Report from 11 to 13 May

Spring migration this year seems to be rather drawn out: it is almost mid-May and we are still seeing Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler,
Bonelli’s Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, Garden Warbler, and even Sedge Warbler, the first of which arrived in
early April. Bee-eaters are also numerous, in what is traditionally the peak of their passage
The songs of Nightingales, Blackcaps, Cetti’s Warblers and Golden Orioles are now the aural backdrop to our days. At night, the
recently-fledged Little Owls call from the rooftops.
The Common Tern colony seems to have occupied ten nesting platforms; almost all have laid full clutches and they seem to be
well protected from predators. The three nesting pairs of White Stork in the immediate vicinity all seem to have hatched their
eggs; although we can’t see them from the ground, the behaviour of the adults clearly shows they are caring for their chicks. The
same can be said of the female Goshawk tending to her nest.
I would like to share with you the unusual beauty of this Buff Arches (Habrosyne pyritoides), a moth whose intricate and delicate
pattern is a feast for the eyes.