Little Birds, Little Camargue

At least the mosquitoes won’t be too bad.

That was the most positive of my thoughts as we arrived this morning at the Petite Camargue in a rushing gale. The reeds and the waters were in constant and chaotic motion, and there was no way, I thought, that we were going to see anything but the Yellow-legged Gulls and Common Swifts being blasted through the air above our heads.

I wasn’t entirely wrong: our “heard only” list was longer than hoped, with even such normally findable birds as Great and European Reed Warblers and Blackcap refusing to show themselves. But persistence and good luck eventually gave us nice looks at some of the species we’d really been hoping to see, among them all five of the “French fancies”: Common Cuckoo, Eurasian Hoopoe, European Bee-eater, European Roller, and Common Kingfisher all showed, with multiple individuals of all but the last.

Most of the herons were presumably huddled in shelter, but ultimately we tallied nearly all the regular long-legs, including a beautiful male Little Bittern that kindly battled the wind to rise up from the phragmites to greet us. That species, along with a couple of Mediterranean Gulls and a singing Corn Bunting, were new for Diane, giving  us the first lifers of the tour.

Another “little” bird was probably the best of the morning. As we quaked and wavered alongside the road, I saw a Little Grebe dip quickly beneath the waters of the ditch, leaving nothing but a ripple for the others to see. In best dabchick style, it never surfaced (well, it probably did resurface at some point); so I started paying attention in hopes that I’d find another.

No luck until it was time to get back into the car. I was last in line, and just as I approached the vehicle the reeds parted to reveal a dark bump: a Little Grebe all folded up on a tiny tussock of mud and phragmites shreds. Rather than shout out to the others and disturb the bird, I ran up and brought the group back–and found myself utterly unable to relocate the nest. It took me half a dozen tries before I could finally replicate the original angle at just the right moment to see through the reeds.

Exciting enough: I’d never seen a nest before, and the incubating bird gave the best looks many of the group had ever had at this common but shy species. And then things got better. Another Little Grebe popped under on the other side of the road as I turned the car around–followed by two little stripies.

Highlight of the tour so far? Without a doubt. But we’re only one day in!