Monday 14 March 2011

Cranes again!

This afternoon just before 3pm, we heard a single "greueueue" as a formation of 24 cranes flew over the house. It's been a lovely day today, enough to bring out brimstone and peacock butterflies, and setting the skylarks singing too. The crane formation broke up as the birds encountered the thermals over the sun-baked south-facing scarps of the Aigronne.

Just some of the cranes almost overhead.
They spiralled upwards in a loose group, but the east wind carried them over towards le Grand-Pressigny - sunwards - and they were obviously struggling to keep their ENE direction. They were pointing that way, but heading ESE. They were still trying to gain height when they disappeared from view.


Circling in a thermal... 2nd from left and one at bottom seem to be using the undercarriage!?



Two fighter jets whizzed over at the same height as the birds - heaven help the crew if they hit a crane!

Going away... with the sun glinting on their wings.

4 comments:

Jean said...

Great photos and that blue sky...jealous !!

Tim said...

You'll just have to retire and move here permanently! Mind you, it bucketed down yesterday... heard some more cranes about 30mins ago... also the first Stone Curlew... Pauline will be writing about the Stone Curlew tomorrow.

Niall & Antoinette said...

No cranes here but did have the 1st coucou about 6pm yesterday.Firstly in the trees bordering the field then saw it fly to the hedgerow in the SE corner.

Pollygarter said...

Yay! coucou!