8/05/2021 - Camargue and Crau
This was Global Big Day 2021, and actually my first time ever going out for a full day of birding on that date!
I was out of the house by 6.30 and headed to the Pont des Tourradons, in the Petite Camargue, where pratincoles have been regularly seen in the past weeks. Of course, I didn't see the pratincoles, but the place was hopping with birds and I spent a lovely couple hours there. The tamarix bushes were full of nightingales and melodious warblers, both of which were significantly easier to see than their oak-dwelling counterparts near the house. There were also dozens of stilts in the wetlands, and gulls and terns (especially whiskered terns) flying around. I also spotted a couple of singing cuckoos, in that funny cuckoo pose, with dropping wings and the tail nearly horizontal. I walked to the end of the trail and got to an open plain, where I spotted two thick-knees! Last time I'd seen some of those was in Israel, 7 years ago!
After that, I headed east, to the Camargue proper. Someone had spotted a Savi's Warbler at the Scamandre, but the reserve was once again closed (it being a holiday), and I didn't try to locate it in the endless reedbeds along the road.
So, I made my way to the Enfores de la Vignolle, where I watched waders under a baking sun and tried to locate the Broad-billed Sanpiper that had been seen - no luck there either, though I got nice close-up views of a mixed group of dunlins and curlew sandpipers, most of them coming into their breeding colors. Even better, I soon heard some Sylvia-like song coming from the salicornia bushes, and soon got my first look at a Spectacled warbler. They turned out to be ubiquitous along the road to the lighthouse and very responsive to playback. As it was getting late, I decided to head back inland and go try my luck in the Crau. Unfortunately it was very windy and besides a number of skylarks engaged in song flights as well as numerous kestrels (I couldn't find a lesser kestrel among them, though I'm sure they were there) hunting above the plains, there was very little activity. There were a number of pretty black and white butterflies keeping low - thanks to inat, I now know them to be Western Marbled Whites!
I was cutting it close (damn curfew), so I finally headed back, and got back to the house at 18:59!
All in all, a very good day.
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