October 6th 2013

 

One can either fly direct to Ouessant in a rickety little plane, or take a ferry from Brest. We always take the latter option as it allows for a bit of birding, it's cheaper, and it's less likely to be cancelled due to the weather. It might also be because there are members of our party who wouldn't go anywhere near a rickety little plane, but if it was, I wouldn't be allowed to say so...

 

This ferry crossing yielded much the same as other crossings bird wise, with a flock of 50+ shearwaters rafting on a flat calm sea being the highlight. The vast majority were Balearic shearwaters, but there could have been others involved I guess. Other species seen were Mediterranean gull, common scoter, razorbill and Sandwich tern, with Arctic skua and little egret picked up around I'le de Molene while the boat stopped there.

 

On arrival at Ouessant we were picked up and whisked away for the first three course meal of far too many, so it was mid afternoon before I got out birding.

 

Most birding on Ouessant is done by bike - but this afternoon I decided there was plenty to keep me busy on foot around Lampaul, the islands 'main' and only town. Things started in a positive light at Kerhuel, a small patch of bushes just south of Lampaul, with a common redstart, pied flycatcher, and a vocal and active yellow-browed warbler.

 

I then headed north via the reservoirs, picking up the only coot of the trip, and the first of several sparrowhawk and water rail. I ended up at Poull Brac, where among the hedgerows and gardens there were 2 further yellow-broweds, along with other migrants such as firecrest, blackcap, common redstart, and yellow wagtail (neither in a garden or a hedgerow of course) and my first taste of the resident choughs, and healthy numbers of migrant chiffchaffs and song thrush.

 

I'd have been happy with that as a start but while sitting in the garden enjoying a glass of malt, a quick scan of the church tower produced a juvenile rosy starling. I had known there was one on the island, and past experience suggested the tower was the place to look. Any day that ends with an excellent malt and a rosy starling is a good day.

 

October 7th 2013

 

Through the ANO (Ouessant Naturalists Association - or thereabouts) twitter feed I'd heard about a Swainsons thrush and possible semipalmated sandpiper present the day before.

 

The swainsons was at a site I had never heard of - and nor had a local shopkeeper who insisted the location was somewhere in the centre of France, so first thing I headed down to Porz Doun for the semi P. Having cycled down in the morning (nabbing another yellow browed warbler, a yarrelli pied wagtail, yellow wagtail and whimbrel) I was surprised to find the place deserted, despite there being about 25 birders on the island. After 20 mins of trying to stare through the fog, I eventually picked up 2 dunlin with a smaller wader. Settling on the rocks to watch, the three soon took off and flew in to feed on the seaweed in front of me, revealing the smaller bird to be a very definite semi-palmated sandpiper. I spent a good 30 minutes enjoying this little cracker pottering around in front of me and then headed back to town, finding another yellow-browed on the way.

 

Over lunch at the house the rosy starling put on a fantastic display on a neighbouring chimney.

 

In the afternoon I headed to some of my favourite spots in the west end of the island, such as Kun, Cost ar Ruen, and Niou Ouella - all of which are different names for scattered areas of bushes with the odd house thrown in justifying the approach road. Around these spots there was a decent selection of migrants. Along with another yellow-browed warbler, there were whinchat, firecrest, common redstart, spotted flycatcher, reed warbler and willow warbler, and my first look this year at Ouessants only other resident passerine of note, Dartford warbler.

 

October 8th 2013

 

Another foggy morning saw me investigating the west of the island again, especially the rather extensive Niou Ouella area. The fog didn't lift until the sun warmed things up sufficiently, at about ten am, which was the case for most of the first 5 days - calm foggy mornings, becoming calm sunny afternoons. That morning before the fog lifted I noted a group of 5 snipe, and yellow wagtail, with things becoming markedly easier once it had burned off. The newly sunny Niou Ouella had 2 yellow-browed warblers, blackcap, and a willow warbler, among the many chiffchaffs, as well as a group of migrant bullfinch (I see bullfinch every year on Ouessant and had assumed that they were resident, but it seems that these, like almost all other passerine species on the island, are migrants too). Other finches were on the move overhead, with two small groups of chaffinch, one containing a brambling, and most surprisingly, a flock of 23 crossbill. This was a full on Ouessant tick for me, but there was obviously some sort of movement going on as I had a further 4 going over Lampaul later. Also in the skies above Niou Ouella were the usual marsh harrier and kestrel, and a merlin that dashed past.

 

Things quietened down a wee bit after lunch, and an explore of the area around the reservoirs yielded very little of note (if you consider another yellow-browed warbler, goldcrest, firecrest and peregrine very little...). Late in the day though I noticed a 'crowd' of birders (note the inverted commas - a crowd on Ouessant is almost always less than ten people) on the other side of the valley, and cycled round to see what the interest was. I got there to find 6 birders looking intently at a patch of grass, that eventually a little bunting hopped out of, before vanishing into a similar tuft. Another pleasant end to a productive day.

 

October 9th 2013

 

This morning I took my time exploring the north of the island, ending up about as far east as you can go. It was clear that song thrushes had arrived in some numbers, and the influx of birds was ongoing as the odd chaffinch and another flock of crossbill passed over, and there were bullfinches around. Other grounded migrants included a whinchat, blackcap, another yellow-browed warbler and several goldcrests. This year has been unique in the 7 visits I have made in that goldcrests were much more numerous than firecrests. I usually only see a couple of goldcrests and have had 15 firecrests in the same tree on one occasion in the past.

 

After another unnecessarily large and lengthy lunch I headed back out to the west of the island, around Kun and Cost ar Reun. There were good numbers of migrants around here: 4 whinchat and 3 blackcap, more goldcrest, willow warbler, and my only garden warbler of the trip. Adding a bit of spice were a brief glimpse of a red-breasted flycatcher, which frustrating vanished before anyone else could get on it, and 4 yellow-broweds dotted around the various spots. This was by far and away the best year I've seen on the island for yellow-browed warbler - through the first half of the week they were all over the place, and the French birders reckoned there could be at least 35 on the island.

 

Before tea, the family decided to take a rather long walk, which was an idea I could get right on board with, although it was instead of the usual pre-meal activity which is to have an apperitif. Not sure why the two were exclusive...

 

We walked towards the bay at Porz Doun, but never made it all the way. En route, I picked up Mediterranean gull, goldcrest, swallow (which had been conspicuously absent so far) 2 peregrines and a merlin. All of this and I was back in time to see the rosy starling flying over the garden on its way to roost.

 

October 10th 2013

 

A rather frustrating morning exploring around the cromlech, the south eastern point of the island, which is often good for migration but wasnt on this particular day - a yellow-browed warbler being the best of it at the recycling centre.

 

In the afternoon I explored some more areas around the east of the island, and things started nicely with a red-breasted flycatcher at the stang a stiff. From there I had a look at the excellent looking valley at Penn Ar Land, which had two more yellow-broweds among a plethora of chiffchaffs, crests, and long tailed tits. I probably had a look at some other places too, but I mustn't have seen anything cos thats all I've got in my notebook until the late afternoon.

 

In the late afternoon there was another family walk which ended very nicely with a dotterel that trotted up to within 3 yards of me as I lay down to photograph it, along with a few dartford warbler and stonechat, and even later in the evening over drinks the rosy starling put in yet another appearance. Very nice.

 

October 11th 2013

 

Friday dawns much colder, and much more autumnal, and first thing there are plenty of birds vismigging. Small flocks of redwing pass overhead, along with song thrushes, fieldfare and skylarks. Variety is added in the forms of reed bunting and stock dove, and in the bushes, there are goldcrests, firecrests, and good numbers of blackcaps around the west end.

 

In the afternoon, while the birding population gathered together to hunt for a caspian gull, I tried a walk around the south western peninsula. Again thrushes were on the move but in smaller numbers, and on the whole migrants were scarce. Still, it was a great walk, with peregrine, Mediterranean gull, little egret, whimbrel, and the usual choughs and Dartford warblers. And some of the most amusing goats I've ever seen.

 

October 12th 2013

 

In terms of scarcities, the trip seemed to end as a bit of a damp squib, but there is still a bit of quality vis mig in the morning. Two ring ouzel were among the good numbers of thrushes passing over first thing, and in the area to the south of Lampaul, there are crests, blackcaps, pied flycatcher, and perhaps most interesting, eastern sounding and looking chiffchaffs.

 

My birding is limited this morning by packing and house cleaning duties. I managed a trip out around Poull brac first thing in the afternoon, but there was very little happening apart from the usual suspects and another 'eastern' chiffchaff.

 

The final throw of the dice on these trips is always the ferry crossing where I was identified by Stuart Reeves (of this parish). I always thought I acquired my nickname from my ability to retain possession and execute a perfectly weighted pass - but it must be because I'm plump and ginger as Stuart recognised me with ease - and I'm pretty sure I've never met him before.

 

Unfortunately for us both it was a pretty quiet return trip, with just a few distant balearic shearwaters.