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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Another Great Day in the Pyrenees - 2017 (1 Viewer)

Fledged!

Dashed up to see Wallcreeper this morning and the nest is finished for the year! Flavien was a couple of hours ahead and the birds were roundabouts. On my walk I even saw him taking pictures of the bird and could see the bird above him. However, by the time we got there nothing.

A little higher got three or four glimpses of birds (two birds at one point) but hidden from view unfortunately. Finally, a bird flew from above the 'nest' and we watched as it dissappeared in the distance. Our guess is that the fledglings weren't too far above us but hidden and the parents we still feeding again mainly hidden.

Great when planning and work pays off - for us and the birds! Roll on next year. We have already been discussing which areas we will prospect...

Alpine Accentor put in an appearance and I even thought I heard a Citril finch at one point - I know Dragnil has had them in this area!
 
Some signs of migration today.

At Pau clocked a male Ruff, Wood Sand, another or same Black Winged Stilt as before...

On the way home I glimpsed a Shrike low in a field and quickly U-turned. Quickly preparing the camera I edged into view and there was another Woodchat. It is interesting because I had four or five sightings in this area last year - end of April and August last (actually may have been July).
 

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I've had a few things of note in the Morlaas area this last week. At Aigue longue there has been a nice selection of waders, including 24 common, 4 green and 1 wood sandpiper, 2 black-winged stilts, and a red-crested pochard. I didn't get a great look at the RCP but it looked fully winged and unringed.

Around Morlaas itself, I've had black-shouldered kites for the first time ever around the village on this trip. Over the weekend the place was covered in melodious warblers, with a few more blackcaps than usual, and odd other migrants such as whitethroat, and a totally unexpected western bonellis warbler.

Evidence of migration over the last few days with a few more black kites and the odd honey buzzard heading towards the mountains. Also lots of swifts doing the same.
 
I've had a few things of note in the Morlaas area this last week. At Aigue longue there has been a nice selection of waders, including 24 common, 4 green and 1 wood sandpiper, 2 black-winged stilts, and a red-crested pochard. I didn't get a great look at the RCP but it looked fully winged and unringed.

Around Morlaas itself, I've had black-shouldered kites for the first time ever around the village on this trip. Over the weekend the place was covered in melodious warblers, with a few more blackcaps than usual, and odd other migrants such as whitethroat, and a totally unexpected western bonellis warbler.

Evidence of migration over the last few days with a few more black kites and the odd honey buzzard heading towards the mountains. Also lots of swifts doing the same.

Soulor had 2000 Black Kite yesterday so they are building up - plus the Black Vulture. First Storks (Black and White) have gone through and Monties Harrier.

At Ayguelongue do you go to the big lake or the small or both? I got there yesterday and realised I didn't have my bins so I stuck to the small. I only had 10 minutes spare anyway...

Red Crested Pochard is a great bird here! I will pass on...
 
Birding - at last

After some stupid days of work - 2x16 hour days I planned to get to the Soulor.

Sadly the weather wasn't kind - covered down the mountain but beautiful sunshine at the top. Birds were not climbing. That said there was a couple of resident birds - the Egyptian Vulture plus a shout went up for a Lammy and a handfull of hardy Black Kites.

Then I clocked a falcon and I was stumped. It was big so I shouted Peregrine, maybe? Fortunately, with not a lot else going on, another couple got on it and then it turned, choclate brown back - Eleanoras!!! 2nd year. Brilliant but I was torn between watching it or taking a picture (it was a long way away). I watched then tried the camera couldn't find it, watching, couldn't find it etc etc... I have to say that I was very glad to have the 'experts' there at the same time - one of which en route for Organbi really was a class act (coincidentely another EF was seen at Organbi today) - even more so as I failed to get a picture.

On the way home I passed down through the clouds and lower down the valley they disintegrated. Flocks of Black Kites!
 

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Times are tough!

Not much time to get out but grabbed 20 minutes around the airport on the weekly shop.

Very quiet apart from two of these...

Should add not overly happy with the quality of the photo - the camera focussed on the telegraph pole - should have adjusted manually but I was parked in the middle of the road...
 

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What a bird! Not the prettiest of settings but ask it to stick around until the end of the month please.
 
There is a light at the end of the tunnel! The end of the holidays is nigh and free time will return.

In the meantime got a very nice Tawny Pipit at the airport the other, and nearby the following, day. The facial pattern didn't seem spot on but all the other features were there.

That leads me on to twitching - a WWBlack Tern was seen at Ayguelongue so I built in some shopping birding time to my program. Fortunately, my wife volunteered to do the shopping bit and off I went. Typically, for a 'local' twitch no one had any specific info nor were there any updates or the bird as it turns out. I scoured the four corners of the lake - two of which I had never visited before so all was not lost.

I managed to find a Purple Heron, juv, which was nice and various other bits and pieces - Common, Green, Wood Sand, Dunlin, a nice Night Heron (late), GW Egret (in fact all of the 'local' Herons), Shovelor, Greylags etc etc.

The petit lac produced a greenshank and lapwing but no Tern.

Passing the airport I stopped to count at least 10 Black Shouldered Kites, 13 Black Kites, 2 Honeys and I tried a few of the smaller local lakes to no avail.

Luquet produced another Night Heron, juv this time.

And finally the military camp a Roller, juv, great.

I should add my heart was racing when I saw a very poorly marked Wagtail with two great wingbars, subject of another thread. As much as I wanted it to be a Citrine it wasn't - valuable learning curve though.

Despite 'failing' on my twitch I had a great day out with Bo...
 

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Nice couple of hours on the Soulor today.

Very quiet to begin with but then some small numbers of passage. In fact pretty much started with two Monties and a Marsh Harrier. Small parties of Honey going past and met Interoception and his family - they picnicked before heading up the mountain...

A couple of groups of Black Kite passed 14, 11, 8 etc. then Egyptian flyby with two Short Toed Eagle (one landed in front) and a fantastic Monties juv. Great. And a really close Marsh Harrier - no picture as I was given the honour of following some Honeys (although I did keep peaking at it).

Really appreciate the Harrier id discussions on here which make me confident when I see this bird in the wild - the dark wing tips seemed to be the easiest thing to see 'live' along with some of the white in the face.

Now I look at the picture the white in the face is the most obvious feature!

Sadly I had to leave to get back for work but will check the web to get final counts and what I may have missed.....
 

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If Carlsberg did BBQ's....

Short BBQ with some friends in Bergons campsite.

I obviously had to have my bins around my neck and glad I did. A few Griffons over the mountain, Short Toed Eagle 2, Booted Eagle, common Buzzard and finally a pair of adult Lammergeiers!

A welcome addition to sausages, burger and chicken I was tucking into...
 
News is that the girls have arrived back from England safely. It gave me another opportunity to visit the airport.

En route I clocked a nice Turtle Dove and 'usual' or resident Black Shouldered Kite. It has a great look out post which, because of the corn, cannot be seen from the road but can be seen from the other side of the railway track - clever.

At the plane works there were 4 Crested Larks - Bo chased them away but I did manage a quick shot.

At the other end of the runway there was a lot of Stonechat action, 3 or 4 Fan Tailed Warblers, a couple of Whitethroat and then bam a Wryneck. I think they are awesome! I sure so many go unnoticed because of there nature or maybe its just me.

No Harriers around the airport grounds though...
 

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Bad weather and a bit of a fall today - C.20 Willow Warblers, 15 Whitethroat, 40+ Whinchat, 2 Yellow Wag, 2 BS Kites, 3 Meadow Pipit, Wheatear, stonechat etc. at Meridian then 3 White Stork, 2 Black Shouldered Kites at the airport.

Really exciting times even if no 'megas' but just get the feeling anything could turn up anyway - Great...
 
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When Less is more...

Lau Balagnas
Went for a short walk yesterday at the Lac du Gaves. I figured there might be some migrants and wasn't wrong. Birding with Bo isn't easy as he disappears into the undergrowth and scares most things away but he does also find the odd thing. Lots of Whinchats in this instance, a couple of Pied Flys, Spotted Fly a Wryneck - again brill and then...

A Kestrel then two three ...nine Kestrels came into view. They hunted for ten minutes and then were gone. I got the feeling something wasn't quite right so took some snaps. Fortunately!

Subject to another thread but they did turn out to be Lesser Kestrel. Great!

I poured over the photos and really couldn't work out whether I was seeing correctly. I was. My first live Lesser Kestrels here...

Another great day!
 

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When you don't have to ask the question which is Less....

dragnil arrived and sent me a text to say he had seen 6 kestrels at the Lac du Gaves. I headed down in the afternoon and was happy to meet him and Shirley there.

We got onto the Kestrels after about 5 mins stroll and they clearly are Lessers! Great to see them perched for one but also some 2cy male birds (I think). I have reviewed the photos from the other day and either I was unlucky but there really isn't any as clear cut as these birds.

On the stroll back a young bee-eater came to see us.

The Lessers were hawking high over the other side of the lake so I decided to follow to old road home and picked up two hobbies over the next village and then a Roller. I tried to get some decent shots but then there were 2!

What a great afternoon out...Thanks to Dragnil.
 

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Migration day! Sadly the Rollers have 'migrated' but headed up the Soulor.

Not a lot of wind and not masses of movement but in fits and starts birds were passing. daily totals here
http://trektellen.org/count/view/1735/20170905

Dragnil came but I don't think this is his bag! Still we had fun and a couple of birds cames close enough for some decent shots. The hightlight, for me, was a lone Black Stork - just at the time that everyone was looking for a snake that had come up the hill.

A adult Gypa was seen and then a juv - it was fairly difficult because there was very little cloud so high birds could be easily missed - its in the blue next to the blue no not that blue the blue on the left no the lighter blue etc. etc.

It became very easy when a couple of clouds formed and either birds were moving or were visible but an Osprey came over, Booted Eagle, Short Toed, Golden (resident) and a fiar number of SParrowhawks.

Time to leave and I thought I would check on the Kestrels. The Lessers were still present although with time short I took some long range shots and didn't get close enough to count more than 6. Still I was told that there has never been a male adult recorded in our region (he thinks) so very happy!
 

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