1st Dec 1988 - Ile d'Olonne

Early in the morning we walk along the coast and dunes at la Garenne de Brem. There are patches of sea mist and Atlantic breakers are spil­ling surf onto the sand. Beyond the breakers, gulls ride the swell ‑ herring, lesser and great black-backs. A few kittiwakes and little gulls fly back and forth above the waves, while black‑­headed gulls prefer to keep to the land. Further out to sea there are cormorants, divers and gannets.

The Ile d'Olonne is a huge sandbar now afforested and inhabited, and no longer cut off by the sea. The tidal creek that was once here has been turned into saltpans but these are apparently mostly disused. One end of the saltpans has been a bird reserve since 1963 and now has over 400 pairs of breeding avocet, the only colony in west­ern France. The Observatoire des Oiseaux is well signposted, although access to the reserve itself is limited to an inform­ation hut (now closed for winter) and an observation platform which over­looks the reserve itself. During the summer there are regular guided tours. The D87 road runs along one side of the reserve but there are no parking places there.

The main part of the reserve comprises three large shallow lakes in which the water level is controlled, several ditches lined with shrubs, and a scrubby area. On the farthest lakes are corm­orants and ducks while waders inhabit the near­est one. The scrub near the lookout holds a good variety of passer­ines. Harriers hunt the whole area.

Someone appears from the small research station beyond the lakes, and comes round to talk to us. He is interested in what we have seen, and then goes on to tell us a bit about the place and its birds. His English is excellent and he is most enthusiastic about birds and cons­ervation. He suggests we send the black brant record to the French rarities committee, and marks on our map a few more local sites that might be worth visiting.

The dunlin and grey plovers are quite skit­tish, what with harriers flying around and a hunter shoot­ing at birds in the area next to the reserve. Each time they settle, one plover is very noticeable because its tail and flight feathers seem to be white underneath ‑ it looks as if the sun is shining through, though none of the others show the effect. When the birds are all on the ground this individual is indist­inguishable, perhaps it is a partial albino.

Jim studies every marsh harrier that comes into view and reckons that there are eight to ten individuals, all brown birds except for one sub­adult male which has dark wing-tips and mottled grey‑brown plumage above and below. Two of the harriers perch on bushes on opposite sides of the reserve for a while, but mostly they just come, quarter a sec­tion, and then go away again.

The kee‑kee‑kee call of a kestrel attracts our attention to a male doing some kind of dis­play, hovering briefly, flying sideways, hovering again, etc, calling all the time. This 'dance' lasts perhaps twenty to thirty seconds, then the bird disappears behind a bush. It reappears and perches on the top of this bush staring at the ground. Later still we hear a similar call but more persistent. This time it is a female com­plaining about the crow that is mobbing her for the mouse she is carrying.

A stoat or weasel runs along the track in front the tower. Through the vegetation we can see its shape and movement but not get a look at the tip of its tail to identify it properly.