24th - Today a visit to the Crau in the morning and Mas d'Agon in the evening. I visited the main Crau area today rather than le Vergieres and within a couple of minutes I had seen a female, then male, Montagu's Harrier hunting. I spotted 3 Black Kites soaring on thermals and a female Marsh Harrier in the distance. A number of Kestrels and a single Lesser Kestrel were perched on the stone piles as I drove further into the Crau. I decided to walk for a while and immediately disturbed a Stone-Curlew which flew a short distance and was relocated on the ground. Several Crested Larks were still singing and a Red-legged Partridge called as it flew off. I spotted a Southern Grey Shrike as it perched atop a bush then flew to another nearby. Both Tawny Pipits and Calandra Larks were then seen in flight and, finally, on the ground. Having made up my mind that nothing more was likely from this area I decided to take a short cut back to the car across the coussous. It was an inspired decision as I disturbed a Pin-tailed Sandgrouse that had been sitting anonymously within 50 metres of where I was standing ! It flew a short distance and I had excellent flight views but on approaching it on the ground the bird flew off - still, a real privilege to see such a rare bird up close. As I left the Crau I spotted a Whinchat, singing Corn Bunting and Roller on a telephone wire. A brief stop at the Entressen rubbish dump produced only 30 Black Kites, 300 Yellow-legged Gulls and a single White Stork. The evening visit to Mas d'Agon produced the usual suspects - Night Heron (adult + juvenile), Little Egret, Great Egret, Squacco Heron, Grey Heron, Purple Heron (4) and 25 juvenile Flamingoes over. Terns were again numerous with the resident Whiskered (50) joined by Common, Gull-billed and a couple of Black. But it was the sight of an adult Bittern flying close by that made the visit worthwhile - not an easy bird to see anywhere ! I also spotted a single Savi's Warbler in the reeds and a Marsh Warbler along the canal by the farm. At La Chassagne, on the drive back, I spotted a Hobby that had landed on the ground only to be attacked by a male Kestrel ! The Hobby eventually flew off !

23rd- The Camargue Gardoise was the destination today - more specifically the Etang du Charnier and Pont des Touraddons. The journey down was interesting as I spotted 2 Rollers on telephone wires and then alongside the Scamandre reserve a flooded rice field held 15 Little Egrets and 7 Glossy Ibis. The female White Stork was standing on her nest on the tower too. At Pont des Touraddons the water levels on the brackish lagoon were just right and as a result it held the greatest diversity of waders I have yet seen here. They included 25 Black-winged Stilts, 2 Avocets, 6 Wood Sandpipers, 2 Green Sandpipers, a single Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, 2 Greenshank, 2 Black-tailed Godwits and 3 moulting Ruff. In addition, 14 Collared Pratincoles flew over and around 100 Black-headed Gulls were also present on the lagoon. Terns were constantly flying over and they included 10 Common, 4 Little and 24 Whiskered. I spotted an adult Hobby hunting over the reedbed and it was soon joined by another, presumably its mate. The bushes and garrigue were pretty quiet but a male Sardinian Warbler did call and show itself after a time. I then travelled back to the Etang du Charnier and stopped along the causeway. The reedbeds and lake held several Great Crested and Little Grebes plus the usual egrets and I had an excellent close view of a Squacco Heron. A Purple Heron fished quietly 50 metres away and then I got to see the bird I was hoping for - an adult Purple Gallinule walking alongside the reedbed. It looked splendid with its bright red crown, picking at various pieces of vegetation as it made its way through the shallow water. After 5 minutes or so it disappeared back into the reeds. A pair of Gadwall flying over were the only other highlight of the day.

22nd - An evening visit to Pont de Rousty today. On the pathway I spotted Nightingale, Fan-tailed Warbler, 2 Linnets and a Corn Bunting. 4 Bee-eaters also flew over. In the reeds close to the hide a Reed Warbler and a Sardinian Warbler both called and showed themselves, if only briefly. The lagoon held a number of waders including 8 Wood Sandpipers, 10 Black-winged Stilts, 12 Black-tailed Godwits, a single Green Sandpiper and a Common Sandpiper. Wildfowl consisted of just 15 Mallard and 8 Shoveler. Overhead I spotted 2 Night Herons, 3 Great Egrets, 23 Little Egrets and a Purple Heron. On the walk back 4 Crested Larks called from the dry fields and a Hoopoe flew alongside the canal.

21st - A trip to the Marais du Vigueirat this morning in a strong Mistral and to Mas d'Agon in the evening . The wooded area at Vigueirat was empty other than a couple of Blackcaps heard calling and a Kingfisher that flew off from its perch near the reedbed. The marsh held a dozen Black-winged Stilts and 2 Wood Sandpipers plus a few Mallard. The second woodland had, amongst others, a pair of Cetti's Warblers, Nightingale, Melodious Warbler, juvenile Great Tit and Green Woodpecker. All 4 young White Storks were again standing in their nest giving superb views and a Fan-tailed Warbler sang its piercing song. On the open garrigue a male Stonechat showed well, at least 4 Bee-eaters flew overhead and a Reed Warbler disappeared into the reeds. The water level on the marsh next to the lagoon was just right for waders so it was no surprise to find 3 Greenshanks, 7 Wood Sandpipers and 12 Black-winged Stilts feeding here. A Yellow Wagtail was also spotted here. The lagoon itself was quiet although both Black Kite and female Marsh Harrier flew over. The journey back to Arles turned up another Roller on telephone wires. In the evening Mas d'Agon was livelier with a group of 6 Glossy Ibis feeding in flooded fields north of the farm. The lagoons at the Mas still held a good number of Whiskered Terns (60) plus 15 Common and a single Gull-billed Tern. A Hoopoe did its best to control its flight in the gale but disappeared like it had been fired from a slingshot! On the water I spotted 8 Great Crested Grebes, 6 Little Grebes and around 80 Coot. Both adult and juvenile Night Herons flew over as did 3 Purple Herons and then a real surprise, an adult male Goosander flew right over my head. A group of 4 Bee-eaters came close and a single Snipe flew haphazardly into the reeds next to the road but this was the last significant sighting of the evening.

17th - Given the promise of a 50kph westerly wind today I thought the beach at Piemanson would be worth a visit. I travelled down via Tour du Valat and Amphise but these were very quiet with just a single Short-toed Eagle at TdV and a pair of Common plus a single Green Sandpiper by the pumping station at Enfores de la Vignolle. A flock of 15 Little Ringed Plovers wandered about where the paved road ended. At Piemanson the wind was, predictably, not from the West but from the North !! Still at least there were a good number of terns around - Sandwich, Little, Common and Gull-billed plus a significant influx of Black Terns evidently already on their way south with a number of juveniles to boost their numbers. Soon a fishing boat arrived and was followed by the usual train of gulls as it steamed its way east. Unfortunately, due in part to the wind no doubt, there were no shearwaters or skuas in with these gulls. However, just as I was despairing of seeing anything worthwhile I noticed an odd looking gull on the sea and identified it as a juvenile Audouin's Gull. It gave excellent views and remained for at least 30 minutes. On the return through the Camargue I spotted 8 Bee-eaters, 3 Mediterranean Gulls, a Curlew, an adult Night Heron, Purple Heron, 4 White Storks and several Yellow Wagtails. This is the quietest time of the year so far.

16th - A tour of  the Gimeaux area and Mas d'Agon today. Opposite the Mas des Barnacles there was the first evidence this year of young Black-winged Stilts feeding in the flooded rice field. At least 12 Bee-eaters were flying around their usual territory and both adult Night Heron and Purple Heron flew over the road. The other rice field held Little and Great Egrets plus a few Stilts and feeding overhead 6 Gull-billed Terns and 8 Whiskered Terns. I stopped by the Mas Neuf junction and found at least 8 Great Reed Warblers, of which 2 were juveniles, a Reed Warbler and a Stonechat. A pair of Sparrowhawks soared briefly overhead and an adult Short-toed Eagle was spotted perched on top of a telephone pole. At Mas d'Agon the usual Whiskered and Common Terns were present feeding over the lagoons. A Hoopoe flew into the woodland to the south and a Green Woodpecker also called and flew over. Only a single Collared Pratincole was seen today although the resident birds may have been here earlier. A real surprise was a Short-eared Owl that flew over the reedbeds and disappeared into some long grass, evidently after some tasty morsel. The only other notable sighting was a male Reed Bunting which have been pretty rare in the past couple of months!

15th - An evening excursion to the Pont de Rousty for the first time in ages. The rice fields on the way to the hide held a number of Little Egrets, Cattle Egrets and Black-winged Stilts. In the avenue of trees a single Melodious Warbler, a Nightingale and 2 Savi's Warblers were singing and flying around. The reed-lined path produced Reed Warbler, another Savi's Warbler and a Fan-tailed Warbler. As I walked along the path towards the hide a number of herons were disturbed from the reedbed alongside, in addition to the Great, Little and Cattle Egrets there were around 20 Squacco Herons, 6 adult Night Herons and 3 Glossy Ibis! On arrival at the hide it was clear that the lagoon had a good water level for waders. A group of 12 Black-tailed Godwits fed alongside 10+ Green Sandpipers, a single Avocet and a couple of Wood Sandpipers. Black-winged Stilts were numerous and there were a flock of 150 Greater Flamingoes on the far side of the lagoon. A number of Mallard and 7 Shovelers represented the wildfowl. Marsh Harriers and Black Kites patrolled the reedbeds and a Purple Heron flew over. On the way back I caught a glimpse of what may have been a Bittern disappearing into the reeds plus a Hoopoe and Green Woodpecker.

13th - A walk along the Mas de la Galere road today in blazing sunshine. Several Little and Cattle Egrets were flying over as I set off. The first vineyard on the right produced a single adult Stone-curlew (the first I've seen here) and an adult Red-legged Partridge with 3 well grown young. On the wires overhead I spotted an adult Roller soon to be joined by another as it flew in from the trees nearby. On the opposite side of the road a single stubble field held around 300 adult and juvenile Black-headed Gulls with at least 6 Mediterranean Gulls. A Purple Heron soon flew over followed by an adult Squacco Heron looking resplendent in its summer plumage. Close to the Mas de Grand Galignan I heard a Turtle Dove and spotted 6 Bee-eaters swooping through the trees. Another 3 Rollers were hopping from tree to tree here and a Fan-tailed Warbler showed itself well in some reeds adjacent to the road. The Mas de la Galere held 3 Black Kites, a pair of Kestrels and a single juvenile Short-toed Eagle. By the river a male Reed Bunting flew over and a Corn Bunting sang from a wooden post. The return journey was made memorable by excellent views of a Melodious Warbler and the magical song of a Blackcap.

11th - A trip into the Camargue today to visit Mas d'Agon and Salin de Badon amongst other places. The sky was overcast and a pleasant breeze blowing as I arrived at Mas d'Agon. Whiskered Terns were feeding on both sides of the road and must have numbered around 80. A rufous female Cuckoo appeared and did a quick recce of the area then I spotted a pair of fly-over Night Herons and at least 4 Purple Herons, all in the first 10 minutes. Common Terns and a single Gull-billed Tern joined the other terns feeding over the lagoon and 4 Shoveler flew over. Soon, Collared Pratincoles began swooping over the road giving excellent views and then I spotted a Black-winged Pratincole amongst them. The lack of white trailing edge to the secondaries and the darker head were diagnostic. It is often the case that a flock of Collareds will have one or two Black-winged with them and so it proved today although I had watched this flock several times and not spotted this bird so it may have only recently joined the others. Before I left a Squacco Heron flew low over my head. I tried to get a permit to Salin de Badon but was told the reserve was closed due to all the water evaporating! I decided to explore the area alongside Vaccares instead. Just south of Capelliere 3 Common Sandpipers fed on the shoreline and a Green Sandpiper flew over. Next stop was at Marais de Palunette where 12 Spotted Redshank were feeding, 10 of which were resplendent in summer plumage, plus a pair of Black-tailed Godwits and more than 20 Black-winged Stilts. A stop at the Etang de Tour du Valat produced 24 Spoonbills on the lake ( presumably relocated from Salin de Badon due to the lack of water!) plus at least 15 Little Terns feeding. Soon a Short-toed Eagle appeared hanging in the air looking for prey. Its beautifully patterned underside was clearly visible. A final stop at Fumemorte produced nothing more than a pair of Crested Larks and 5 Corn Buntings feeding in a field.

10th - An early start at the Etang des Aulnes and a brief exploration of the Crau around Vergieres today. On the journey down I spotted a single Stone-curlew in a field alongside the D26 close to Les Bastidettes - the first of this species seen here. The Etang was calm with no wind whatsoever. The trees resounded with Melodious Warbler song and Blackcap, Nightingale, Blue Tit and Melodious Warbler were all seen. A pair of Stonechats were spotted on the heath. On the lake there was nothing but a pair of Common Terns fishing but a fly-over female Red-crested Pochard was a nice surprise. The reedbed held at least 3 singing Great Reed Warblers, one of which was spotted, plus Reed Warbler and a single Grasshopper Warbler that was heard only. The nesting Golden Orioles were heard calling and then the male spotted in flight along with a Purple Heron. I moved onto the Crau and had a far view of a Southern Grey Shrike plus several Tawny Pipits close up. As I drove along the track a raptor took off from the ground and flew low over a considerable distance. First impressions were of a large falcon, possibly a Saker, but I could not refind the bird so it remains a possible only. At least 10 Black Kites were feeding in the area plus a couple of Kestrels and a single Lesser Kestrel. I walked along the stream and disturbed a pair of Red-legged Partridges, several Yellow Wagtails, 5 Tawny Pipits, a Calandra Lark and 8 Crested Larks. Back at the Peau de Meau car park I spotted a fly-over Turtle Dove then a walk along the stream produced a pair of Rollers, single Bee-eater, Corn Bunting and Savi's Warbler.

8th - Sunny and warm but cooler than in recent weeks. An early morning trip to the Phare de Gacholle with various stops along the eastern shore of the Vaccares on the way back in search of returning migrant waders amongst other things. The water level on the lagoons by the pumping station was probably too deep but a pair of Common Sandpipers were feeding along the shore and Flamingoes numbered around 500. I drove to the Phare de Gacholle and only spotted single Kentish Plover and Green Sandpiper on the adjacent lagoon plus upwards of 30 Yellow Wagtails along the track. A walk to the next lagoon to the south and here were 40+ Kentish Plovers, many on nests, 15 Little Ringed Plovers, 8 Common Sandpipers and 2 Dunlin. I returned to the bridge by the sluice gate and scoped the lagoon to the North where at least 200 Avocets were feeding along with 2 Ruff, 3 Curlews, 3 Oystercatchers, several Shelduck and at least one Spotted Redshank. A Caspian Tern and several Linnets flew over as I was returning to the car. On the return journey I stopped at Amphise where a group of 12 Crested Larks were feeding and 3 Little Terns and a Bee-eater flew over. A stop by the pumping station had allowed me close-up views of a Purple Heron fishing. Next stop was at the Etang de Tour du Valat where I spotted a group of 12 Spoonbills and a couple of Cormorants, one of which was the north African race lucidus. I waited here for over an hour and had a single Kentish Plover, 8 Whiskered Terns, another Caspian Tern, a Gull-billed Tern, a Cuckoo, 10+ Yellow Wagtails (flava) and an adult Short-toed Eagle that gave excellent views overhead. I also witnessed a contretemps between a Black Kite and a male Marsh Harrier in which the kite was obviously intruding on the harrier's territory so the harrier attacked the kite and at one time this involved interlocking their talons and doing a spiralling fall that was very impressive. Further north I managed to hear a Sardinian Warbler and see Fan-tailed, Cetti's, Reed and Melodious.Unfortunately rare waders were just that.

7th - A cooler but still sunny day today for a visit to Mas d'Agon and La Capelliere. A single Roller on wires close to Mas St Cecile was a good start to the day. At Mas d'Agon a few Collared Pratincoles were overflying the road but no sign of the reported Black-winged Pratincole seen over the weekend! At least 20 Whiskered Terns were feeding on the lagoons along with a couple of Common and a single Gull-billed Tern. Both Purple and Squacco Herons also flew across the road. After a few minutes I noticed an adult Caspian Tern also feeding on the lagoon to the west of the road. A fairly scarce bird at this site! La Capelliere had a decent selection of waders present as the first returning migrants have recently arrived. From the main hide around 40 Black-winged Stilts, 17 Green Sandpipers, a single Wood Sandpiper, 13 Spotted Redshank (most in summer plumage) and the star birds, 3 Marsh Sandpipers. Unfortunately the rest of the reserve was fairly quiet with a relatively showy Great Reed Warbler plus a brief glimpse of a Moustached Warbler in the reeds the best I could find. I tried one further stop along Fumemorte and managed at least 3 Stonechats, an adult Short-toed Eagle, several Crested Larks and a single Calandra Lark but overall the area was very quiet.

6th - A visit to a new area today, namely the Alpilles around Aureille. A footpath/road called GR6 runs a good bit of the length of the eastern Alpilles just to the south of the hills. I took this route east and spent around 2 hours birding the area. On the drive to the site I spotted a single Roller perched in characteristic pose on a telephone wire in the Baux valley and then a pair of Alpine Swifts flying over peaks to the south of the Maussane-Le Destet road. On the actual walk I first spotted a very tatty Kestrel that looked as if it had moulted around 50% of its primaries! How it managed to get airborne I have no idea! A couple of minutes later I had a great view of an adult Bonelli's Eagle as it soared first in front then directly overhead. It was joined by another adult and the pair soon disappeared over the hills to the North. As I got further into the hills the path became narrower and the number of birds increased. I heard and then saw a male Subalpine Warbler as it carried food to a nest in a nearby bush. The calls of the young birds were heard clearly. An adult Southern Grey Shrike then posed nicely on the peak of a large boulder before a Sparrowhawk appeared overhead in a search for food. The maquis was now full of birds with several Black Redstarts, at least 8 Stonechats, a female Subalpine Warbler and a pair of Sardinian Warblers chasing each other through the rocks. Then I noticed a thrush sized bird atop another rock and confirmed it as an exquisite male Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush! It flew across the valley and was soon joined a by a female giving reasonable views. The last time I saw one of these birds was 4 years ago on Mont Ventoux so it was nice to discover a pair closer to home. A female Dartford Warbler then made her presence known and gave extended views (for a Dartford Warbler!!) before diving into some scrub. On the walk back I had a Black Kite soaring overhead and a Woodlark giving its beautiful song as it fluttered to the ground in front of me. All in all a great day.

3rd - Today I travelled along the road to Gimeaux under an overcast sky with a little drizzle. I stopped at the first bend past Gimeaux and walked along the track where I managed to spot a female Reed Bunting, several Corn Buntings, a Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Reed Warbler and 6 Tree Sparrows. Close to Mas des Barnacles I found 6 Bee-eaters,a dozen nesting Black-winged Stilts, a pair of Black Kites and a Common Tern. I continued on to Mejanes where I looked out over the Basses Mejanes and found a pair of Cetti's Warblers, a pair of Sardinian Warblers, Reed Warbler and 50 Flamingoes feeding on the lagoon. I then stopped at Mas d'Agon where 12 Whiskered Terns and 30+ Collared Pratincoles were flying over the lagoons. At times they passed low overhead giving excellent views. A juvenile Night Heron was then seen perched in a low tree only 10 metres away while an adult bird flew overhead along with a Purple Heron. Two Squacco Herons were soon seen in courtship flight over the eastern lagoon. Further north I managed to see a single Gull-billed Tern flying along the roadside, a male Cuckoo, 4 Wood Sandpipers giving alarm calls as they flew over, a single Curlew, Green Sandpiper and a Hoopoe. The protected zone was full of singing Skylarks and Crested Larks as usual with the added bonus of a single Short-toed Lark hopping around on a bare piece of ground.

1st July - An early visit to Marais du Vigueirat today and a good early sighting of a Roller on the telephone wires as I drove down the D35. The wet wood was very quiet with only a few tits (Great, Blue and Long-tailed) hopping through the trees and single Cetti's Warbler, Nightingale and Reed Warbler heard. The rapidly drying marsh held a dozen Black-winged Stilts and a further 10 or so flew over. The resident Cuckoo was seen flying and calling as it patrolled the trees. The 2nd wooded area had singing Nightingale and Melodious Warbler and a fly-by Kingfisher plus a Blackbird giving its alarm call. The White Stork nest had 4 well-developed young in it with the female proudly standing guard over them. In an adjacent tree I had excellent views of a calling Turtle Dove which eventually was spooked by a Black Kite! The open marshy area had a single Wood Sandpiper, several Bee-eaters, male Stonechat and Whinchat and a few Sardinian Warblers. But the most unusual sighting was a female Orphean Warbler which climbed through a nearby tree giving pretty good views. This is the first time I've seen this species at Vigueirat! Raptors were noticeable by their absence but I did manage to see a Sparrowhawk, female Marsh Harrier and a pair of Black Kites in mating flight. The extensive woodland by the canal produced both Green and Great-Spotted Woodpeckers and I heard a Lesser Spotted calling. Wildfowl was limited to a few Mallard and a single female Shoveler.

30th - The hot weather continues and the lack of wind today made it unpleasant to be out in the sun for any length of time. A brief trip to Mas d'Agon and Vaccares turned up few surprises. Driving south past La Chassagne I noticed 2 Collared Pratincoles as they flew west. At d'Agon a couple of Great White Egrets were an interesting observation given their absence here for the past 6 weeks or so. Terns were present in reasonable numbers with 5 Whiskered, 3 Common and a single Gull-billed all seen in flight over the lagoons. A single, adult Night Heron was also seen in flight having apparently lost any sense of the time of day ! Black Kites were numerous and a male Marsh Harrier quartered the reedbed looking for food. Two Purple Herons flew over although heading in opposite directions. At Vaccares the Black-winged Stilts continued to nest opposite the La Capelliere reserve entrance and I had the privilege of watching the male of one pair swopping incubation duties with the female. She didn't need much persuading to go looking for food! On the Etang itself I spotted a juvenile Herring Gull attempting to beg food from a pair of Yellow-legged Gulls! They were less than enthusiastic to put it mildly. A couple of Oystercatchers headed south and a Bee-eater appeared next to the road and gave excellent views perched on a telephone wire. Then, finally, an unusual sighting for this area when a Calandra Lark flew along between the road and the Etang only to disappear into a reedbed!