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Another great day in the Pyrenees (1 Viewer)

I read this thread and i can imagine your birding days out, it must be wonderful to live so close to such amazing wildlife and majestic mountains, how i wish i had the funds to visit, one day i will that is 1 thing i am certain of. Damian.

P.s Hope things are getting better regarding the floods.
 
After my exertions the other day I thought it would be sensible to keep away from the woods and headed to Lac Ayguelongue near Pau.

Rightly, so a good list despite not having much time kicked off with Black Winged Stilt. A late bird for here. A handfull of Wood Sandpipers, snipe, 2 Ruff and a Little Stint. OK nothing mega but nice to get. I headed to the smaller tributery lake to find a purple Heron juv. Now that is nice!

I spent the next hour circleling the airport looking for Harriers and Black Shouldered Kite but no avail. Where can they be - well it was 35° and early afternoon. But not even a Kestrel. Some Honeys on migration made up a little.
 
A day off! My first 'day' off since the 4th July - boy was I happy!! Visiting friends out in the sticks and snuck off for an hour to go to the Lac Puydarrieux. Lots of migration things going on and scored a Temmincks Stint but as usual a scoped view.

Also roundabouts were Dunlin, Curlew, Ruff, little Stints (2), Wood Sand, Marsh Harrier and a distant Booted Eagle. Got excited by a young Red Backed Shrike which I managed to turn into all sorts of things even though it was only a RBS.

Then as i was leaving a juv Night Heron popped up. Back to the pool and the cold water with the kids - who actually cried to get out! Huh, don't make them like they used to...
 
I hate the Soulor! In my absense they have dared to see a Pallid Harrier, Black Vulture and a Red Footed Falcon which came with 20 metres on the watchpoint!!

Main passage of Black Kites and Honeys has finished with stragglers of BLack Kites and smaller numbers of HB now. BK totals so far 54,000 and 6,000 HB.

Now we get into the Eagles and Storks although most of the White have passed. Yesterday was good with a set of Harriers (obviously excluding the Pallid) including three cracking male Marsh, a male Hen and a female Monties. The usual Vultures were present and some Booted Eagles (3 kept turning) which couldn't make up their mind whether to go or not.

A nice way to spend a lunchtime...

Ps I know some Birdforum members have made there way up there this summer - hope at least one of you got to tick some of the above!!
 
Shopping

Another cash and carry trip this year - should get a memberships card!

I don't mind going because I can bird on both journeys. I skirted the airport and thought things are quiet. Only a Whinchat and two Kestrels. Then a plane landed and the aerodrome emptied! Suddenly there were 12 Wheatear on the fence plus three more Whinchat, a Melodious Warbler, a Marsh Harrier and two Buzzards. This is obviously the trick - wait till landing time!

Onward and I spent a while chasing a Kestrel - thinking it had long wings I was desperate to get close enough to see its feet - it had a nice white face though. Eventually a quality Male Hen Harrier drifted past.

The return trip was less eventfull as I skirted round the southern edge. Just Red Kite and a Raven.

Looking forward to calming down a little and some more bird time...
 

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A short walk up to the Hotel de Cirque et Cascades today. Suprised as to how cold it was and glad I had my fleece!

Very quiet on the way up with close to well...nothing.

At least the cafe/hotel was open for a coffee....Hang on - score....
 
a male summer plumage Wallcreeper. Ok so I got some rubbish photos but the bird was great and made everything worthwhile! The pain of a tough weekend sweated out on the way up...

Bouyed by my success I headed to Gloriettes. Here there is a shorter walk but a higher cliff to look at so I took the telescope, and tripod, and water, and rucksack and pillow - I did sneak a snooze after the walk because I dipped.

People are always curious when someone is carrying all this stuff. What you looking at? On this occasion I could honestly say nothing. For one time I can actually say I never even focussed on one bird through the scope.

A couple of hours later I headed back to the carpark.

And there another Wallcreeper flew off the Barrage (Dam) above my car and onto the small rockface above it!! Shit! I ran trying to get the scope, tripod, water, rucksack and find the camera in the 60 yards to the car. Fortunately, got a few shots off before it flew to where I had spent the last two hours looking for it....
 

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Out testing the new tripod head - Manfrotto 500 fluid thingy. Fantastic. Ease of movement. Tested on some Grifters, Adult and young Peregrine, Pikey Vulture and a Booted Eagle.

Yestersday weather was too iffy to get the scope out and the woods were quite eerie. Did get a squeak from a Black Woodpecker though...
 
Today out with two English friends. We decided that the was a good place to meet and start the day. Well, start the day, is a little misleading because I had to go the bank and potter about here so 11.15 was near enough.

THe main migration has finished but till some thiings coming through. After a few minutes it was clear that I would have to break with tradition and make a list.

This was mainly because some Black Stork were seen approaching. Two groups of 3 then 2 then 19 at 1pm! In total 30 on the day but 19 is my biggest flock of Black Stork. The problem was they showed in the distance then the middle distance then didn't come overhead. There is a 'blind' where they probably ducked into the next valley.

Brain said he wanted Storks and he got them. He also said I need Booted Eagle - what like that one, then Short Toed - one distant (prob local) and then three overhead in last 20 mins, Harriers only got a male Marsh, 52 Honeys and 4 Black Kite obliged...

Add to that the locals Lammergeier, two Goldies, Griffons, Sparrowhawks and a distant Peregrine a pretty good return.

The scope performed admirably barring one strange bird. It was def an eagle but had no tail. Would the thing turn and give a profile.... I have my suspicians which remain suspicians...
 

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Things have been very quiet here. Tired for the Wallcreeper again but it turned into quite a long and tiring walk up a long way and back again - I hate the downhill bits!

Been struggling for Black Woodpecker - three heard - and Citril Finch - the blighters seem to have gone to ground!

Today was the day! Up to Bareges - the road rebuilding meant that it took 40 mins to do 8km and reminded me of a 'normal' work day in England many moons ago! I tried 5 different stake outs for the BLack Wood - Nothing. Got a mystery Tit if anyone wants to guess - obviously I know the answer.

The workmen and tree fellers have been around so I guess things have been disturbed.

Finally, and literally within five minutes of them going to lunch, a Citril Finch was heard, two of them but could I see them. I decided to blast the mp3 and within seconds one was out virtually landing on the roof of the car. After the 20 seconds of song and even knowing which tree and branch the now two birds were I couldn't see them!! Oh well left them in peace - until the workmen get back from lunch that is.

Strange birds, Citril, somedays you fall over them and then thats three weeks without...
 

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Still some good migration. Pallid on consequetive days at Organbi -obviously I wasn't there - that would have been great but it did inspire me to head up the Soulor. No wond argh! Not deterred I stuck out a couple of hours for ST Eagle, Booted Eagle, Hobby, Sparrowhawk and some Red Kite movement. A little disconcerted to see that Oganbi had 60+ Black Storks and some White to boot.

Gavarnie was nice and produced Citril Finch, Serin, Sharpei Green Wood, Black Wood, 3 Adult Lammys and a couple of Goldies. Add to that 3 Crested Tits together with Goldcrest (less common here) and a pair of Firecrest.

The Panny has arrived and I have been playing and experimenting. At last I can take pictures of birds in the air! The zoom is great. I have tried to upload some pictures but the files are too big even after cropping down. Any ideas?
 
Gone on holidays!! Great. Will post up some stuff later...

Highlights - (I knew it) Pair Bonellis Eagle (god knows I have been trying - and getting one local), 2 Med Gulls, Crested Lark over camp site...

Weather rubbish but set to clear tomorrow.

Ps near Gruissan on the med coast
 
He's back and 'twitching'...

He's back! Great time away with 140+ species. Highlights were the Bustards - 27 Little in France and 3 Great in Spain.

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=268087
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=269164

Anyway, back with a bang. Got a tip that there were a couple of Richard Pipits on the military camp. Handily, this tied in with the first shopping trip of the season - cash and carry. Limited for time I forwent lunch. As with 'twitching' here there was no specific info and no one on hand to point in the direction of the birds. It took me 4 minutes to locate them though and now there are three!!

Delighted - thats a tick for me and a result. I hope they kick around for winter so I can really get to grips with the call and their behavoir. I noticed that even though I flushed them they didn't go too far and like to hover a bit before refinding cover - plus they're noisy!

Picture 395 really shows the wings off - quite a funny formula?
 

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Hi Charles, We (the RSPB mob) are just back from a week in Hungary---we all got White-backed Woodpecker which was good so I think the group just need Three-toed to complete the set! 30,000 Cranes coming in to roost at Hortobagy was spectacular!
Looks like you had a pretty good summer, I hope the winter is kind. All the best Tim
 
Hi Tim,
Good to hear you had a good trip. Helped the parc national with their White Backed Woody prospecting this spring. We got one call and a Song Thrush immitation of a White Backed. Very dissappointing for our valley. Life would be so much easier if I lived in Pau!

I can't imagine 30,000 Cranes - that must have been amazing.

Summer was good but very hard work. We thought things would be much worse considering the floods in June. Some business are still closed and having remedial works done.

Hope you have got some mealworms in stock for the winter!!

Give my wishes to the 'group'.

Regards,
Charles
 
Well unfortunately things have been quiet for me over the last week or so.

I have managed a very late Booted Eagle and then 5 Stone Curlews at the airport. It worries me when I see these birds in the area, not because I don't want to see them, because of the weight if hunters and these would be prime targets! There were flocks of Lapwings as well but no Plovers hidden amongst them.

The only other sortie was a quick trip up the mountain. I had in mind to try and see as many Wallcreepers as I could at the local hotspots. The result was a very dissappointing zero. The weather has been so mild I guess they have stayed high as we normally have them in the village by now. More dissappointing was the lack of any real birds at all. Some choughs, a Great Tit some Chaffinchs but not a lot else!

Apparently some birds have been moving on the plains so here is to next week....
 
I had some time to kill the other day - things are a little difficult at the moment with four days open in the restaurant and one day shopping - so headed down the mountain. I need to collect some kindling but the weather has not been great. The plan was to find some Black Shouldered Kites, the Richards Pipits and a White Rumped Sandpiper seen near Pau - a twitch...

I love muddy tracks and the 4x4 so this was great fun. In the usual winter site I quickly scored a Black Shouldered Kite. He was mobbed by a Kestrel. But I couldn't get a photo - wrong side of the car then behind etc. He/she was carrying a vole of sorts but he was very jumpy and wouldn't let me anywhere near. Not wanting to push it I continued to the military firing range.

There is a little 4x4 track across which is quite productive but the farmer has put some barbed wire up so I had to take the long way round. Luckily for me as when I got to the other side the army were there with their artillary! Imagine if I had cut across the middle. I decided not to swear at them for not putting up the red flag!! I guess the Richards Pipits would have a headache to.

Bird three and the Sandpiper. I'm afraid the weather just got worse and despite scanning and picking up 45 Snioe, numerous Lapwing, a Siskin and some Chiffchaff I failed. I did visit a new side of this particular lake, with better access, so was happy with the find.

On the way back I picked up some Cirl Buntings and Yellowhammers in a mixed flock and Stonechat, Skylark and lots of Black Redstarts.
 
At last a Wallcreeper in the village - well below to be precise - in the 'gorge' or main raod into Luz. Coincidentely, a friend texted to say they had one on the barrage Gloriettes.

Otherwise, I was enroute to plau golf in Lourdes - a last round before the weather changes? I was greeted in the car park by Short Toed Treecreeper, 2 Crested Tits, Long Tailed Tits, Coal Tits, Firecrest. NOt a bad haul.

During the round no birdies - sorry - but about 500-600 Cranes overhead, Lammergeier, Griffons, Red Kite, Black Woodpeceker, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Wood and some other odds and sods. The Cranes, seemingly, taking great pleasure putting me off my putting with their honking...

Add a Peregrine and Lammy over the house and not a bad day!! Despite no birdies...
 
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