Jump to content

Les grues.


pip24
 Share

Recommended Posts

Living in the Pyrenees they are a regular feature here and often overnight in an adjacent field. The row is incredible when they come into land. Often they wake us at night if the wind is strong (against them) so they fly very low to avoid it. Love to see them each year. I bet you never see them going back!!!!!! They do of course but don't make the same row as heading south so people don't look up and see them on the return trip!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We heard the first ones going over in the early hours of Sunday. I love seeing them go, and come back again, it gives me a sense of the changing seasons that you don't really get when you live in a city. And reminds me that even times of pandemic, the cycle of nature goes on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As we live just 5 minutes from the frontier (About ten seconds if you are flying!!!!) I feel sure they do also overnight in Spain. Every year I spend a great deal of time watching them try and cross the mountains against a strong, and warm, southerly. In a way it's heartbreaking to see their formations broken up by the strong winds as they are pushed back into France. They never give up of course and reform and just try again until they succeed. It is when the strong southerly is blowing that they often come down very low and I would estimate that sometimes they are only several hundred metres above the house; the noise in incredible when that happens. In actual fact we saw our first flight this year about three weeks ago, quite early. The earlier they migrate then the worse the winter will be (that's the folk lore anyway!!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, no more grue. In fact we haven't seen any for weeks which at this time of the year is unusual. Probably the very warm weather is keeping them in the north. The small flight I saw several weeks ago had almost certainly come from Germany to claim the best spot in the south!!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

This year the numbers seem to be down and also spread out. Yesterday there were several squadrons passing overhead, probably amounting to a few thousand. Usually they appear at 5he turn of October and November but from the reports here they have been sporadic over a longer period.

 At least we are still in France so have not missed them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Hectorsdad said:

This year the numbers seem to be down and also spread out. Yesterday there were several squadrons passing overhead, probably amounting to a few thousand. Usually they appear at 5he turn of October and November but from the reports here they have been sporadic over a longer period.

 At least we are still in France so have not missed them.

I agree, the numbers do seem to be down. A couple of weeks ago there were many flights, some just above the house because of the strong warm winds from the south. I can only think that the relatively warm weather has kept them in the north longer this year and that, eventually, as winter sets in they will head south in their usual numbers. We shall see!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...