Winter visitors arrive!

[Bobdude]

What an absolutely incredible and exciting sight today. I heard a commotion in the sky approaching from the South, and when I looked up, it was literally hundreds of geese in the largest 'V' formation I have ever seen - probably aiming for the lakes here in the Indre. It stretched out miles, and they were all 'chatting' away to each other as they flew. Wonderful! And to think they are at the end of their incredible journey of thousands of miles too. Just hope the hunters are not all waiting for them to land.

[Tresco]

You know, France is so big, I have to get my map out every time anyone tells about this stuff, but the nearest thing I have to your experience is the Cranes flying over Dept 16 to get from, about now, or go to, Scandinavi in late February or March.

They are the battiest birds I have ever heard, for sound effects. Fantastic.

[Bobdude]

Wouldn't it be just great if we could understand what they were saying to each other?

''Told you we should have turned left at the motorway'' or ''Now we are going around in circles - let me be the leader now or we will never get where we are going!''

[Chouette]

I saw them too and watched until they were so far away I couldn't see them anymore!  Great wasn't it.  They guy up at the front must be the one with the map

[SaligoBay]

On the way to the Camargue today, we saw a flock of flying flamingoes (aka strings with wings).

Very nice, but quite chaotic, not like those Disciplined Ducks.

Then saw enormous flocks of starlings, I mean huge huge huge, they twist and turn and make pretty patterns in the sky, it's like watching fractals in action.   Almost as good as old-day cinema screens, you know the ones that looked like oily bubbles in motion, before the ads came on for the local Indian or bike shop.

And THEN, guess what, saw TWO coypus.  And a dead roadkill one, but that probably doesn't count.   And then a huge grey heron, just a few metres away from us, and it didn't even move.  OTOH, maybe it was stuffed, but I hope not.

 

 

[Mpprh]

Hi SB

don't know if you know (if you follow me !) but the local twitchers are going orgasmic over the grey herons.

They used to fly South from Alsace & Germany, stop at Mejean for a snack and then continue to South Spain / Morocco.

Well, possibly due to climate change, an increasing number are wintering at Lattes. And last year some spent the summer at Mejean, but wintered in Spain/Morocco.

The Maison de la Nature ( http://www.ville-lattes.fr/loisirs_nature.asp#nature ) is building artificial nests, and they are hoping 150+ herons will winter in Mejean this year.

Also worth a trip is the archeological museum at Lattes (just up the road) to get a feeling for Lattaya and its Stone age, Etruscan, Phoenician, Greek & Roman history.

Useless information ?

I'm your man !

Peter

[SaligoBay]

It obviously wasn't a real one then, Peter, because I didn't have an orgasm.   I'll know better next time, and will try harder.

Lattes museum has been on the to-do list for a long time, can't think why I haven't done it yet.  There's something about the word "Etruscan", it just doesn't inspire somehow.

 

 

[Piprob]

I want some of the stuff you're on SaligoBay. Its life from your unique angle.

[Mpprh]

[quote]It obviously wasn't a real one then, Peter, because I didn't have an orgasm. I'll know better next time, and will try harder. Lattes museum has been on the to-do list for a long time, can't think w...[/quote]

Perhaps you should buy one of the Bill Oddie books to further improve your twitching technique ?

Peter