27th - A trip to the northern end of the Crau today in stifling heat, although a medium strength Mistral made it feel reasonably comfortable. On the approach road I noticed a Jay flying into the trees around Vergiere which was something of a surprise given the extreme heat in the past week or so ! I would have expected these birds to have relocated to the Alpilles where it is cooler. On the Crau itself we soon picked out 3 Southern Grey Shrikes that have been seen in this area before. They seemed unconcerned by the strong wind and frequently perched atop small bushes. A falcon then flew over and it was unmistakable as an adult Eleonora's Falcon with its dark underside primaries and long tail and wings. It spent some 5 minutes in view and was enjoying the experience of testing its flying skills in the wind. Larks were calling all over the area and we easily spotted Skylark, Crested Lark and Calandra Larks. We drove a good distance into the Crau and noted at least 3 Black Kites looking for food. On the return journey I spotted another shrike at a decent viewing distance. This was clearly a Lesser Grey Shrike, with its black forehead and shorter tail. It is the first of this species I have seen in the Camargue for 5 years, so was an enjoyable discovery ! Further along the track Georgina spotted a small bird close by with a number of flies in its beak. It was elusive at first but we soon had good views of it. A female Black-eared Wheatear of the form hispanica ! Another relatively rare sighting in this part of the Crau. A single Tawny Pipit and Hoopoe were the only other birds of note on the Crau but we did see 10 White Storks gliding over the N568 and a Roller on a telephone wire on the journey home.