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.