The Grey Wagtail attacks!

Spring has finally arrived with a rush. Less than a week ago, buds could be seen as a promise of more to come and now it seems that everything is in full leaf.

The garden is full of bird song, though now the birds are usually hidden behind the foliage. I'm reminded of the anonymous poet who, reacting to Rachel Carson's famous book about the decline of bird numbers, "Silent Spring", penned the never to be forgotten lines:

"Spring is sprung, the grass is ris

I wonders where the boidies is?"

Under Attack!

Jo first saw a yellow bird attacking the windows of our spare room, easily identified as a Grey Wagtail. It's apparently not uncommon for very territorial birds such as Grey Wagtails and Robins to attack their reflection in the glass.

We're beginning to fel a bit persecuted; having vanquished his "rival" in the spare room window, he then flies round the corner of the house and attacks his "rival" in the kitchen window before flying off over the end of the garden and down, we assume, to the river.

Competition

For most of the winter we've watched the antics of a pair of Yellow Necked Fieldmice nesting in the top of one of the pillars of our verandah. They have now moved out to the bank, leaving what must be a des res. It has been investigated by Blue & Great Tits, but most recently was the cause of a dispute between two Redstarts. First we've seen in the garden so we were delighted to see them.

Barbeque for two.

Some years ago, friends with a summer house in the vilage gave us a cast-iron barbeque, rather like a small pot-bellied stove. Last year it stood outside the kitchen door with a geranium pot inside. Jo tends to put plastic basins on the top.

About a week ago, we noticed Great Tits going in and out and when carefully lifting the plastic bowls, found a beautiful mossy nest. Today Jo forgot they were there and lifted the basins, much to the surprise of a resident Great Tit sitting on 8 eggs!

The bird, of course, flew off, but I can say that happily she is going in and out of the nest again.

Arrivals.

House Martins have been back in the village for over a week now, walking in the hills last Saturday with a friend we heard our first Cookoo, Swifts were evident at Reilhanette when we lunched there on Sunday and yesterday I heard the unmistakeable trilling of Bee-eaters.

Anniversary in the Camargue

Yesterday, April 1st, was our wedding anniversary (43 years) so we decided to go out for the day. We set off just after 9 am with our friend Ian for Saintes Maries de la Mer, the self -styled Capital of the Camargue!

It's a drive of about 1hour & 45 minutes for us so we arrived in time for coffee followed by lunch outside on the terrace overlooking the sea. On the way back we stopped at the ornithological park, but decided not to go round on this occasion but did stop & go round the Camargue museum.

It was not specifically a bird-watching trip, but we had our binoculars and the result was very satisfying!

Many White Egrets on the way down amongst the white horses and black bulls. On the way back we saw a White Stork, fairly high in the sky and looking as if he had just arrived and a couple of Great White Egrets.

Jo then saw a Short-toed Eagle, we passed quite a few Avocets feeding in the flooded fields(lovely birds - really must spend more time in the Camargue watching them) and huge numbers of Flamingos, both in the lake by the ornithological centre and flying, a Black Kite and numbers of Swallows.

Coming back we took a route to avoid the rush hour in Avignon which took us through Chateaurenard for the first time. As is so often the case, we found a good size town under a beautiful castle. An interesting end to a very good day!

Happy & Sad Events

Is fear an acquired reaction?


Like many dogs I have known, our 12 year old wire-fox terrier chases birds. It's a pretty half-hearted attempt; the birds see her coming, seem to take time in finishing whatever they were doing and fly a short way onto the nearest branches, from where they loudly scold the dog below!


About 10 days ago, we noticed a number of baby Serins (or maybe Siskins!) and Goldfinches about - smaller size, less assured flight and, unfortunately, a comparative lack of fear. When approached they would fly away at the last minute or sometimes had to be shooed away, or would sit unmoving in the tree while we re-filled the feeders les than a foot away.


Unforunately this was their undoing when the dog chased them. Much to her surprise, our dog caught one and despite a severe telling-off, subsequently caught 4 more. Hopefully, the adults will move away to nest now that spring is well underway.


Thus my question above. It would appear, if the evidence of Serins & Goldfinces is typical, that fear of predators and rapid flight away has to be learnt by birds.


More bird problems.


If they survive long enough to beware of land predators, it may not be enough to save their lives! Yesterday I saw a Sparrowhawk make a surprise attack and claim a bird. When I went out he was sitting in thr walnut tree, ready to start his lunch, but flew off when he saw me.


we feel a bit guilty, as our bird feeders attract many birds, providing a good hunting area for Sparrowhawks. I suspect, on balance, that providing food for birds all the year is beneficial despite the odd predation?

Heron trouble.

After losing some 100 goldfish in April 2008, we thought that our two scarecrows had done the trick and kept herons away. Alas! Two days ago, I went to feed the fish to find that all we had left were the two large Carp; the eleven goldfish had all disappeared.

Poor fish; if anyone approaches the pond, human or dog, the fish came "running" to be fed. No doubt this made it very easy for the heron; like shooting fish in a barrel. I must find out if my sister-in- law has used her "heron rings" and if they work.

Short-toed Eagles back!

Last Saturday I heard hoarse whistling sounds overhead and sure enough a couple of Short-toed Eagles flew overhead. Easily recognisable by the mostly white underwings and their call, which is more of a whistle than the buzzards' miouw.

They apparently usually leave here in the winter for sub-Saharan Africa, returning to Europe to breed.

Swallows too.

I met Jo at Nîmes airport this morning and the swallows are back! I've mentioned in a previous blog how they nest in the underground car park at Nîmes airport, despite the cars, neon lights and muzak! They seemed to have a lot to say this morning, almost making enough noise to drown out the sound of the music!
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London Bus Syndrome

What have red buses to do with birds here in Provence? In as much that most of us who have waited for a bus in London, and in other towns, will know the situation when no bus appears for many minutes and then three or four all together. In their marvellous song about the London bus, Flanders & Swan described them as gregarious; quite right.

The same thing happened last week with the Sardinian Warbler.

(Male above left, female right)

We cannot recall ever using this name before & had certainly never seen this bird. Then, on Sunday, friends came to lunch. One of them described a bird with pale underparts, light brown upperparts & a black cap. We immediately said "Blackcap" but when we showed him the picture, he said the cap was bigger, more like a hood. Further investigation resulted in a tentative identification of a Sardinian Warbler. In French a "Fauvette Mélanocéphale!

Another friend at the same lunch had brought me some copies of the LPO magazine (la Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux), the edition for PACA (the administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur) which contained a supplement on the Vaucluse, our neighbouring department to the south. Still with me?

Surprise, in the supplement was a picture of a Sardinian Warbler as they could be seen often in the Dentelles de Montmirail (limestone crags about 10 kilometres south of us) and also near Malaucene, about 8 kilometres away!

On the Monday, the weather was glorious, warm & sunny, so we took Crevette for a walk down by the River Ouvèze in Mollans. You've guessed; stopping for some bird watching, we clearly saw both a male and female Sardinian Warbler.

Finally, to really confirm our identification, we mentioned all this to an English friend of ours who lives in Mollans and a keen birdwatcher, who has seen them in his garden!

Four mentions & one sighting in 2 days! An exciting first of a bird not normally seen in the UK.

Serins & Siskins

January has been very hectic, from the time we dropped Crevette off on New Year's Eve, driving to England the next day to arriving back here on the 17th January, via snow, ice, fog and two 3-day courses.

Then David & Hazel arrived and we felled 9 trees, cleared up the loose foliage and chopped the rest up for logs before they left on the 26th; true friends indeed!

The bird numbers took some time to build up, but now we have 50 or more assorted birds, eating both from the feeders and on the ground. By far the biggest numbers are Serins, Siskins and Goldfinches.

Both the Serins & Siskins are yellow striped birds, typical small finch size and quite difficult to tell apart. The male Siskin has a pronounced black cap with bright yellow under the cap and above the eye, so he can be easily identified!

The Goldfinch, with the distinctive red markings on the face is a beautiful finch and probably the eseasiest to pick out.

We have smaller numbers of Chaffinches & Greenfinches and today, for the first time this year, we have seen a female Hawfinch; we hope it's the pair we had last year!

Also on the feeders we get Nuthatches and Spotted Woodpeckers and our resident pair of Collared Doves. Around the garden we have a lone male Blackbird, the occasional Wagtail and Jackdaws.

During the cold weather the buzzards spend more time on perches, presumably as there are no thermals. We frequently pass one on the way into or back from Mollans. Not shy at all, but glares at us as we pass.

Coming back from Beaumont last Tuesday we saw a large raptor, bigger than a buzzard, which then decided to hover, which makes it pretty certain to be a Short-toed Eagle.

Roll on March!