Vendoire, Charente, France - August 2013 (Part 1)

I had a week in Vendoire in the Charente region of France from 18th to 25th August. Very nice, and full of fantastic wildlife... But, I was with la famille élargie, so there wasn't much chance to go birding properly. Fortunately, I did get a couple of trips to the nearby Tourbieres de Vendoire nature reserve, and some time out in the maize and sunflower fields. It's a top area for wildlife, with Vendoire being on the border with the Dordogne, and certainly a place we'll revisit …because our friends own the house we stayed in ;-)

Most interestingly (for me at least), is that this was my first opportunity to use my new camera: a Canon SX40 HS. It's a bridge camera, rather than a fancy-pants (i.e. expensive) DSLR, and basically a Canon point-and-click with a proper lens - with a whopping 35x optical zoom. I spent two weeks birding with Lee Evans not long after he bought one, and I was very impressed with it (it was obvious that any idiot could get great results from it...). Don't hold your breath for any fancy wildlife-photographer-of-the-year stuff, but hopefully my photos on here should improve.

Here are some of the birds and a few sites from the area. Mammals, herptiles, insects, etc, to follow in separate blogs…

 Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus - Vendoire, Charente, France, August 2013

Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus - Vendoire, Charente, France, August 2013

 Cirl Bunting nest - Vendoire, Charente, France, August 2013

 Collard Dove Streptopelia decaocto - Vendoire, Charente, France, August 2013

House Sparrow Passer domesticus - Vendoire, Charente, France, August 2013

White Wagtail Motacilla alba - Vendoire, Charente, France, August 2013

On the penultimate morning I dragged myself out of bed before the kids got up and went birding in ab area to the northwest. I found a great vantage point overlooking some fields and found some great birds. Two Hen Harriers, four Kestrels, two Buzzards, a Stone Curlew and a flock of Mistle Thrushes and Carrion Crows, all in one field. Unfortunately, most were too distant for photography...

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo - Champagne, Charente, France, August 2013

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo - Champagne, Charente, France, August 2013

Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus - Fontaine, Charente, France, August 2013

Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus - Fontaine, Charente, France, August 2013

Stone Curlew Burhinus oedicnemus - Fontaine, Charente, France, August 2013

Stone Curlew Burhinus oedicnemus - Fontaine, Charente, France, August 2013

Young Kestrel Falco tinnunculus - Fontaine, Charente, France, August 2013

There were loads of Black Redstarts around the gîte and surrounding are, but I didn't manage to photograph any of them. A Spotted Flycatcher spent some time feeding from a tree by the pool, and I was too lazy to drag myself out and photograph it!

Think I had too much of this kind of nature...