The Dordogne Wallcreepers, Woodpeckers and Kites

Transcription

1 The Dordogne Wallcreepers, Woodpeckers and Kites Tuesday 25 February Saturday 1 March 2014 Leader: David Simpson Trip report Day 1: Tuesday 25 February As usual I waited for the arrival of the plane at Bergerac airport by the perimeter fence, at the eastern end of the runway. Bird-wise it was fairly quiet but there was a Buzzard and two Kestrels near the runway and a few Meadow Pipits and Reed Buntings plus two Chiffchaffs in nearby fields. As the Ryanair flight landed I made my way to the terminal building where before too long Martin, Stephen and Helen, Bob and Ann, John and Margaret emerged from the arrivals building and we were greeting one another, a nice mixture of old friends and new faces. I left the group and went back to get the minibus. After a short time we were packing up the minibus ready to go. On route to our hotel some of us had a brief view of a Crag Martin at Lalinde church and a little further on a small group of Roe Deer looked across at us as we drove into Sauveboeuf. In less than half an hour from the airport we were parking up on the quay at Mauzac outside our pretty hotel Le Barrage, where Amanda was waiting to greet us. After sorting out rooms we all reconvened in the restaurant for a nice relaxing cup of tea, sandwiches and cake. After discussion everyone agreed that we should do an early evening trip before dinner to Les Eyzies to try for Wallcreeper and Eagle Owl, by way of an introduction to the area. Before leaving we noted White Wagtail, Little Egret, Cormorant, a mass of Mute Swans (the usual suspects here) and Bob saw a Black-headed Gull. With fine weather forecast we headed directly to Les Eyzies to give ourselves the maximum time for Wallcreeper-watching! First stop was the church at Tayac often a good site, unfortunately not this time just a Nuthatch calling from trees opposite and giving nice views. We moved on to the west end of the main street in Les Eyzies. As we all got out of the minibus I saw a Wallcreeper on the adjacent cliff-face. Almost immediately it flew a short distance to the right, as I went back to the vehicle to get my scope. When I returned to the group I was told that our bird had disturbed another Wallcreeper which had flown off! The original bird remained on the cliff-face giving nice views a great way to start the holiday! We walked further along the main street and found a Crag Martin flitting amongst the cliffs and a Buzzard flew out above the crags. Next we moved on to a view of the long line of cliffs known as the Falaise du Cingle. These have nesting Raven, Pergerine and Eagle Owl. Unfortunately the light was going and we neither saw nor heard anything of these species. However a Song Thrush, Blackbird and Robin put on a fine chorus for us as night fell. As a last stop we headed for the quarry site where a pair of Eagle Owls regularly nest. We parked up and waited. Sadly after waiting for a while, all was quiet with no calling or other sign of the birds. So it was time to be getting back to the hotel after the day s travelling and this late fieldtrip. With damp conditions on route we saw several Common Toads out on the roads close to their breeding ponds. When we returned to Le Barrage, Amanda had prepared us a nice light supper which was just what we needed before turning in for the night. 1

2 Day 2: Wednesday 26 February The morning started well with a Kingfisher showing nicely by the canal lock just next to the hotel. Martin also found a Grey Wagtail and Common Sandpiper. Today however was to be spent searching for woodpeckers in the woodlands and forests of central Dordogne. Firstly we visited a woodland near Vergt. This contains mature oak and Sweet Chestnut but also a Beech wood with Holly, which are both unusual in Dordogne, as they are generally more northern species. In addition the area has been planted with an American oak. On the face of it, this might not seem to augur so well for typical Dordogne woodland birds, but in fact the site is particularly rich with five species of woodpecker breeding. In addition it has good open views and so it is easier to see the birds. As we got out of the minibus Nuthatches, Marsh Tits and Short-toed Treecreepers were calling and we had good views. We stood and listened for sometime and although we heard the calls of Green, Great Spotted, Lesser Spotted and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers, all we saw were occasional flashes through the trees - all rather frustrating! There was also quite a bit of drumming going on too: Lesser Spotted and Great Spotted Woodpeckers and possibly a Black too. A Starling was also busy nearby inspecting a nesting hole in a tree. As we walked on through the woodland and up the road we briefly heard and saw Siskin and Hawfinch pass overhead. As we emerged from the wood we disturbed two Cirl Buntings which flew off, but another male was singing across the field giving everyone good views through the scope. Returning back through the wood a rather cold Red Admiral flew slowly through the trees. Stephen saw a goose flying over probably a Greylag. A rather sad sight was a squashed Fire Salamander in the middle of the road. Next we went to a nearby oak woodland near a leisure lake (closed for the winter). Here we all had nice views of a Firecrest searching for food amongst ivy on an old tree and later two Long-tailed Tits. Soon after we heard the clucking contact call and then the strange territorial call of the Middle Spotted Woodpecker, sounding rather like a bird of prey, unfortunately most of us couldn t see the bird. John however, managed to view the bird through his binoculars, noting the white clean-faced appearance. We had lunch in a restaurant at Saint-Georges-de-Montclard, Bob and Ann just chose the soup but the rest of opted for the plat du jour : a pot au feu which was a vegetable and meat stew on two large platters for us to serve ourselves. We barely got through half of it though but it was nice enough. As we left the restaurant we heard the familiar (for me) sound of cranes flying overhead: a lovely musical bugling sound. There were three groups totalling around 500 birds. They flew steadily north-eastward then searched for thermals above a nearby hill rather in vain as the weather was deteriorating. Being close to another Black Woodpecker breeding site, I drove up to a nearby little hamlet with a beautiful Romanesque church. We walked up the hill past the ancient oak trees and waited not too far from the nesting tree. Sadly we drew a blank, though timing and weather were perhaps against us. With the weather closing in and clearer skies to the south, I suggested we leave the wooded areas and try some birding on the farmland of Faux Plateau always an interesting area. We would try again for woodpeckers on the Saturday morning. We started on the east side of the plateau where Black-winged Kites nested last year. A short walk took us in pleasant warm sunshine along a hedgerow and out amongst the fields. Stephen saw a dark harrier of some kind but it rapidly disappeared. We scanned the usual areas and saw various common birds including Kestrel and Buzzard and I showed the group the location of last year s kite nest in a large oak (with a Hobby nest in another tree not far away). Then, as I walked around the bend in the path, I looked up to see one of the kites in a tree top. It flew back on to another hedge and joined another bird. We all had great views of these two beautiful birds through the scope. Later they flew again and showed their characteristic v glides: truly memorable sight particularly in Dordogne, where this is the only pair. The rest of the afternoon was spent further north near Faux village. This is often a productive area and as soon as we were out of the bus there were two Crested Larks (one posing in silhouette, crest-up for the scope). There was also a small flock of Cirl Buntings and two Stonechats showing well in the hedgerows. Roe Deer and Rabbits were also seen here in the fields. For a grand finale a male Hen Harrier came close, quartering the fields for a while, dropping down occasionally on unsuspecting prey. A particularly nice way to finish the day, as it is Margaret s favourite bird. 2

3 Day 3: Thursday 27 February We had a long drive this morning westward to the wintering grounds of the Common Crane on the borders of the Gironde and Landes départements. It was a rather grey and wet journey but we saw a few Kestrels, Buzzards and some Roe Deer on route. We drove straight to our lunch stop at Captieux reaching there around 11.30am. Just by the motorway interchange Martin saw a Little Grebe in a water supply pond. This time we returned to our 2012 restaurant the one over the road having closed down. It is a cheerful friendly place and they are always only too pleased to help. This time they supplied me with information brochures about the Common Crane season The birds are big business here! The owner had already started cooking, so we were able to sit down and eat fairly rapidly. After a good hearty meal we were ready to head off for an afternoon s bird watching. The weather had thankfully improved with some sunshine, and it warmed up to 13 C the best of the week. As we approached the crane site, two Pheasants flew across the road into the pines. At the observatoire we parked up and climbed the steps, setting ourselves up in the hide to view the surroundings from on high. The building is set amongst the maize fields in the Landes pine forest. We scanned the fields no cranes it seemed until we found four to the left on the far side of the fields. A Buzzard was also pottering about on the ground picking at invertebrates. Things weren t helped by the lack of pruning on the cypresses which surround the hide our view out was partially blocked! Gradually we found more cranes further to the left. In fact we could hear considerable numbers calling in the distance but could not see them. We became aware that there were more in the fields further down the road. So we closed the shutters, went back down the steps and got back in the bus. There were around 50 feeding in the maize field around a kilometre along the road. Some were quite close which provided photo opportunities. It was possible to identify the young birds with no head pattern and a few birds displayed a little when the wind died down and the sun was strong. Many of the birds we had heard calling from the hide must have flown on and into the military site where they roost. Near the hide, John found the first of several Stonechats. As we continued along the road we kept seeing small birds including Meadow Pipits. Near one farm where we stopped to see the cranes there was a flock of Chaffinches massing in a bramble-covered ditch. Scanning through them we found various other species: a female Yellowhammer, plus several Cirl and Reed Buntings. Returning along the same road we saw a flock of 15 White Wagtails in a freshly ploughed field, the adults looking resplendent in their spring plumage in the sunshine against the dark soil. Amongst them was a winter plumage Water Pipit not quite as pretty as the spring plumaged ones last year however. A Sparrowhawk was active around all these small bird flocks though we didn t see it take anything. As we finished the day I spoke to a local farmer who had been out liming the fields. It turned out that he was a native of Dordogne, he talked about the cranes locally and was interested that we were also looking at small birds too! Day 4: Friday 28 February This was our main day searching for cliff birds along the Vézère and Dordogne valleys. Unfortunately it started with persistent rain and grey skies. Our journey took us through Le Bugue, where we stopped to watch a rather bedraggled Red Kite as it attempted to fly northwards, as a Great Spotted Woodpecker drummed in the forest below. Just before Les Eyzies we stopped again to view the first set of significant cliffs. Although the weather was against us we did hear a Peregrine and it settled on a crag where we had reasonable views through the scope. The rain got worse so we headed for the village and I suggested a coffee break, which proved popular. This seemed to do the trick as we spent twenty minutes chatting and relaxing whilst the rain stopped. We walked out into blue skies and soon sunshine. There were three Crag Martins flying out from the cliffs and much activity with Great and Blue Tits at the bird table opposite our lunchtime restaurant. As we got back to the minibus Martin and I saw a Wallcreeper briefly before it disappeared behind some rocks never to re-appear, sadly the rest of the group missed it. However undaunted and with more confidence we went to the nearby medieval church. As we got out of the bus, the group found a Wallcreeper up on the stone-tiled roof of the church. It gave lovely views through our binoculars in the sunshine. Then all of a sudden it skipped over the roof and was gone. We followed it around to the other side and there it was. It seemed to warm to this game of follow-myleader and gave us the run-around a little bit longer before settling on one of the rear towers in the sunshine, 3

4 though high up. Giving us all the well known bird watchers condition of Wallcreeper neck! However by this time the bird obviously felt sorry for us and proceeded to flutter all the way down the wall to a spot a few metres in front of us. Definitely the time for a photo! The bird even posed at all angles for us, including in a little hole, for effect. Ann got some very nice video footage too. At this time we were joined by a local French orchidophile who had been told that this was a good site for Wallcreepers. Like us he was suitably impressed. Finally the bird flew from the church to the nearby house where some of us had more excellent views before it finally disappeared. Two Hawfinches in a nearby tree were an added bonus for some of us. It was time to nip over the valley to another famous site: Grand Roc. This is a large cave with fabulous crystalline structures which can be visited with a guide. Of course we were only interested in the cliff face outside! From the car park you get a great view and we soon saw two Crag Martins including surprisingly one nest building. A Peregrine flew out from the cliff, John found a couple of Grey Wagtails by the river, a Firecrest sang in the little wood and we saw yet another Wallcreeper which showed briefly and then disappeared, as they often do when the cliff is rich in holes and caves. By this time we felt that we had earned our lunch and went back into the village to the Chateaubriant restaurant. This is a great restaurant on the main street, very friendly, efficient, lovely food and with a view of the Wallcreeper cliffs! We enjoyed our best restaurant lunch of the week and were tempted to stay longer. However we had more sites to visit and the clock was ticking... With everyone aboard we made a second visit to the local quarry to search for the Eagle Owls. The track was partly flooded so I parked just off the road. We made the short walk and set up the telescope. Unfortunately there was no sign of the birds on the usual vegetated ledge. I had visited a week or two before and seen nothing. I suspect that the increased quarrying activity and construction work by the entrance may have disturbed the birds and caused them to moved elsewhere. I did see another Crag Martin through the scope as I looked for the owls. Rather than continue around the other Les Eyzies sites, I decided to take the group to the cliffs along the Dordogne valley, which can also be productive. We climbed out of the Vézère valley and over the watershed and down into the Dordogne valley to the village of Saint Cyprien with its ancient monumental abbey. First stop was Beynac Castle high on the cliffs above the river. We parked in the upper village next to the castle and viewpoint and walked out around the battlements. There was a keen wind and no birds about, however there was a magnificent view down the valley. As we reached the end of the path an lbj (little brown bird) entered stage left and alighted high on the chapel roof an Alpine Accentor. It stayed a while and gave good views as it remained just in the lee of the ridge. It was possible to see the rufous flanks, white braiding on the wing panel and white speckled chin and thicker bill (with yellowish base) than a Dunnock. Soon it flipped over the ridge tiles and was gone a great little cameo! We walked up to the viewpoint looking upstream along the river valley and here we heard Firecrest and saw some more Long-tailed Tits. Next stop was La Roque-Gageac, nestled under the riverside cliffs and named one of the prettiest villages in France. Unfortunately due to roadworks by the river in Beynac we had to make a detour. However it wasn t too long and we were soon parked up and walking into the village. Like Beynac there were many Jackdaws active, perhaps 50 birds at each village as well as Feral Pigeons. However otherwise it was quiet for birds, though I did hear a Kingfisher calling by the river. Before leaving I thought we should stop at the cliffs near the entrance to the village to scan them for possible Eagle Owl, as this is a regular breeding site. We got the scopes out and had a last look. We saw similar species to the previous village cliffs, until John asked me if we get Little Owls locally. I thought this was just polite conversation and said they are usually in more open terrain. It then transpired that he was truly looking at a little owl. He let me have a look through the telescope and there high up in a cliff hole was an Eagle Owl! At that distance it certainly looked small in what was obviously quite a big hole. We all got good views through the scopes the bird even deigned to raise its ear tufts and turn right and left to amuse us. Well done John. We returned back along the main road to Beynac and its imposing chateau-fortress up on the riverside high crags. This was an opportunity to take photos of the castle and we found another Peregrine here on a bare tree high up beneath the castle walls. Unfortunately the detour wasn t signed for the return to Saint-Cyprien, so we followed the one for heavy lorries which took us via Sarlat which made for a longer return journey than planned, but a chance to see more of the beautiful Dordogne countryside and villages. 4

5 After returning to our hotel and before supper, John found six Little Egrets by the river. Day 5: Saturday 1 March By popular request the last morning was spent visiting Black Woodpecker sites including a return to the Beech wood where we had heard many woodpeckers on the Wednesday. The weather forecast was good and I had heard a flock of cranes fly over the house in the early morning, so I felt optimistic. First though, we had to say our goodbyes and thanks to our excellent hostess Amanda at Le Barrage, who had looked after us so well all week. Our first stop of the morning was by a little church nearby. Parking just outside the hamlet we walked around the churchyard looking and listening. A Green Woodpecker called but there was no sign of the resident Blacks. We inspected the nesting tree and various holes the Black Woodpeckers had made. Walking back to the bus, Stephen and Martin found a male Blackcap in a bush. Next we moved northwards near Sainte-Alvère to a small irrigation reservoir and surrounding woodland. This is another Black Woodpecker nesting site, also in tall old plane trees, which the species seems to favour in Dordogne. Again we drew a blank. It seems strange that such a vocal, large and obvious woodpecker could be so discrete in its behaviour but then it is something of a mythical beast. When you see (or even hear) one it is an event. We were luckier with other species of woodpeckers. Both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers called and two Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers drummed and called for much of our visit. Most of us had reasonable views of the latter and I saw a black-crowned female briefly. There were also plenty of Nuthatches and several Short-toed Treecreepers about. Out on the lake Martin picked out two Coypus swimming under the far bank, though they rapidly disappeared beneath overhanging vegetation. For John the highlight was hearing a Woodlark singing as we walked up the hill. Ann heard a Chiffchaff briefly singing too. A Red Admiral butterfly flew past us and a Middle Spotted Woodpecker briefly sang before we returned to the bus for our final site, the Beech wood near Vergt. As before we parked up at the entrance to the wood. As soon as I got out I heard Middle Spotted Woodpeckers calling excitedly. Once everyone was out of the bus, we all watched as a pair chased one another with fluttering flight around various trees but just hidden enough to not allow good viewing. Then all went quiet as they disappeared back into the wood behind very frustrating. Again we heard Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers drumming and calling I don t think I have ever heard so many in Dordogne! I would say that normally they are one of the more difficult woodpeckers to find here. We walked further into the wood and saw this time a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers chasing one another, this time giving better views. Passing the old house adjacent to the wood I spoke to the French owners who were very knowledgeable about their woodpeckers and other forest birds. They confirmed that the Black Woodpecker would either be in this or that part of the wood...but unfortunately couldn t be more specific! Walking by the ancient oaks there were again plenty of Nuthatches and Short-toed Treecreepers calling and some showing nicely. And when we had just about given up...a Black Woodpecker flew across a ride not far from us. Martin had the best view as he was at the front of the group and sadly one of two of our group who were further back missed it. A fairly typical viewing a quick flappy flight and gone, surprisingly this one never called - anyway however brief, it was great to see. Back at the bus I handed out the picnic lunches. Amanda at Le Barrage had provided us with some nice baguettes and assorted extras. We chatted about the week and some of the good birds and soon it was time to go back to Bergerac airport and to say our goodbyes. The Wallcreeper and its stunning performance at the church in Les Eyzies had been the highlight for most of us. David Simpson, March

6 BIRD SPECIES RECORDED 1. Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis 2. Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 3. Grey Heron Ardea cinerea 4. Little Egret Egretta garzetta 5. Mute Swan Cygnus olor 6. Mallard Anas platyrhynchos 7. Black-winged Kite Elanius caeruleus 8. Red Kite Milvus milvus 9. Hen (Northern) Harrier Circus cyaneus 10. Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus 11. Common (Eurasian) Buzzard Buteo buteo 12. Common (Eurasian) Kestrel Falco tinnunculus 13. Peregrine Falco peregrinus 14. Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus 15. Common Crane Grus grus 16. Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus 17. Rock Dove (Feral Pigeon) Columba livia 18. (Common) Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus 19. Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto 20. Eurasian Eagle Owl Bubo bubo 21. Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis 22. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos minor 23. Middle Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopus medius 24. Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major 25. Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius 26. (European) Green Woodpecker Picus viridis 27. Crested Lark Galerida cristata 28. Woodlark Lullula arborea 29. Eurasian Crag Martin Hirundo rupestris 30. Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta 31. Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis 32. White Wagtail Motacilla alba alba 33. Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea 34. (Winter) Wren Troglodytes troglodytes 35. Alpine Accentor Prunella collaris 36. Hedge Accentor (Dunnock) Prunella modularis 37. Common (Eurasian) Blackbird Turdus merula 38. Song Thrush Turdus philomelos 39. Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus 40. European Robin Erithacus rubecula 41. (Eurasian) Stonechat Saxicola torquata 6

7 42. Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita 43. Firecrest Regulus ignicapillus 44. Long-tailed (Bush) Tit Aegithalos caudatus 45. Marsh Tit Parus palustris 46. Great Tit Parus major 47. Blue Tit Parus caeruleus 48. Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea 49. Wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria 50. Short-toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla 51. Common (European) Starling Sturnus vulgaris 52. Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius 53. Eurasian (Common) Magpie Pica pica 54. Western Jackdaw Corvus monedula 55. Carrion Crow Corvus corone 56. Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus 57. Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella 58. (Common) Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus 59. Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs 60. European Greenfinch Carduelis chloris 61. Siskin Carduelis spinus 62. European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis 63. Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes 64. House Sparrow Passer domesticus Thanks to all those who provided photos for this report: Bob Carpenter (BC), John Bartlett (JB), Martin Chadwick (MC), Stephen and Helen Burrell (SB/HB). 7

8 Wallcreeper selection (BC) (JB) (BC) (SB/HB) (MC) (BC) Beynac Castle (MC) Les Eyzies (JB) 8

9 Alpine Accentor (BC) Eagle Owl (BC) Common Cranes (SB/HB) Common Cranes (BC) Water Pipit (BC) Common Cranes (SB/HB) In the field - La Roque-Gageac (JB) In the dining room Le Barrage Hotel 9