Short-eared Owl and Long-tailed Duck 11/11/2026

 I started the morning checking the reedbed in Courchapon for Cetti's Warbler after yesterday's jackpot but the luck had worn off. The day contiued miserably enough alone at Pagney, alone except for the rain and a fisherman on the shore so no chance of any wildfowl or waders. Miserable enough to even start watching the four Egyptian Geese that visit every day and contemplating the Great Crested Grebe that is still there. Real bottom-of-the-barrel birding.

    A break in the rain appeared and I made the most of the short window to go and see if there were any nice things in the reedbed. One or two Reed Buntings reacted to my presence as I passed by and a female Pheasant flew up silently from the rough grass at my feet - except it wasn't a Pheasant at all - it was a beautiful Short-eared Owl. I stood frozen to the spot as it drifted over the fence and dropped back down into the grass only about thirty metres away. I very carefully changed my position hoping to see it again without it flying off. Bingo! Clearly not feeling safe in its new spot, it was constantly turning its head to check for danger. I got a few photos and then retreated back to the small cabin, hoping it would still be visible from there. It was not. The first of its potential admirers had arrived, a Hen Harrier passed over but the owl didn't react and so we moved going the long way round along the shore to see it from a more open vantage point. That did the trick - we were able to watch it peeping out through the grass and happily it was relaxed enough to even go to sleep a few times. The rain had started heavily again and we were all getting drenched. I decided to head back home with the others that were leaving looking forward to the warm, dry sofa and an afternoon of doing bugger all. Bollocks to that idea - another admirer who shall remain anonymous arrived hoping to add the owl to his regional list without his telescope, so I had to go back for soggy seconds and show him the bird which was happily still there. After I'd finally managed to leave, the bird stayed put to allow more visitors to see it before leaving its day roost at just after 5pm. This being the third sighting of Short-eared Owl since the 22nd of October I am wondering if this isn't the same bird lingering, we hadn't had one at Pagney for twelve and a half years until this Autumn!

    Well, once home and changed into dry clothes and enjoying a cup of tea I get a message that a Long-tailed Duck had been found between Lac St Point and Lac de Remoray. Being the first in the region for about 18 years, it was a very much needed regional tick. Bollocks, I had to put my wet jackets back on and go for it, the drive felt very long, only an hour and a quarter but having to stop to piss twice because of the tea made it feel like an eternity. The bird was of course not present upon arrival, and the place it had chosen was a very difficult part of the valley to search. I carried on towards the lake, hoping it had joined the many Pochards and Tufted Ducks there. It hadn't. I found a Red-throated Diver on the lake, itself a rarity here, but nowhere near as rare as a Long-tailed Duck. Continuing the search I bumped into Eric who put me onto a hybrid Pochard x Ferruginous Duck. Then he got a call from Domi who could see the object of our desires from a higher vantage point a few hundred metres away. Our joy quickly turned sour when we realised the bird was not playing nicely and had literally vanished between the reeds and the bushes in the marshy stretch of river. Time was running out as it would be getting dark soon - about forty minutes passed before I finally picked the Long-tailed Duck out. The sod was distant and spent more time under the water than on it, his shitty behaviour was made worse by the fact he also liked to stay hidden behind the near-side vegetation. Still - he was gorgeous - not in full plumage yet, but beautiful to see. Let's hope he stays a while and learns how to cooperate! Overjoyed as I am to finally have seen the species in the region, I'm not entirely satisfied!