Au revoir France, August 3-8, 2014

Garden Warbler Sylvia borin

  Birding in France reminded me a bit of birding in Korea, in that, unlike England, there were a lot fewer other birders around. Given some time and of course a little birding luck, I feel the varied and sleepy corners of habitat around St. Aubin Fosse Louvain could potentially yield some very interesting birds, especially come migration time. It makes me smile to ponder all the rare/overlooked birds that move through a given region undetected, far from the prying lenses of their quirky admirers.
  In a wonderfully mixed roadside scrub habitat just down the road from the hovel where I was staying, I finally found a Garden Warbler. It was mixed in with an active variety of tits and other warblers, including Blackcaps and Willow Warblers. Notable for its lack of features, the Garden Warbler must be the ultimate LBJ, and it took me a few moments to get a solid ID on it. A handsome bird in spite of its plainness, I think - a 'capless' Blackcap, in a way.
 I never did run into any Cirl or Corn Buntings, which was too bad. I figured I had a much better chance of finding those species in the bucolic French backwoods than in rural England, these days at least. Oh well, it gives me something to look for next time I'm in that part of the world.
  Tomorrow I'm off to the Cumbrian lake district for a bit. From a quick glean on the internet, it looks like there are birds like Glossy Ibis and some Skuas about, so it shows there is some exciting variety up there. I always enjoy jumping into a new patch, even if only a few weeks, and just having a muck about to see what's around.

47. Long-tailed Tit (St. Aubin Fosse Louvain, August 3, 2014)

48. Grey Wagtail (Gorron, August 4, 2014)

49. Willow Warbler (St. Aubin Fosse Louvain, August 4, 2014)

50. Garden Warbler (St. Aubin Fosse Louvain, August 4, 2014)

51. Green Sandpiper (St. Aubin Fosse Louvain, August 4, 2014)

52. Green Woodpecker (St. Aubin Fosse Louvain, August 5, 2014)

53. Little Egret (South of Calais, August 8, 2014)

54. Mute Swan (South of Calais, August 8, 2014)