birding beaumonts

Last skywatch of the autumn today with Isabelle and Maite: there were still a few small flocks of CHAFFINCHES (pinson des arbres) and SKYLARKS (alouette des champs) going over, plus more migrating LAPWINGS (vanneaux), WOODPIGEONS (ramier) and some small lines of (mainly adult) LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS (goéland brun).

A HAWFINCH (gros bec) was heard and a WOODCOCK (bécasse) was glimpsed, apparently flushed by a woman collecting berries near the cascade.

Good skywatch for Isabelle today with plenty of the usual migrants including 2 GREAT EGRETS (grande aigrette) and four BULLFINCHES (bouvreuil), one sitting nicely in a tree near the cascade.

Very good skywatching this morning until about 11h30 when I had to stop and go to work - Isabelle stayed on a couple of hours longer and gripped me off with great views of a RED KITE (milan royal) drifting low over the cascade.

This REDSTART (rouge-queue à front blanc) was found in the prairie this afternoon after hours and hours of constant rain. Sporting a bit of a wing-panel, and being a bit late, it brought back memories of that possible « samamisicus » we had here, in exactly the same place, in early November 2010. Hmmm…

And a bit later, during a half-hearted skywatch without a telescope, what looked like a distant SPARROWHAWK (épervier) was circling in small circles very high in the sky, out towards Fontenay. Something about it though seemed a bit odd, so I kept on looking: seconds later I realised that the flap-flap-glide thing it was doing wasn’t at all like a sparrowhawk, and much more like a harrier (busard)!  But how on earth could a harrier be so small ? Getting suddenly more interested I stopped looking at it through the bins, somehow got the distant speck in the camera lens and rattled off a few shots as it flapped, smooth and steady, southeast towards Vincennes. Moments later, looking at the photos, I wondered what the heck I’d just seen - a BLACK-SHOULDERED KITE (élanion blanc) certainly sprang to mind…so that’s two « hmmms » in a day!

Shots here of a very confiding REDSTART (rouge-queue à front blanc) at the Cascade and one of a few BRAMBLINGS (pinson du Nord) going over this morning. 

It was a great day for watching migration, one of the best ever; on top of all the unidentifieds were 2024 CHAFFINCHES (pinson des arbres), 135 WHITE WAGTAILS (bergeronnette grise), 193 MEADOW PIPITS (farlouse), and the 82 WOODLARKS (lulu) actually outnumbered the SKYLARKS (alouette des champs)!

Best bird though was a SHORT-EARED OWL (hibou des marais), well spotted by Isabelle, which circled around over Fontenay before moving north and disappearing in the clouds.

Excellent birding today - shots here of a MERLIN (émerillon) dashing overhead in the late morning and one of the 14 MARSH HARRIERS (busard des roseaux) which followed, interspersed with a few HONEY BUZZARDS (bondrée) and an OSPREY (balbu). 

In the mid-afternoon a BLACK STORK (cigogne noire) migrated south with a flock of about 30 WHITE STORKS (cigogne blanche), although it kept up its customary solitary allure, keeping its distance at all times...

REED WARBLER (effarvatte) still present this morning in the Petite Prairie but a lot of birds, notably PIED FLYCATCHER (gobemouche noir), seem to have now vacated the premises. 

Around midday there was a HONEY BUZZARD (bondrée) and a MARSH HARRIER (busard des roseaux), but the best bird was a rare BLACK STORK (cigogne noire) which gilded slowly west over Bagnolet, hassled briefly on the way by a KESTREL (crécerelle).

And after nightfall, just before midnight, this LITTLE BITTERN (blongios nain) flew overhead, a first for the park!!

Record-shots above of a BLACK KITE (milan noir) and one of at least 10 HONEY-BUZZARDS seen going over this afternoon during an excellent skywatch with Emmanuel, Isabelle and Maite. There were also a couple of BUZZARDS (buse) and 2 OSPREYS (balbu) but the highlight was a flock of 24 slow-moving WHITE STORKS which meandered around against a blue sky, searching the right thermal.  

SPOTTED FLYCATCHER (gobe-mouche gris) and at least 4 PIED FLYCATCHERS (gobemouche noir) on site.  

Fantastic news today with this (pretty terrible) nocturnal recording of a distant flyover TURNSTONE (Tournepierre à collier)- a first for the park!!!

Some wonderful atmospheric hoots from a male TAWNY OWL (hulotte) just before daybreak, and the recorder also picked up fainter-sounding WATER RAIL (râle d’eau) and GREEN SANDPIPER (culblanc) flying over. 

There's more good news with at least one successful breeding pair of WHITETHROATS (fauvette grisette) - adults can be seen right now taking food to noisy nestlings in the prairie. 

An eventful day kicked off with a cute-looking bunch of baby SHORT-TOED TREECREEPERS (grimpereau des jardins) clambering around the trees in parc Mabille, being fed intermittently by busy parents. A SPOTTED FLYCATCHER (gobemouche gris) was in the same area.

A skywatch followed with HONEY BUZZARD (bondrée) and HOBBY flying over, followed later by this very tatty and exciting-looking falcon migrating north - to me it looked exactly like a RED-FOOTED FALCON (faucon kobez) although, according to the powers that be, it's only a darned KESTREL (crécerelle)....bah!

SPOTTED FLYCATCHER (gobemouche gris), TREE PIPIT (pipit des arbres) and REDSTART (rouge-queue à front blanc) in the prairie this morning. The first BLACK KITE (milan noir) of the year flew over. 

A disappointing day - thick morning mist never really cleared properly which spoilt the skywatching, and on this bank holiday the park was heaving with uncivil adults and screaming kids running around everywhere….the idea of emigrating to Alaska came to mind. 

A LESSER WHITETHROAT (babillarde) rattled three times near the cascade but there was not much to look at apart from clusters of local SWIFTS (martinet) hawking insects overhead - according to Pierre they all arrived in town yesterday.

Good birding this morning with this RING OUZEL (plastron) tac-taccing up a tree by the mare Perchée, although it was quickly dislodged by a local MAGPIE (pie). A bit later another MAGPIE found and chased off this rare HOOPOE (huppe fasciée) which was lapping around high over the prairie. 

The first migrating HOBBY of the spring appeared, and there were local-looking pairs of HAWFINCH (gros bec) and BULLFINCH (bouvreuil).

Lots of MEADOW PIPITS (farlouse) flying over early this morning against a cold northerly wind. A FIRECREST (triple bandeau) was singing along the Jean Moulin entrance path.

The first MARSH HARRIER (busard des roseaux) and SWALLOW (rustique) of the spring appeared this afternoon and an OSPREY (balbu) circled around for a thermal over Fontenay. 

A WOODCOCK (becasse des bois) flushed at first light this morning from the Petite Prairie.

A PEREGRINE this afternoon, plus a couple of LAPWINGS (vanneaux) going north.

Pierre had a male BULLFINCH (bouvreuil) today, sadly now a very good record...