France 13: Lac du Bourget

A cold day with rain, then mist. Visited Lac du Bourget again, and walked down to the quay at Abbaye d'hautecombe. There were plenty of Great Crested Grebes about, plus Common and Black-headed Gulls.

Adult female Goosander, with the brown head, and two juveniles.

The green-headed males play no part in raising the young.

Moving up the lake I saw a group of Red-crested Pochard, a lifetime first. Two adults and three ducklings.

The adults, both female, are in eclipse plumage. Males feed females until the young leave the nest, then they tend to disperse.

Back in Assin the persistent rain did not deter the ever present Black Redstarts.

Despite the apparent blue tint to the plumage, I think this is a juvenile male Black Redstart.

A rather bedraggled Blackbird. 

A Jersey Tiger Moth.

Day 12: Cormaranche

At Cormaranche is a lovely wooded hillside above a lake. The wood is a mixture of Birch, Beech and Spruce. I went there early one morning, hoping to see Crested Tit, Penduline Tit and Hazel Grouse.

On the way I drove past Thurignin Gorge, and was rewarded for stopping there by seeing this Viperine Snake. Natrix maura. Despite its common name it is a non venomous relative of the Grass Snake. It often waits in ambush at the bottom of pools, and can remain submerged for 10 minutes.

The track leading up through the mixed woodland at Cormaranche.

Record shot of a Crested Tit. A lifetime first.

Record shot of a Penduline tit. Another lifetime first. I also caught a glimpse of Hazel grouse.

Some of the magnificent Beech trees.

Mating Red-legged Shieldbugs, Pentatoma rufipes.

France 11: Assin

The morning light was just perfect.

Garden flowers.

Foulquier's Grizzled Skipper, Pyrgus foulquieri. 

Female Common Blue.
Is,

Grison's Fritillary.

Spotted Fritillary.

Heath Fritillary, Mellicta athalia. 

Common Blue. 

A moth, possibly from the Pleuroptya genus. 

Male Blackcap. The shade in bright sunlight giving it a greenish tinge. 

Goshawk.

House Sparrow.

A Colorado Beetle.

Female Banded Damselfly.

Pond skaters.

Drowned Box Tree Moths. This species became plague like in their numbers.

France 10: Dombes Plateau

The Dombes Plateau covers 500 square kilometers, and has an average altitude of 300m. It is covered by over 1000 freshwater pools, or étang, which are man-made. These were dug mainly in the 1500s.

5th instar of the Southern Green Shieldbug, Nezala viridula.

4th instar of the Southern Green Shieldbug. Adults are plain green.

The central town of Chatillon-sur-Chalaronne was alive with House Martins, many of whom were still nesting.

A Common Buzzard.

A Roach.

Chatillon-sur-Chalaronne. It was ridiculously hot.

Distant photo of three Night Herons, with the middle one being a juvenile.

White Stork

More White Storks, with a Cattle Egret.

Dusk back at Assin.

France 9: Marais de Lavours (again) and Fierloz Limestone Pavement

My number one target species for my trip to France was the Black Woodpecker. The prospect of seeing one prompted a second visit to Marais de Lavours, this time early in the morning.

Black Woodpecker! Quite probably my bird of the year. It looked bonkers.

A Common Pheasant.

One of the lakes at Marais de Lavours.

Looking north to Grand Colombier.

The view to the west across the Rhone valley with the Jura Mountains in the distance.

A Speckled Wood.

Yet another Wall Lizard.

I think these are Roach.

A Southern Comma, Polygonia egea. 

Later in the day we visited the Fierloz limestone pavement.

An amazingly dry habitat.

A male Adonis Blue, Lysandra Bella rugs. 

A Praying Mantis.

A male Adonis Blue.

Red-winged Grasshopper, Oedipoda germanica. When disturbed they launch into short flights displaying their red wings.

Another Praying Mantis.

The Limestone Pavement

Blue-winged Grasshopper, Oedipola caerulescens. Like the Red-winged Grasshoppers, they revealed their wings when disturbed. 

Something here had been snacking heavily on butterflies.

Meleager's Blue, Meleageria daphnis. 

Another male Adonis Blue.

The intense heat meant we had to retreat back to the pool at the house.

Wall Lizard.

European Paper Wasp, Polistes dominula. 

Grison's Fritillary, Mellicta varia. 

Spotted Fritillary, Melitaea didyma. 

Osiris Blue, Cupido osiris. 

Meadow Fritillary, Mellicta parthenoides. 

Red Kite.

Another Grison's Fritillary.

Meadow Fritillary.

The day flying moth Common Purple and Gold, Pyrausta purpuralis.