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.

Late April at Stourhead

This blog covers the images captured at Stourhead in late April 2012 before I went on my trip to France.

This Mute Swan regards the whole of the lake as his personal space.  He has a hard (and unsuccessful) time trying to convince the other inhabitants.

I was trying to persuade my 'top model' Robin to sit on something that I'd placed below.  Here he is considering the idea.  He never did quite get round to doing it!

I think the expression says it all.

Here we have one of the pair of Canada Geese that seem to have become quite bold lately.  Any cropping of either of these two images was negligible.

And on another day ...

Morning briefing

One-to-one

I happened to spot this from the iron bridge.

Angel fish? (or is that not a halo?)

Some visitors stopped to admired my 'top model' Robin whilst I was setting up this shot.  He's such a bold little chap and readily allowed me to pose him so they could take similar photographs.  One lady commented that she had never been so close to a Robin.

Pantheon in the background

Whilst they were busy with their new subject, I decided not to point out what was behind them on the edge of the narrow path!

A Bank Vole

It was Rain in Somme

Yes, there is a pun in the title and it's deliberate.

This the first of my French Blogs.

My visit to the Parc du Marquenterre on the Bay of Somme was a rather wet one.  The rain was heavy and the wind was strong and driving across the massive reserve.  It's a very impressive reserve and I hope to revisit in better weather.  The trails are well-constructed and have good surfaces.  There are some excellent hides at strategic points, but they are unglazed.  On the day of my visit, that meant that using the viewing ports on the weather side was rather like taking a power-shower.  The ones on the lee side afforded the few chances for photography.  I managed but a few pictures.

Three members of staff were circulating around the hides where they set up shop with scopes and a mass of back-up materials in several languages to help any visitors needing assistance.

I'd never been to this reserve before and one of my targets was the breeding colony of European Spoonbill.  I managed one distant shot and you can see the weather for yourself.

I came across this pair of Whooper Swan nesting half-on half-off the trail.  They were quite unconcerned as I walked past about 2 metres away.  (I took the photograph from the shelter of a convenient hide a few metres further along the path.)

Whether these birds had been raised on the reserve or whether they had been pinioned I never resolved.  At this time of the year, in the wild, one would expect to find them in Iceland.  One of the guides on site didn't have too much time for discussion on this.  Whilst in the UK we might sometimes use the term captive rather liberally for such restrained, otherwise wild animals, the French more-or-less equivalent word, captif, has seemingly a much tighter connotation and would not strictly apply.  These birds were described as domestiqué.  Interesting.

This Pochard seemed to have the right idea.

Too wet for ducks

The best angle I could get on one of the local White Stork was this:

This was taken from a huge covered stand overlooking an arena where birds feed.

Even though I hadn't lingered too much for photography, it had been a long way round the reserve.  (There are horse-drawn cart tours round the perimeter.)  My legs were tired and I was hungry.  The reserve boasts an excellent café and I had some lunch.

When I was eventually leaving the rain stopped, but I didn't have the energy to go round again!  Another time ...

From Easter to 12th April 2012

Here are the last few pictures taken during the Easter weekend at Stourhead.

Nuthatch:  You take a seed ...

... like this.

Then you toss it back.  Like this.

Looking on (and not very impressed) was this Coal Tit:

This Canada Goose is one of a pair that's starting to get acquainted with me.  We'll see more of this chap.

How's that for waterproofing?

This is one of 'my Robins' and it seems bent on familiarising itself with the equipment.

"Is this my weight or my height?"

It's up for anything.  I'm presently trying to teach it how to use a pair of binoculars.  Don't hold your breath!

Nuthatch: Over the top.

Blue Tit:  Wannabee Owl?

Snake-head Fritillary

After the Bank Holiday weekend, I was back at Stourhead.

This chap (the same one) appears to have a mate and a nest somewhere deep in the shrubbery behind the camera.  As we worked on the binocular routine (we haven't got there yet), it would take about every third or fourth mealworm I gave it behind me and into the bushes.  There would be a few 'noises off' and it would reappear to continue our session.

A few metres away where it's more open a Marsh Tit seemed curious:

I continued my walk.

When I reached the Lily Pond, that pair of Canada Geese flew in low over my head, landed on the water, and taxied back to where I was standing.  This one left the water and came to me.  It showed no aggression, but just curiosity.  This image has not been cropped.

I've 'over-cooked' the white a bit at the left.  I'm looking to get a better quality image soon.

Displaced by the Canada Geese, a pair of Mallard left the water.  This is the female.  Her equally plebeian mate had skulked off into the bushes - put to shame by the bigger birds.

Mallard x Heinz?

On the 12th April, the forecast suggested a good sunny break in the April showers, so I went off early to Greylake RSPB reserve on the Somerset Levels.  It was very quiet there and I seemed to be dogged by my constantly having the wrong lens fitted.  Sod's Law!  Anyway, here's what I managed.

Little Grebe

Clearly, the bigger lens was called for.

A compromise between freezing the bird and showing the splashing to best effect.

Still with the bigger lens assembly fitted (i.e. 840mm) ... ...

Coot

Mute Swan: Drifting by

It seemed safe to change back to 600mm and take this:

Moorhen

... and then!

Reed Bunting

I changed the lens and, of course, there was no further sighting of any Reed Bunting from the hide.

It was now warming up outside, but inside the hide it was distinctly parky.  I changed the lens back, packed my bag and set off into the sunshine and to the car park. 

Now, at many reserves, there is that special place where the tables are turned and the birds watch the people.  I refer, naturally, to that place often called the picnic area.  There waiting for a human to watch, was - yes! - a Reed Bunting.  I sat down and shuffled about a bit on the seats to try and get a decent angle on him.

Then to complete my morning of 'what lens should I have?' he moved almost overhead and I couldn't fit him in the frame with the 600mm.  Should I really have taken a zoom-lens?