France 2: Canihuel and La Vallee des Saints, Carnoet

The garden at Canihuel was large, with lots of wildlife. It included a stream that fed a very large pond / small lake. Early morning walks around the pond always produced exciting insect sightings.

Beautiful Demoiselle

Silver-washed Fritillary

Banded Demoiselle

Male Scarce Chaser

Ringlet

Blue-tailed Damselfly, Ischnura elegans.

Four-spotted Chaser

We drove west to visit the Valley of the Saints, near Carnoet. This open site is covered with tall granite statues of local Breton saints.

Speckled Wood

Swallowtail

View of the hillside, with some of the statues.

View to the north

Yellowhammer

While walking around the site, I heard an unusual birdsong, which I identified as Cirl Bunting. I had a few brief glimpses, but could not manage to get a photograph. This species was a lifetime first.

Crested Lark

Driving back home we stopped by a small abandoned quarry to watch a colony of Sand Martins, and I saw my first ever Crested Lark.