Mediterranean Pyrenees
  • Home
  • About
  • Galleries
    • Birds of the Mediterranean Pyrenees >
      • Common Birds of the Mediterranean Pyrenees by Isobel
    • Weather in the Mediterranean Pyrenees >
      • Weather: skies and storms in the Mediterranean Pyrenees
      • Clouds above the Mediterranean Pyrenees by Isobel
      • The summer of 2015 by Isobel
    • Bruce's Pix >
      • Beetles, Bugs and other insects
      • Birds
      • Butterflies
      • Butterflies of La Batère
      • Canigou
      • Castles
      • Dragonflies
      • Flowers
      • Pyrenees Landscapes
      • TGV
      • UK photos
    • Isobel's Images >
      • Isobel's favourite images
      • Springtime in an Alberes garden
      • In the garden
      • Tour de Batere, spring 2015 with Robin Noble
    • Lesley's Snaps >
      • Insects & Arachnids
      • Bees
      • Birds
      • Les Albères
      • Elsewhere in the region
    • Robin's Photos
    • Martine's Photos
    • GUESTS' Gallery
  • Birdsong
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Contact

Back at the Coast

31/3/2014

1 Comment

 
by Robin Noble

Saturday 22nd was rather grey, but we decided to go to the coast - mainly in the hunt for a good chandlers - and included a visit to the Étang I described recently. When we arrived at the car-park it was drizzling and the place was deserted, but we thought we should nip out of the car and head down to the shore - just in case!

It proved an excellent decision, despite the relative cold and damp. Probably precisely because it was not so nice and the place was quiet, there were flamingos close inshore, and in the grey conditions, that wonderful rose pink really shone. There were quite a few close by, and we watched them for a while; they are wonderfully angular birds and every movement is worth watching.

While we were doing just that, I saw something in the distance, flying away from me, and decided to go in search of it. What I had seen was a dark raptor, but that was all. As it turned out, I missed the star movement of the whole flamingo show; but my partner not only saw it - she also photographed it. The "it" in question was the mating of the flamingos: I will leave the reader to imagine how awkward a manoeuvre this actually is! The mating rather took the photographer by surprise, and the pic of the actual moment was sadly out of focus, but you can see one of a few seconds after - the attitudes of the respective birds is interesting!

Picture
My mystery raptor looked very dark in the poor light, and I had only a brief view, but it was flying slowly and very low, which immediately suggested that it was some kind of harrier. The only colour I could see was a rich brown on the " shoulders", which suggests fairly firmly that it was a male Marsh Harrier - only the second I have ever seen.

The great-crested grebes were much in evidence, while in the distance there were three black swans, which was rather surprising. As far as I know, black swans are native in Australia, and any you see elsewhere must have escaped from some collection of exotic wildfowl. Are there any such collections hereabouts? As so often, I have no idea !
1 Comment
Ann S
25/5/2014 01:13:58 pm

Meeting flamingos! What next? Are those scarlet tops to the wings something to do with the passion of the moment or are they always there? Are very readable and revealing account, thank you

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Authors

    Bruce Hyde
    Isobel Mackintosh
    Lesley McLaren
    Robin Noble

    Archives

    August 2020
    May 2020
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013

    Categories

    All
    Amphibians
    Arachnids
    Birds
    Bruce Hyde
    Dragonfly Differences
    Insects
    Isobel Mackintosh
    Lesley McLaren
    Mammals
    Marine Life
    Misc
    Mushrooms & Fungi
    Plants
    Reptiles
    Robin Noble
    Sea & Coast
    Tracks/Traces
    Weather

    Click icon for notification of new posts
    Subscribe
Lesley McLaren, Bruce Hyde, Isobel Mackintosh, Robin Noble, Martine Howard, mediterraneanpyrenees.com associates and affiliates do not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information, product or process disclosed. Lesley McLaren, Bruce Hyde, Isobel Mackintosh, Robin Noble, Martine Howard, mediterraneanpyrenees.com and affiliates do not endorse or recommend any commercial products, processes or services and cannot be held liable for any result of the use of such information, products, processes or services discussed on this website.