Pagney and Chenevrey 10/11/2026

     Once more, my burning optimism of the morning was met with a crash back to Earth - at Pagney there was very little once more. The Great Crested Grebe from yesterday was still there and a Firecrest is always a nice bird to see. One Lapwing flew over. Where there were 79 Collared Doves yesterday - only 13 were on the wires there today with five Reed Buntings and six Cirl Buntings.

    It seems Captain Excubitor (Great Grey Shrike) is not returning to Pagney this year and indeed it is worrying that I haven't actually seen a single one in the valley this autumn. As it wasn't windy, the conditions were ideal to check the floodplain in Chenevrey - a classic spot where up to three have spent previous winters. There was a male Hen Harrier quartering the fields but the lack of Great White Egrets and Buzzards compared to previous years (only two or three of each) indicated that there wasn't a lot of food to be found. There weren't any shrikes. There was only one seen on the 3rd November last year and one on the 5th November 2024, there were none at all in 2023. The last time one overwintered was in the winter of 2021/2022. 

    A sad sight was a freshly dead Long-eared Owl that had become entangled after flying into a barbed wire fence.

    Chenevrey was where I had my first regional Cetti's Warbler in February 2023 after they had been absent from Franche-Comté for nearly forty years. Still rare in the region, I check potential sites frequently to see if there are any, so it was very nice to hear not one but two in different reedy patches. The first at the site since the one in 2023. Two Zitting Cisticolas and a Water Rail were also present. 

    The warm weather meant that there were a few Common Darters and a Silver-Y Moth on the wing.

    Inspired by the good luck I'd had with the Cetti's I headed to Buthiers as there is a gorgeous patch of reeds right next to the river and with this year's drought, I was hoping it would be a magnet for any Cetti's Warblers on the move. There were at least four Water Rails but no Cetti's - yet! I was more than thrilled however to hear a Willow Tit - what was once a common bird throughout the valley only a few years ago is clearly close to local extinction now. The Etang de l'Ancien Moulin is a classic spot for Teals - 23 is far from the best total but not bad for recent years.


Sadness


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