed in the bright sunlight as it flew past.

Halfway around the trail I began to hear the chatter of a heronry, which from the footpath appeared to be dominated by Cattle Egrets (Heron gardeboeufs)...

... with smaller numbers of Little Egret (Aigrette garzette).

The viewing platform nearby was a good vantage point for watching birds commuting to the colony, and I soon glimpsed the first of several Glossy Ibis...

... a single Night Heron (Bihoreau gris)...

... and a Brucie bonus flyover Caspian Tern (Sterne caspienne).

On the road running north to Gallician, I added Great White Egret (Grande Aigrette), Squacco Heron (Crabier chevelu) and a booming Bittern (Butor etoile) to the heron list. Lots of Grey Herons (Heron cendre) were feeding at the edge of the road. I surprised this bird as it was trying to digest an eel.

It flew to a safe distance, only for a second bird to fly in and attempt to steal its catch.

One of the first ladybirds to fall from the trees was our largest species, the Eyed.

Here it is dwarfing an Orange and a Cream-streaked.

The Cream-streaked comes in two morphs, a 16-spotted form and one with 4 side-spots.

Face-to-face with an Orange ladybird

Pine ladybird was the most numerous catch of the day.

I almost missed this melanic form of the 10-spot hiding in their midst.

The Striped ladybird is interesting for having warning coloration to deter predators against most backgrounds...

... while being extremely cryptic in others (the lower 'bud' is, in fact, a Striped).

Here's the exotic Harlequin doing a less good job of blending in.

Among the less regularly seen species were this Larch ladybird...

... and the treetop-dwelling 18-spot.

Of course, I managed to squeeze in a little Breckland birding. A few Woodlark were singing in the stratosphere, but fortunately the Tree Pipits were more obliging.

Here's one performing its amazing parachuting display-flight.

A couple of Stone Curlews were lurking in a sheep-field - always a fun species to see.

Back at the field station, the weather had brightened up, and love was in the air for these mildew-feeding 22-spots and 2-spots.

The ladybird line-up was completed with one each of 7-spot and 14-spot.

13 down, 13 more species to go!

My bike ride to work takes me alongside some fields and past some small reeded ponds, which from time to time are frequented by this Kingfisher.

A black squirrel is often foraging by the bike path through the astronomy lab.

The university farm provides an opportunity to see some arable birds close to the city centre, such as Red-legged Partridge and Kestrel.

The meadow next to the Genetics field station is excellent for cowslips.

Among the many insects feeding on the weeds around the field station were these smart irridescent flea beetles.

In an attempt to get Ring Ouzel on my county list, I tried the Devil's Dyke, a frequent stopover site. No joy with this species, but 150+ Fieldfare were hanging on.

The ancient hedgerows make it attractive to Yellowhammers...

... and it was great to hear a couple of Corn Buntings giving their jangling territorial song.

At least 10 singing Willow Warblers were present, as well as my first of the year Lesser Whitethroats.

Heading out to the Cam Washes at Upware, I came across a pair of Egyptian Geese.

The washes themselves were holding a good variety of ducks (still no Garganey), while waders included 4 Avocet and 2 Oystercatchers.

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.

Other clifftop residents showed equally well in flight, including this hunting Kestrel...

... a display-flighting Feral Pigeon

... and Black-headed Gull

Visible migration was in evidence, with Sandwich Terns on the beach, a stream of Meadow Pipits over, plus a few Swallows and Yellow Wags.