Wednesday 5 February 2020
Arrived at Bordeaux with Ryanair 25 minutes early at 1930hrs, took ages to get through immigration. We then drove to our apartment near the centre. A quick dash for a drink in the centre, was met with a surprise bill for 14 Euros, for a large beer and a small alcohol free beer!
Thursday 6 February
Left Bordeaux north to stay 6 nights at La Rochelle. Drove along the Gironde Estuary and passed through some interesting fen type countryside next to the Le Blayais nuclear power station. House/Trees Sparrows, Starling, Chaffinch, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Mallard, Pintail, Shoveler, Kestrel, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, White Wagtail, White Stork, Black Stork, Common Sandpiper, Lapwing, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull.
Parcs a huitres, Saltpans/fishponds
Shelduck, Meadow Pipit, Stonechat, Spoonbill, Great White Egret, Marsh Harrier. I put my bins on a large flock (c100) of distant ducks and thought "they look strange". Gadwall and Mallard, but they were plastic! All part of a big decoy with a sunken hide for the shooters!
Friday 7 February
Ile de Re an island reached by a bridge (€8 toll) from La Rochelle. Saltpans/fishponds to the west of St Martin-de-Re Brent Geese, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Curlew, Dunnock, Jackdaw Yellow-legged Gull
Reserve Naturelle Lilleau Niges the far west of the island near Les Portes-en-Re Good selection of waders, if distant Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit, Turnstone, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Great Black-blacked Gull, Black-necked Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Robin, Grey Plover, Dunlin, Sanderling, Knot. Some research into a ringed adult Yellow-legged Gull, revealed it has been ringed locally.
Saturday 8 February
Parc Interregional Du Marais Poitevin
Went to explore this Parc to the north of La Rochelle. Best described as flat farmland with lots of drains similar to the English Fens, but no large reedbeds to speak of. In the main lots of Starlings, the highest density of Kestrels I have ever noted, plus many Buzzards. One wet area next to the coast held good numbers of wildfowl Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Teal, Pintail and Shelduck. In the distance, large wader flocks consisting mainly of thousands of Lapwing, were continually being harried by Marsh Harriers. Near the village of Champagne-les-Marais, we found a distant flock of c35 Common Cranes and nearby in a horse field several Cattle Egrets. The rain then set in for the morning and passerines in particular were hard to come by. In the afternoon 3 Little Grebes were found on an inlet from the sea at La Faute-sur-Mer.
Sunday 9 February
Very windy day, explored the coast and inlets around Pnte du Plomb finding very little. Went back to yesterday's productive area in the Parc Interregional Du Marais Poitevin. Lots of wetland birds if a bit distant. Main point of interest was a large flock of Golden Plover.
Monday 10 February
Interesting to note that Black-headed and Yellow-legged Gulls were visiting our apartment block early morning, to feed on the remains of the previous days baguettes, thrown from resident's windows. Most of the gulls were catching the bread, in the air! Drove south to the Ile D'Oleron, an island to the west of Rochefort. Pretty much the same wetland birds as previous days. Again passerines were few and non at all were found, after two hours spent in a pine/Holme Oak woodland on sand dunes! Only butterfly of the trip was a Red Admiral out in the afternoon sunshine. White Storks were nest building.
Tuesday 11 February
Visited the network of canals at the east end of the Parc Interregional Du Marais Poitevin. A few more passerines today finally adding Blue and Great Tit plus Goldfinch. Today's highlight was a pair of Cirl Buntings in an Ash tree, at the side of a canal next to houses! Despite high water levels and many flooded fields/woods, wetland birds were few and far between.
Wednesday 12 February
Drove back to Bordeaux airport on the quiet roads, but found little of interest. Rynair early arriving back in Manchester.
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