FRANCE
- MAY 1999
Saturday 29th May 1999 Quedgeley, England to La Riviére, Chateau Gontiers, France
Weather
: Warm and sunny but cloudy and breezy at sea
We left home at 8am and traveled south to catch the 12:30pm ferry from Poole in Dorset where we would meet the rest of the family. Eight of us were headed by road and sea to the Western Loire region of France for a family holiday where I hoped to get some good birding time.
The journey to Poole was
uneventful, if a little tortuous, and the only birds of note were six Common Buzzards, two Sparrowhawks
and a pair of Kestrels.
We
sailed out of Poole on time and immediately saw Brownsea Island on our right.
There were good numbers of birds in the lagoon including 15 Cormorants,
100 Oystercatchers,
three Common
Terns and six Sandwich
Terns. The remainder of the four hour journey was very quiet and
despite spending much of the time on deck in the sunshine there were only five Gannets,
two Fulmars and
a single Manx Shearwater worthy of note.
Disembarking at Cherbourg at 6pm, now an hour ahead of UK time, we started off on the three and a half hours journey south to La Riviére. I started to compile my French holiday list and to be honest it was not a great one, until we reached Laval.
The
best birds were, in order of appearance, a Jay
at Torigni, a Grey Wagtail at Le Poteau, single Common
Buzzards at Vire and Lonlay D’Abbaye, a White
Wagtail at Domfront and a Red-legged
Partridge at Laval. At Laval however came the first hint of better
things to come when a male Golden
Oriole flew in front of the cars.
We
were glad when we had arrived at the farmhouse, which was to be our home for a
week. The place was huge and offered all home comforts and was owned by the
farming family who lived in the house immediately next door. They were lovely
people from Yorkshire, so we had no immediate language problems.
Sunday
30th May 1999 La Riviére, Chateau Gontiers, France
Weather
: Heavy showers early on then warm and sunny
I
awoke early and went out to explore the local area on foot. It was warm but
raining lightly at first but it soon became heavier. I walked up to the railway
line above the farm. Here I could hear an unfamiliar birdsong but I could not
see the bird. After waiting for a few minutes I saw a bird plunging from the
depths of one bush into the next. I could see that it was a warbler. I suspected
that it was Melodious
Warbler as there were not many to choose from that I didn’t know
the song of, but that were possible here. Eventually it sang from the outer edge
of an elder bush and I knew that I was right. It was a large warbler with pale
green upperparts and pale yellow underparts and a large prominent bill. It sang
with a wide gape and was reminiscent of Marsh Warbler’s song in some ways.
Later on my walk I saw two others singing from telegraph wires at Eclevon, I was
pleased to see them because I had only seen one other as an autumn migrant at
Nanquidno in Cornwall.
I
walked the lanes through a couple of settlements to the next village where I
bought fresh bread for breakfast. I saw a good selection of species in the
hedgerows, something we lack in England. The best of these was a male Cirl
Bunting at Le petit Champ Grenu.
Other
notable species during my walk included a male and a juvenile White
Wagtail, a pair of Turtle
Doves at La Riviére and another pair at La Bellangerie, three Nightingales
singing, one of which I saw well and five Common
Buzzards. A pair of Red-legged Partridges was at La Riviére
and two pairs at Le petit Champ Grenu. A male Stonechat was at the latter site and
a pair at La Riviére. The first spring Spotted
Flycatcher was at Eclevon with another at La Riviére.
Also
at La Riviére was a Cuckoo
and a Green
Woodpecker. There were lots of Wall
Lizards in the garden.
Monday
31st May 1999 La Riviére and Nyoiseau, France
Weather
: Hot and sunny
I
got up before everybody else and went for a walk around the lanes. Although
still early the air was warm and blue skies promised a very hot day. I walked
towards Eclevon and soon I was seeing lots of birds. Many were common species
but all seemed to be doing very well.
On the lane through La Riviére I saw a White Wagtail, three Red-legged Partridges and two male Stonechats. Another White Wagtail was at Ciscoignard and another pair of Red-legged Partridges was at La Haute Forge.
Eclevon
was buzzing with birds in the mature hedgerows and set-aside type fields. There
were four singing Melodious
Warblers here, with another just a little further up the road at La
Grande Renaze. From the depths of the hedgerow four different Nightingales
were singing, one of which gave good views. Also here were three Turtle
Doves, there was another at La Grande Renaze and one at Ciscoignard. Cuckoos
were at Eclevon and La Guyonnière.
As
I returned for breakfast a Common
Buzzard flew over the road at La Riviére.
After
breakfast we headed in convoy to Nyoiseau where there was a Farm park/Museum for
the days entertainment. We also screeched to a halt in convoy when I spotted a
female Hen Harrier hunting over fields at Gruge l’hopital. Everyone
was duly impressed, also here was two Common
Buzzards, a Kestrel and a Turtle Dove. Turtle Doves certainly seemed to be
easier to find than they are in England these days.
The
Farm Park at Nyoiseau was not only an excellent family day out but it was great
for birding too. The donkey paddock held my favourite bird, a Hoopoe,
feeding at quite close range giving wonderful views. This was a really
unexpected bonus. Whilst I walked round the perimeter of the paddock following
the Hoopoe
I heard an unfamiliar song coming from a shed in the corner. It was a singing
male Black
Redstart.
Then as I rounded the next bend I could see a
large raptor soaring on thermals above the adjacent wood. It was a Honey
Buzzard. I was well pleased to have three scarce species in the space
of fifteen minutes.
At home in the
evening whilst we were polishing off some red wine in the sunset a Hummingbird
Hawk Moth flitted amongst the flowers in the garden. A super way to
end the day.
Tuesday
1st June 1999 La Riviére and Angers, France
Weather
: Cloudy but warm becoming very warm and sunny later
A
non-birding day with a visit to Angers to see the castle and city and enjoy a
bit of culture. However there were still one or two notable birds during the
day.
A Serin
was singing from telegraph wires as we drove out through Chateau
Gontiers to Angers. Common
Buzzards were at La Riviére
and La Membrolle.
Angers was a
beautiful city with wonderful panoramic views from the top of the castle. We
were up at eye level with the many Swifts
that screeched around the walls in packs. The walls were also home to several Wall
Lizards. This seemed a like a wildlife oasis in the middle of the
city. A Sparrowhawk
whizzed through on broad wings determinedly pursuing its next meal.
When we left Angers
we tried to find some nearby meadows which were supposedly a haven for
Corncrakes, however in the absence of proper directions we just got hopelessly
lost and gave up.
In the evening I was
delighted to find a Hoopoe
in the field outside the garden at La Riviére. After walking out to obtain closer views I
was able to sit in the shade with a glass of red wine and watch it whilst it fed
throughout the evening. Also in the hedgerow was a singing male Yellowhammer
and a pair of Linnets.
Wednesday
2nd June 1999 La Riviére and Chateau Gontiers, France
Weather
: Strong breeze with light showers becoming warm and sunny later
Another
day spent locally shopping so not a lot of birds to mention. However the Hoopoe
was in the field on and off throughout the day and enjoyed by all the
family. Common
Buzzards were at La Riviére (a pair) and Coudray. La Riviére
also had a pair of Red-legged
Partridges and a pair of Turtle
Doves. There were also pairs of the latter species at La Jaille and
Daon.
Thursday
3rd June 1999 Forêt de Bellebranche and La Fleche Zoo, France
Weather
: A bright start but then heavy showers becoming sunny and dry in the afternoon
and more showers late pm
Two
pairs of Turtle
Doves were at La Riviére
when I set out early in fine weather to the area around Vion, which was
supposedly good for birds, according to one of the books I had. However all I
saw was a White
Wagtail here.
I
found the Forêt de Bellebranche by accident as I drove round searching for a
site to bird at. Following a couple of Great
Spotted Woodpeckers through the wood, in the hope of them being
something rarer, I came to a clearing. Immediately I saw a cracking male Hen
Harrier out hunting. I enjoyed seeing this silver ghost for a quarter
of an hour until it disappeared from view. It had just start to rain so I
decided to go home for breakfast. I also saw a Tree Pipit and a Nuthatch
here.
After
a morning of torrential rain the sun came out and the roads dried quickly so we
all decided to go to La Fleche Zoo for the afternoon. A Hobby flew across the road at Crosmières
on the way.
The
zoo was excellent, especially for its spacious enclosures, interactive animal
sessions, free-ranging lemurs and a wonderful Polar Bear enclosure with some of
the biggest bears we had ever seen. It even had a few notable wild birds –
there were three singing male Serins,
a Common Buzzard,
White Wagtail and a Great
Spotted Woodpecker.
Friday
4th June 1999 Forêt de Bellebranche, France
Weather
: Cloudy and mild with some showers later
Having already suspected that the Forêt de Bellebranche had the potential to
produce good birds I returned today at 7am. As I got out of the car a male Hen
Harrier was flying around the clearing opposite. I decided to walk
around the clearing, which was flanked, to the right by a small lake and on the
other three sides by mixed woodland. I heard three Golden
Orioles singing in the treetops and I managed to see one of them very
well (much easier than Lakenheath). There were three parachuting Tree
Pipits in this large clearing. A male Cirl
Bunting sang from the edge. The lake held mainly common water birds
but a male Pochard
was notable. Six Nuthatches
were in the woods and I spent a lot of time trying to identify a high up and
mainly out of sight woodpecker. Its call was very unusual but my excitement was
lessened when it finally revealed itself to be a juvenile Green Woodpecker. Two
Common Buzzards soared above the clearing, occasionally with the Hen
Harrier.
A
Spotted
Flycatcher hawked for insects near the car. Also of note was a
beautiful Red Squirrel and a Roe
Deer.
Saturday
5th June 1999 La Riviére, Chateau Gontiers, France to Quedgeley,
England
Weather
: Warm and sunny
The last day, having packed the
night before I got up early for a final walk around the area. Four Grey
Herons were on the fishing lake before the farmer shooed them off. I
saw all the usual birds, a list of which included a male Yellowhammer,
a pair of Red-legged Partridges, a Common
Buzzard, a pair of Stonechats,
a Melodious
Warbler, a pair of White
Wagtails and a Turtle Dove. I also heard a Nightingale
and a Cuckoo.
A female Wood
Duck on the stream at Eclevon was almost certainly feral. I don’t
know what their status is in France.
After
breakfast we loaded the cars and headed for Cherbourg. The journey was
uneventful and only notable for thirteen Kestrels
and nine Common Buzzards.
We
spent a couple of hours at Omaha Beach, on the anniversary of D-Day, with plenty
to see and do before catching an early evening ferry back to Poole. The crossing
was quiet and the only notable seabirds seen were six Gannets
and an adult Kittiwake.
An
excellent family holiday with enough good birds thrown in to keep me interested.
©
Mike King 2000