Showing posts with label Cranes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cranes. Show all posts

Thursday 9 March 2017

Escaping wet, wild & windy France for the tranquil peace of Emporda

So I've made it into Spain at last, way behind any schedule I may have aspired to and already I've had to accept that my travels will not take me any further than somewhere south of Valencia - its not worth chasing about and a leisurely 3 weeks on the east coast of Spain in Spring is the best option I have after my various disruptions.

I've already made it down to the Ebro Delta but that I'm saving for my next post. My first Spanish destination is the wetlands of Emporda, deep into Catalan country.

The weather all the way from Saint Flour into southern France was totally dire, I'd wanted to stop around Perpignan but it was cold, raining and very windy so I didn't bother. I pressed on, skirting the Pyrenees at Perthus and into Spain. The Aiguamolls d'Emporda in Cataluna is one of the best wetland areas in northern Spain. Last time I was here was just a fleeting visit en route to Ebro, I was impressed then, so gave the place a good couple of days this time around.

Corn Bunting, nr Empuriabrava, 04/03/17
Farmland nr Empuriabrava
After a grueling 4 hr drive all I wanted to do was stop the van, have a cup of tea and get my feet up - so that's just what I did (one of many benefits of campervan!). Anywhere will do and I found myself in a patch of typical Spanish farmland just outside Empuriabrava. Couldn't rest, had to walk and was straight into singing Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps, Cattle Egrets, Crested Larks, Corn Buntings, Meadow Pipits and huge flocks of House Sparrows - nothing special, just lots of birds and in sharp contrast to the neat and tidy, intensively farmed fields in the UK. Fat chance of it ever happening but a bit more mess around our farms and farmland and we might get our flocks of Sparrows and Corn Buntings back.
Farmland nr Empuriabrava


Farmland nr Empuriabrava

Farmland nr Empuriabrava

Farmland nr Empuriabrava

Farmland nr Empuriabrava - old style irrigation methods

Wild flower fields nr Empuriabrava with the Pyrenees in the background




Later on I found a good overnight for the van in a car park next to the beach at San Pescadore and took a walk down the beach. Earlier on, the Pyrenees, an ever present force on the skyline around here were looking serene and majestic but come late afternoon a huge thunderstorm with lots of fork lightning made for some great light for these wader shots ....







Dunlin & Grey Plover, San Pere Pescadore, 04/03/17

Dunlin, San Pere Pescadore, 04/03/17

Throughout the day and alerted by their constant calling, I'd had several flocks of Common Cranes heading north high overhead. This small flock made it over the Pyrenees ok but a similar sized group an hour later hit the storm and I watched them make a swift u turn!

Common Cranes, very high & northward bound, over Empuriabrava, 04/03/17



Estany de Vilaut, 05/03/17
Next day and the day after I did the two main birding sites in the area - El Cortalets and Estany de Vilaut. The former being the main, visitor centre type thing, and the later the more wild wet fieldy sort of thing!


Estany de Vilaut, 05/03/17

El Cortaletts, 06/03/17
Cracking birding without anything megatastic at both, lots of ducks including Wigeon & Pintail and Greylag Goose is always a good record for Spain. About 10 Water Pipits, lots of Water Rail, White Stork, Black Tailed Godwit, Green Sandpiper and a pair of Egyptian Goose mating whilst I was snapping some nice male Shoveller were some highlights.

Mating Egyptian Geese, El Cortalets, 06/03/17












White Storks, El Cortaletts, 06/03/17

Grey Herons coming into roost, Estany de Vilaut, 05/03/17

White Storks into roost, Estany de Vilaut, 05/03/17
 El Cortalet has to have one of the highest and most spectacular bird hides ever ...
Bird hide at El Cortalett with the Pyrenees as a backdrop!

In one of the other hides there I was buzzed by this bee, big black thing I don't know the name of but probably quite common around here ...


Bee species, El Cortaletts, 06/03/17


Cattle Egret with frog, Estany de Vilaut, 05/03/17

Northern Shoveller, El Cortaletts, 06/03/17

Pintail, El Cortaletts, 06/03/17

Marsh Harrier, El Cortaletts, 06/03/17
Although its nice and warm by UK standards and lots of sun, Spring is only just beginning even here ... some but not a profusion of wild flowers, some but not clouds of butterflies and only the odd Swallow every now and then. Not a single Yellow Wagtail or any warbler other than Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Sardinian and ubiquitous Zitting Cisticolla. No worries, its good to wait!


Wednesday 1 March 2017

Still 'en Francais' - van travails, Jack Snipe & 1000s of Cranes

'Well I didn't far, in my beat old car, and I was fearin the worst' .. go the lyrics of a John Prine song I sometimes sing called 'Far from me' ... a familiar 'ear worm' for me and how it rang out loud in my head as my van, which had behaved impeccably all the way from East Yorkshire, started blinking warning lights on the dash some 50k south of Clermont Ferand.

This bloody van of mine has certainly caused me some grief, never known a vehicle like it, but like or not I'm on a road trip so we plow on and sort the problems as we go. Had a sneaky feeling I'd have to call on the RAC at some point but never imagined it would be so soon - I'm still in France for gods sake!

Net result is not good but I suppose it could be worse. I'm holed up in a hotel in Saint Fleur (at the RAC's expense) and van is in for repair. Initial diagnosis and estimates were frightening - head gasket failure (never good) and anything up to 4500 euros! Lots of updates later from the RAC ...such exquisite torture, and after 2 days I find out its a dead cylinder head plus a new radiator required - cost 2700 euros (ouch) but I suppose not catastrophic, still hurts big time like! I'll be on my way by the end of the week.

Firecrest, nr Amboise, 15/02/17
So before all that shenanigans I've actually had a good time a few good birds. On my way down from Dieppe I had the most enormous flock of Lapwings, somewhere near Bonneval - in traffic so couldn't stop but I reckoned on 4000+. First stop was somewhere nr Amboise, central France and a simple turn off into what looked like a good wooded area. It was! Lesser Spotted Woodpecker along with Greater Spotted and Green 'peckers', Firecrest, lots of Nuthatch and Chaffinches singing away in the sun.

In the same location I also saw 2 Brimstones and 2 Red Admiral butterflies. Its Spring!!

Next stop and berth for the night was an old haunt of mine from way back - La Brenne, nr Poitiers. Known locally as 'the land of a thousand lakes' I never quite got to grips with this place during my time in this part of France, mainly due the restricted access to most of the lakes but it remains a fascinating and complex web of wetland habitats.


I parked the van alongside one of the publicly accessible lakes - Etang de Mouton, and was immediately into many Common Cranes passing overhead. In total I estimated a staggering 2300 all heading NW within the space of an hour or so at dusk. Not sure if they were en route or simply coming into roost - either way, great to catch up with the annual mass movement of these majestic birds as they head towards their breeding grounds further north. I'm sure I'll see many more!

Etang de Mouton, La Brenne



Common Cranes, over La Brenne, 16/02/17

 In the morning I had more time to explore and came across 12 Jack Snipes all huddled together. So tricky to make out just what they were at first and quite odd I thought to see so many and they be the only wading bird present. Either way, although they're difficult to make out on the photograph, this was my best ever view of these usually very secretive birds.

Jack Snipes, La Brenne, 16/02/17 .. can you see em?


Great White Egret, La Brenne, 15/02/17





6 Water Pipits were the other highlights here, all in the same location as the Jack Snipes and I also had 4 Bullfinches (always a bit tricky to tick off in France), 16 Redwings and lots of Great White Egrets. I watched this one on the left for quite a while as it stalked its fishy prey, stamping the shallows and spreading its wings to disturb whatever lurked in the shallows .. and then it struck with that monstrous yellow bill!

Great White Egret, successful fishing!
Ah, it was all going so well! To me the van was driving ok, sleeping and cooking all ok and then with the blinking of a temperature light, disaster and an enforced stay in Saint Flour for a week. Major repairs are underway as I type and although I'd like to claim confidence for the trip ahead, I'm full of apprehension - what if the same or something similar happens again? It'll clean me out! Anybody want to buy a campervan? Had loads done to it!

Despite my pensive mood, Saint Flour is not a bad spot to be holed up in, especially since the weather has been pretty foul - snowing all day yesterday and it remains cold and blustery, so not a bad time to be hotel bound. I've walked around a bit, had a Crag Martin from said hotel which is perched at the top of the town with spectacular views over the Cantal region. Lots of Red Kites here and also added Raven, Woodlark and Marsh Tit to my species list so not all bad. Here's a few town & landscapes from roundabout and here's hoping my next post will contain nothing other than good days birding!

Great looking church, St Georges nr Saint Flour, 28/02/17

Saint Flour, 26/02/17

Saint Flour, 26/02/17

View from my hotel window in Saint Flour, 28/02/17