Report from 24 to 26 May

With the endless rains we are having, the meadows have turned into lagoons, the woodlands are flooded, and everything else is mud.
Under the rain, the eggs in the Common Terns’ nests have begun to hatch. This was my last foray into the heart of the colony. The
chicks are only a few days old and can’t move much; as I approach, they just flatten themselves against the ground and remain
motionless. Once they are a little older, they tend to panic and scamper away everywhere, even falling into the water, and this would
throw the colony into chaos. From now on, I will only watch from a distance.
We had numerous Honey Buzzard sightings, and I cannot say whether they all concerned passing migrants or if it was always the same
few individuals. In any event, they were all very enjoyable: with their long, black-bordered and barred underwings, Honey Buzzards are
truly beautiful birds.
A pair of Tufted Ducks put in a visit. This is a very unusual species here at La Cassinazza, which lacks the deep water preferred by this
diving ducks. In its black-and-white formal wear, the drake is very dapper.