A jynx in the potager

On Saturday morning Tim saw an odd-looking woodpecker perching on one of the posts demarcating our vegetable garden. Brown, with a dark stripe down its back, it kept flying down to the ground to pick up the ants disturbed by our potato harvesting activities. A wryneck!

Yes it is here.... probably easier to spot if you click on the photo to enlarge it!

The English name, and the scientific name jynx torquilla come from its ability to twist its head around to fix potential attackers with a baleful stare. Its French name Torcol fourmilier indicates its diet which is almost exclusively ants. This woodpecker doesn't use its tail to help climb trees, and doesn't make nest holes in trees, preferring to take on existing holes. It is about the size and colour of a young starling, and easy to overlook. The only one we have seen previously was in Majorca, and we only saw that because a lot of birders were watching it already! According to Les Oiseaux de la Claise Tourangelle, the wryneck possibly nests in Le Grand Pressigny.

It is in the same position here but facing the camera.... great camoflague for a ground feeder!!

This is a back view showing the stripes to good effect. Now look back at the first picture....

The purple heron (ardea purpurea, héron purpré) that visited the ditch in the field next door later in the day was just the icing on the cake. It skulked its way along the bottom of the ditch, occasionally lifting its head to look our way to show us the lovely russet markings on its neck. No good photo, alas... but Tim tried some digiphotography using a small compact camera hand-held against the eyepiece of the 'scope. A case of "patting your head and rubbing your stomach" co-ordination [or lack of... thus "dodgyphotography was born!]

It is standing, body to the right... neck up to the left and looking towards the camera. The dark shape to the left of the head is nothing to do with the bird!

14th and 16th July 2007

14th
Stag Beetle [♂] crossing road - stopped and photographed it on the bonnet of our '56 2CV.  Put it on the side of the road it was aiming for.... it promptly turned back towards the middle of the road. Turned it round in my hand a few times , put it down again facing its original direction of travel... this time it did head off into the vegetation.
[Bois Bonhomme map 1925E GPS 3394-51962]

16th
Out in rain to Etangs Perriére & Neuf [Voir les Oiseaux in Touraine - Walk 23 Bossay-sur-Claise] Rain had got heavier so didn't stop. Turned left on D50 and stopped beside Etang Bourreau where we were able to pull off the road beside the water. Saw juvenile Great-crested Grebe and Coypu [ragondin] first. Then two Black-necked Grebe juveniles appeared.... no adults to be seen. Nice view of a Kingfisher right beside the car and then over to bushes on the right... where it stopped momentarily before diving into the water behind some rushes... it didn't return to the same perch though [must have known I'd got the camera out!!] Also Coot and juvenile Moorhen around. Grey Heron flew off as we arrived [GPS 3485 - 51824]

Later this trip we did get to the Etang Perriére where we saw Black-knecked Grebe, Whiskered Tern, Black Tern, Purple Heron, Shoveller and Pochard before Pauline twisted her ankle in a hidden rut!

But all was not lost, as we slowly made our way back towards the car, we came across a Camberwell Beauty drinking from the remnants of a puddle left by the rains.

































Also discovered that our Black Redstarts had chosen to nest INSIDE the Laiterie [as per normal....] but it now had been fitted with double glazed windows and doors.... and yes, the young fledged successfully... and again in 2008 when they chose the bedroom upstairs! This is the 2007 nest in the hole left by the removal of the old manger.
By 2008 the doors were in place upstairs... we have yet to clean the guano from the surfaces.