Richard Prior
Halfway up an Alp
No Hobby for me yet, but three falcon species today (apologies in advance for one of my epic rambling posts):
With a consistent end of April total of 72 species in 2021, 2022 and 2023 as today dawned I was looking at a below-par YTD of 67, having only added 7 during the month. It may strike most of you as odd but April often only produces a single figure additions total here, the sub-Saharan migrants that are already back in lower-lying parts of Europe take a bit longer to get to our 1000m. The day turned out extraordinarily well though, leaving your Alps correspondent a very happy Lapin!
Before embarking on a day’s fence repair and maintenance up at Mum in law’s fields yesterday I had done my customary look at Sulens mountain to see if there was any Black Grouse action, the past two weeks of cold and gloomy weather seems to have delayed the usual late April displaying. However I got quite a surprise to see 7 Red Deer way up at the tree line(c1700m), they were struggling to cross the deeper snow to the right of the trees so were undertaking various u-turns and stumbles as they re-entered the forest, flushing a male BG that took refuge on top of a conifer, a female also disturbed a few minutes later.
A very mild night and Sahara dust in the air had me ‘on station’ at the front window by 07h00,as I ‘scoped the area of yesterday’s frolics a deep brown missile shot through my view, not my instant reaction thought “Swift” but a female Merlin charging above the valley in that typical hurried flight. My 5th Spring record here, the score now is March 2 – April 3. Checking down the valley towards the village I could see the first House Martin visiting the nesting site at Manigod’s very own ‘Concept Café’ (getting a bit too swanky for me hereabouts). So two garden year ticks before 09h00 .
Flushed with this success I made a pot of coffee and took a cup outside the back door, we’ve got two very bold Jay around the three houses but something looked un Jay-like about the pink and black and white flurry of bird that I saw in the corner of my eye as it flew round the corner of next door’s house and onto their balcony, “merde” it’s a bloomin’ Hoopoe, only our second ever here. You know the rest, spilt coffee, stumble into house, get the camera, where’s the bird now? - there on the hand rail, click, oops it’s gone. I’m glad I’m a birder first and a bird photographer a very distant second, so I don’t get stressed about getting that perfect image. In this case though the bird was really taking the mickey in deciding to vanish as soon as I’d taken the first burst! A Tree Pipit was now singing at the top of our field so I was on 71 already but despite putting in a good few additional hours I couldn’t add any more by the end of the day, still, mustn’t be greedy.
As for Frank’s challenge for me to take an arty photo of the Grey Heron against a snowy mountain background, I suspect a Swiss/Heron plot, as for the third time since he set me this quest it flew directly over the house, at least this time you can see which Heron species it is (just). 41 species for the day.
68 Merlin
69 House Martin
70 Hoopoe
71 Tree Pipit
With a consistent end of April total of 72 species in 2021, 2022 and 2023 as today dawned I was looking at a below-par YTD of 67, having only added 7 during the month. It may strike most of you as odd but April often only produces a single figure additions total here, the sub-Saharan migrants that are already back in lower-lying parts of Europe take a bit longer to get to our 1000m. The day turned out extraordinarily well though, leaving your Alps correspondent a very happy Lapin!
Before embarking on a day’s fence repair and maintenance up at Mum in law’s fields yesterday I had done my customary look at Sulens mountain to see if there was any Black Grouse action, the past two weeks of cold and gloomy weather seems to have delayed the usual late April displaying. However I got quite a surprise to see 7 Red Deer way up at the tree line(c1700m), they were struggling to cross the deeper snow to the right of the trees so were undertaking various u-turns and stumbles as they re-entered the forest, flushing a male BG that took refuge on top of a conifer, a female also disturbed a few minutes later.
A very mild night and Sahara dust in the air had me ‘on station’ at the front window by 07h00,as I ‘scoped the area of yesterday’s frolics a deep brown missile shot through my view, not my instant reaction thought “Swift” but a female Merlin charging above the valley in that typical hurried flight. My 5th Spring record here, the score now is March 2 – April 3. Checking down the valley towards the village I could see the first House Martin visiting the nesting site at Manigod’s very own ‘Concept Café’ (getting a bit too swanky for me hereabouts). So two garden year ticks before 09h00 .
Flushed with this success I made a pot of coffee and took a cup outside the back door, we’ve got two very bold Jay around the three houses but something looked un Jay-like about the pink and black and white flurry of bird that I saw in the corner of my eye as it flew round the corner of next door’s house and onto their balcony, “merde” it’s a bloomin’ Hoopoe, only our second ever here. You know the rest, spilt coffee, stumble into house, get the camera, where’s the bird now? - there on the hand rail, click, oops it’s gone. I’m glad I’m a birder first and a bird photographer a very distant second, so I don’t get stressed about getting that perfect image. In this case though the bird was really taking the mickey in deciding to vanish as soon as I’d taken the first burst! A Tree Pipit was now singing at the top of our field so I was on 71 already but despite putting in a good few additional hours I couldn’t add any more by the end of the day, still, mustn’t be greedy.
As for Frank’s challenge for me to take an arty photo of the Grey Heron against a snowy mountain background, I suspect a Swiss/Heron plot, as for the third time since he set me this quest it flew directly over the house, at least this time you can see which Heron species it is (just). 41 species for the day.
68 Merlin
69 House Martin
70 Hoopoe
71 Tree Pipit