European green woodpecker – Last pictures of the series I took during the short snow episode that brought me great luck with the Goshawk female hunting a pheasant. These are not pictures you can hope taking easily; since I won’t have another chance at witnessing such a scarce scene, I enjoyed the moment fully… Enough […]
Tag: France
The Northern goshawk, Accipiter gentilis
It is the largest of the Accipiter genus; it possesses short and wide wings and a long tail well adapted to flight in the woods. The female is larger measuring between 58 and 64 cms with a wingspan of 108 to 127 cms; She is slaty-blue on the back with greyish underparts and can weigh […]
Common cranes in the south of France
Puydarrieux is a large man-made lake in the Midi-Pyrénées region in the south of France; it a quite auspicious for this specie’s overwintering as Greylag geese for other ducks such as the European wigeons and teals. It is very well protected by sign posts to prevent non compliant people to get close in order to […]
Rumble among Common buzzards !
This Common buzzard thought it had found the right spot to observe quietly its surroundings but…. Du riffifi chez les Buses variables: Elle pensait être tranquille pour observer “son” territoire mais… …une concurrente décide de l’évincer pour prendre sa place: … a competitor wants the place: …pourtant elle est bien décidée […]
Eurasian spoonbills bathing
Nikon 500 mm + convert 1/4 – Platalea leucorodia This series of pictures was taken near the Arcachon basin at Le Teich. The preserve extends on 110 hectares of wooded areas, reed beds, meadows, saltmarsh and water stretch out between the mainland sector right up to the coastline. This wide variety of natural habitats is […]
Pyrenean stags
I will not talk again about this magnificent animal, my point will be different, bear with me. These photos were taken in a 37 hectare animal park in the oriental Pyrenees mountains at 1800 meters high where the animals live in semi freedom in natural surroundings. It is neither a zoo with animals confined in […]
Common buzzard landing
I have presented at length this species on my blog 1000 pattes-1000 tracks. We monitor it each year, especially the northern buzzards wintering in our area south of France. This specific individual lives here year round with its partner and we see them both together quite often; it looks like they hunt field mice as […]
The Eurasian eagle owl
Bubo bubo – Protected in France since 1964, it is the largest nocturnal top predator with its 75 cm high. Uncomfortable in broad day light its vision is unbelievable, it hunts at dawn and dusk; omnivorous, it eats anything alive including snakes, birds, fish, beetles, rodents and even fawns thanks to very strong claws. More […]