A French Gite - strictly for the Birds!!

You just never know…. I though there was going to be a paucity of bird news this week, but then several things happen or come to mind, worthy of comment.

The first one concerns the Carsington osprey Project. As you will know, the Volunteer rangers erected 2 extra osprey nests at Carsington water in 2011 in the hope of attracting some young Ospreys interested in starting a family. Rutland Wildlife Trust, well known for their success with their Osprey breeding programme following the translocation of chicks from Scotland, was trying to encourage wildlife conservationists to erect breeding facilities, which is what we did.

Unfortunately, Carsington has resident Cormorants who not only enjoy chasing away any passing Ospreys, but they also decimate the nests to use the sticks for their own nests. Consequently, we must do periodic make-overs, to reinstate nests to a more nesting conducive condition.

Thank goodness, enter DWT who have the long ladder, Mike Walsh and the skill to do what we used to call in my days in the construction industry, “Remedials”. Led by Samantha Willis and using the drone photos we took a couple of months ago next Wednesday the DWT is to give the Lane End nest a make-over and possibly one or two of the other nests.

The Volunteers have always given the DWT a donation each time they do a make-over, in recognition of the help that the DWT provide, and I am grateful to the birders on my BwB walks for THEIR donations which facilitate this work.

You will have seen me refer to a friend, Roy, who I have known longer than I have been married. He has nomadic tendencies, and I suspect some of our passed Xmas cards have not yet caught up with him.   

Currently, he is parlezing Francaise with the mayor of the little village in which he and his family, (wife – Barbara; son – David and 4-legged friend, the latter having more borders visas than I have) have very recently purchased a barn - a village with a name that I can’t even pronounce, but not far from Limoges. (Brigueuill….. how can you pronounce 4 vowels in a row???)

With the Barn comes a small property due for a make over and to be used as a Gite.    And an even smaller property suitable for birds. 

It has 5 bedrooms, 2 dining tables on the terrace, a stair case which Stannah will be looking at with a view to fixing a motor. It has 12 hooks for a variety of foods, and the landing looks as though candles can be added.

Most impressive 

Roy is an enthusiastic birder, and although his Binoculars are currently lying in Portugal, (which rather repudiates the statement that he is enthusiastic!!) from his French home, last week he did witness a significant number of flocks of Geese heading South, which he has resolved as Greylags. In profile, high-flying geese can be a problem, but witnessing the changing position of the leading bird was a good hint.

Roy also told me that he had encountered some local birders on migration watch, and they kept referring to Royal Milan.    This apparently is what they call red Kites in France, the name coming from LouiseIII who decreed that only the Royal family could fly them.

Drop that in a conversation next time you are in  a hide!! 

Tuesday November 6th  

Christine, Gill and I decided to have a walk round Attenborough Gravel Pits, to see what was about. Chris has crossed the Rubicon with the 200 club, but that target will elude Gill and I, in my case with 20+ to reach the 200, and some 45 needed by Gill. 

Gill has had a very good record 2018 with 145 to date, setting herself a new benchmark to exceed in 2019. 

Lest you should think Gill has started twitching she just happened to be on holiday in the locality and got caught up in the excitement of the many birders who went to see this rarity.   Only the second in the UK, and I believe the identification of the first one was a bit suspect.

Nothing like that at Attenborough, in fact although it was a pleasant stroll, and a pleasant languid lunch, there was not even a BOD… well I suppose the Goldeneye could have the credit this time.  

   That’s birding for you.

Upcoming walks??

18 November                10.30    Markeaton   BwB

Happy Birding