I am flying to Nantes the week after next for a fortnight at my sister's farm in the Loire. Maybe I should add Great Bustard to my possibles winter checklist !

Interesting stuff Paul. I wish a continental bird(s) would make it across to the UK soon. I was away birding in SE Asia when upto 9 birds roamed Suffolk January - March 1987 and the early 1978 Kent bird was just out of range at the start of my twitching days.

Nice to meet you at the Hulme Waxwings yesterday.

As I was nosing about on the French bird rarities page, I came up with a sighting of a Great Bustard found in the Vendee department. Great Bustards are extinct in France, and are therefore a national rarity, even near the borders of other countries (Spain). What was interesting about the record was that it was a record of one of our Great Bustards from the Salisbury plain! The info with the record was (roughly) this: "Bird observed weakened then captured and brought to the veterinary school of Nantes. Bird issued from the British reintroduction program, first-year female seen last on the site [Salisbury plain] on the 4 of November." The record dates from the 6 of November. The bird was apparently found near the coast.
Interesting to see that the Great Bustards are getting around.

-- Edited by Paul Hurst on Thursday 15th of November 2012 06:22:57 PM