Return to the Alps - 5th to 13th September 2020

After leaving the Ile de Re we headed across France and back to my brother Mike's house at Morillon in the French Alps.

As a regular but infrequent visitor to the Haute Giffre area of the French Alps it not always easy to establish the distribution of individual species. One species pair I have struggled with are the Marsh and Willow Tits so when one of the pair took to visiting his garden feeders I was keen to see which species it was.

Marsh Tit - nominate race palustris

The lack of pale edges to the secondaries and white cheek fading to brown at the rear plus the long outer tail feather looking equal in length to the central feathers are all features of Marsh Tit. It's not very clear on this photo but the cutting edge of the bill has a pale edge towards its base which is another feature of Marsh Tit. Although I have seen Willow Tit in the valley bottom I come across them more regularly at higher altitude in the coniferous woodlands but can't recall having seen Marsh Tit in this habitat.

Marsh Tit - giving a better view of the pale edged bill and again the brown rear cheek

Willow Tit - race montanus with dark edged bill and pale secondary edges but showing some brown on the rear cheek and shorter outer tail feathers

Of course if you can hear the birds calling or singing that is a big help.

I always visit the Lac de Flerier and was placed to see a pair of juvenile Black Terns which are scarce passage migrants here.

Black Tern - juvenile

On the 11th September I walked up to the Col de la Golese a migration watch point just a few km SW of the more well known Col de Bretolet.

A Golden Eagle circling high overhead was a good start and was briefly joined by a Common Buzzard which made a good size comparison.

Golden Eagle immature with Buzzard (lower photo)

As I approached the col I could see several Griffon Vulture in the distance at the northern end of the Col de Cou, although they were about 3km away they could be readily identified and after some time a group drifted towards me. I counted 22 but I think there were quite a few more as some were landing on the peak. It's the most I've ever recorded in the area.

Griffon Vultures

Stood on the col I could hear Black Grouse calling in the distance as well as at least 2 Black Woodpecker plus several Great Spotted and Green. A few Coal Tit were also crossing the col, I counted 18, along with 4 Crested Tit  and I saw a large group of what appeared to be mainly House Martin flying south which I estimated at 600 birds. On the ground I saw several Northern Wheatear and Black Redstart and at least three Citril Finch. 

The highlight though was a group of European Bee-eater, a species I have not previously recorded in the valley. I counted 15 as they flew rapidly south over the col calling. They were almost impossible to photograph but I managed one shot that is just about identifiable as a bee-eater.

European Bee-eater

Mike told me of several Bearded Vultures that were being seen regularly at the Col de Cenise in the Bargy mountains. I've seen them many times on the other side of the mountains at the Col de Colombiere but the Col de Cenise was a new area for me.

Interestingly this is where the Bearded Vulture that visited the UK in 2020 was born so it had travelled a long way as a youngster and was perhaps now back in this area.

We walked up the col on 12th September with no sign of any vultures. Eventually my brother and his wife, Christine separated from us to try a different area. We had barely been separated for 5 minutes when Pam and I picked up a Bearded Vulture gaining height from below the rock face in the mountains. It was a long way off but was coming a bit closer when an adult appeared very close and crossed the col giving fantastic views. Whilst watching this bird the second bird, an immature also came over us. I couldn't believe our luck. It shows how easily these birds can pass by unnoticed when we met up with my brother again and they had seen nothing.

Bearded Vulture - adult

Bearded Vulture - immature perhaps 3rd calendar year with two ages of flight feathers

Bearded Vulture - the immature rising out of the valley

Bargy Mountains from the Col de Cenise

On our last couple of days I drove up to Samoens 1600 where the star bird was a Spotted Nutcracker a bird which I see on most visits but usually just one or two birds.

Spotted Nutcracker

The Black Sea Coast

It was pouring with rain when I woke on 2nd May. I wondered around the deserted holiday village of Kamchia, these are strange places when they are empty. It's hard to imagine it every being busy and many of the buildings looked derelict. Needless to say I didn't see anything in the rain and wind so I moved north to Cape Kaliakra. The rain had just about stopped but the wind was still blowing when I arrived. As soon as I got out of the car I had hear the tuck call of Sylvia warblers and the 'hooeet' of a Willow Warbler. There were other calls too which I didn't recognise, this looked promising. A male Golden Oriole flew past and I could hear Bee-eaters calling. I stopped out of the wind and soon had brief views of a female Red-breasted Flycatcher, they gave a rippling ticking call like a subdued Wren and a more plaintive 'seep', the calls were coming from several directions at the same time and I put 6 in my note book but there could have been a dozen. 

Red-breasted Flycatcher - female, great little birds

Whilst I was watching one bird 2 Red-backed Shrikes appeared on the edge of a nearby bush.
I moved on slowly to the old walls which are a well known site for Pied Wheatear, one of the few places where this bird can be reliably seen in Europe. Sure enough within a few minutes a male appeared and what a superb bird it was. I've seen immature birds as vagrants in the UK but this was my first adult male. 

Pied Wheatear - males upper two photos and female below

Also on the wall was a male Black-headed Bunting which appeared exhausted as it allowed a very close approach. A female Pied Wheatear joined the male and as I searched round the area and the walk down to the Cafe I must have seen 7 or 8 birds plus 2 Northern Wheatear. 

Black-headed Bunting - male

As I walked down the narrow road a Little Bittern flew up from under my feet, the wind quickly took it away and it was lost from view.
Over the sea I saw several distance groups of small shearwaters which I presumed were Yelkouan but were too distant to tell
After several hours I got back in the van for the drive up the coast to Shabla, just as I was leaving Kaliakra a Great Spotted Cuckoo flew up from the road and landed in a roadside tree, this is well north of their normal range which ends at the southern Black Sea, an unusual record.
I parked near the campsite at Shabla Lake and saw someone bird watching down the track. I caught them up and was surprised to see that it was John Grist, someone I bird watched with in my twenties at Fairburn Ings and who I usually see at Spurn, it's a small world! He was coming to the end of a two week stay at Shabla. As we were talking a Ruddy Shellduck appeared on the lake along with several Ferruginous Ducks.  They had seen the first Thrush Nightingales and Paddyfield Warblers in the last few days and a Great Snipe just a little up the coast at Durankulak. Unfortunately it was raining again but I decided to have a look for the snipe, I saw several Roller on roadside wires as I drove a little further north, surprisingly these were my first of the trip.
No sign of the Great Snipe but there were hundreds of Black Terns feeding close inshore due to the wind, also quite a few White-winged Black Terns and Little Gulls with them, a fantastic sight. It was late in the evening but hopefully the photo gives an indication of the scene.

Black Terns

Unfortunately I had bad news from home that evening; Pam's mum had been unwell when we left in March but she had deteriorated whilst we were at Kerkini and was admitted to hospital. Her condition was getting worse and I decided that I was needed at home so would have to postpone the rest of my trip for another year. I will go home via Hungary and will make a few stops on the way.