Our second week at the gite proved to be a little more frustrating. We had listened to the lovely song of a Nightingale for five afternoons and evenings from the trees in our garden, but it remained unseen. Following the sightings reports on faune-aquitaine.fr, we were unsuccessful in locating a Wallcreeper at the church at Les Eyzies de Tayac, and a Black Woodpecker near Saint Maime de Pereyrol. Return trip to Lac de l'Escourrou near Eymet provided Cattle Egret, Kingfisher, Mallard and Black Kite, and the same (less the Egret) were seen at Grand Estang de la Jemaye. All of the first week's garden birds returned save for the Honey Buzzard. Impressive numbers of Swift, Swallow, House Martin were overhead most days. A Tawny Owl on the roof of the pool house opposite woke Tom one night, but the pitch blackness of the night was impenetrable. Tom's list reached 48, and a return to the gite is a possibility, but with maybe a bit more golf .
This years Gite, is situated near Vergt, 23 km south of Perigueux. First weeks sightings, overhead the gite we saw a total of 9 Black Storks gaining height on a thermal. A Honey Buzzard was persuaded to leave the area by a persistent Golden Oriole. Green Woodpecker, Blackbirds, Marsh, Blue and Great Tits, also White Wagtails have been seen in the gardens.
On second day, our walk of 7kms through deciduous forest we admired a large flock of Starlings moving from hedge to hedge and we were surprised to notice a Red Backed Shrike watching also from a near by tree, further down the path we stumbled upon three Crested Tits bathing in a puddle not more than 5 feet away from us. The list including the usuals is now at 23. Tom Jones, Jim Caulfield.
