La Brenne

La Brenne is a huge regional natural park and I visited there for the first time 8 years ago.  It lies just to the west of the A20 autoroute and is roughly an hour's drive southwest of Orleans.  There are several hamlets in and around the overall park.  The habitat is predominantly forest and there is a myriad of small and medium-sized lakes throughout the area.  There are occasional patches of rough pasture.  The park is criss-crossed by dead-straight roads that are just about wide enough for two private cars.  As these all look exactly alike and seem to stretch as far as the eye can see, you need either a satnav or a first-class map-reader and a steady nerve.  Bird-watching and -photographing facilities are well managed - by an Englishman!

The weather was kinder than in Somme for my visit.  Each time there was a gentle shower, I just happened to be under cover.

My first call was to the hide at Étang Ricot, which I'd last visited on my first ever trip to La Brenne.  The hide is buried in deciduous woodland.  I was greeted by Cuckoo calls and Nightingale song.  I saw neither bird.

The picture that 'got away' on this visit was a sighting of a pair of Black Kite as they flew lazily overhead passing something between them as they did.  I was still unpacking the camera.

Meet and Greet

A Grey Heron was going to be the source of the action.

First this side ...

... then this

Touché

During the course of the morning, this Grey Heron caught 8 of these Catfish.  I wasn't able to photograph the bird as it swallowed the fish because it took them off to a point much further away to do so.  I was able to observe through my binoculars.


There was other activity:

Coot

All morning, Blackcap (♂ and ♀) had been darting backwards and forwards around the hide, but always stopping behind a twig or a leaf.  Eventually, I caught this chap in the open long enough to have his picture taken.

Before I left Étang Ricot, this put in an appearance:

European Freshwater Tortoise (Terrapin)

These are very common in this area and merit their own road-sign at places where they habitually cross the road.  It's a red triangle enclosing the X crossing sign and has their French name (Cistudes) on a plate below.

On my way to the next planned hide, I saw a sign pointing down a little lane to a hide.  I investigated.  There was a lot of fairly distant action visible from the hide including a lone Whiskered Tern.  Everything was too far away for my 400mm lens.  However, on the walk back to the car, I was treated to a song.

Whitethroat

I eventually reached my last destination of the day - The Étang de la Sous.  The hide there is one of the more recent ones and access is through an extended hallway with two sets of doors to prevent back-lighting of people using the hide.  It is roomy and comfortable.  It's also very popular with photographers because it gets you very close to any action.  It was from here that I was able to take in-flight shots of Whiskered Tern two years ago.  When I arrived on this visit, it was packed!

Shooting over the shoulders of other, I took some pictures of Black-headed Gull behaviour.

The lesson seems to be that, if you plan to spend time in the hide at the Étang de la Sous, you should go early and secure a good place.