27th - A visit to La Capeliere (1st since early July) and Mas d'Agon today. On the Etang de Vaccares I spotted at least 3 Black-necked Grebes and 15 Great Crested Grebes. At Capeliere the 1st hide was so full I decided to come back after I'd been around the reserve! It was a good decision as it turned out! At the next hide a good number of Spotted Redshanks (45) were feeding avariciously on the exposed mud, many moulting from summer plumage, and in their midst I spotted a juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs. Whether this was the same bird seen here in May I couldn't say. Unfortunately, it soon disappeared from view behind a reedbed and then the entire flock of waders was spooked by a Marsh Harrier and they headed off towards Vaccares. From this hide I also spotted an adult Water Rail creeping through the reeds on the far side of the lagoon. At the next hide a pair of Wood Sandpipers were feeding right in front of the hide and within minutes they were joined by 2 adult and 1 juvenile Greenshank. I managed to get excellent photos of these birds. I continued along the path through the trees but given the number of people on the reserve it wasn't a surprise that all was quiet! The lagoon overlooked by the tamarisk hide was dry and the lagoon over the road held only 5 Black-winged Stilts. I returned to the main hide which was now empty and quickly found the Marsh Sandpiper that had been around for the past month or so. It was feeding amongst 80+ Spotted Redshanks and I managed some reasonable photos. In addition I spotted a pair of Green Sandpipers, several Mallard and a pair of Teal on the lagoon. At Mas d'Agon I found Squacco and Purple Herons, Little and Great Crested Grebes, Whiskered Terns, a Kingfisher, a pair of Wood Sandpipers, 7 Bee-eaters and a Roller. I returned in the evening and the only sighting of note was 8 Night Herons, the most I have seen here!

26th - A brief visit to Vignolles and Vaccares today. At the Enfores de la Vignolles a good number of waders were feeding on the mudflats to the left of the track - these included 30+ LRP, 8 Ringed Plovers, 60+ Kentish Plovers, 25 Dunlin and 3 Curlew Sandpipers. Along the edge of the lagoon were a pair of Common Sandpipers and at least 3 Green Sandpipers. I drove back to the Etang de TdV and here spotted an adult Honey Buzzard, which soared above for 5 minutes or so, a number of Mallard, Gadwall and Shoveler in flight, Grey and Purple Herons, and a flock of 20+ Spoonbills that briefly took to the air over towards TdV. A Cetti's Warbler called and around 30 juvenile Yellow Wagtails flew amongst the garrigue. At Vaccares, apart from a single adult Gull-billed Tern and several Common Terns perched on the jetty and 3 summer plumaged Black-necked Grebes on the lake, everything was quiet. On the journey back to Arles I spotted 2 Rollers and 6 Bee-eaters.

25th - A visit to the Crau today with the hope of spotting a migrating Dotterel or two. On the journey I managed to see a flock of 25+ Bee-eaters around Raphele and a single Roller at Vergieres. As I drove onto the Crau at least 5 Tawny Pipits were chasing each other around close to Mas Chauvet. I had excellent close views. Many Skylarks and Crested Larks were also giving good views as they flitted about! A pair of Northern Wheatears flew along the side of the track giving a good indication that migration was well underway. A female Hen Harrier flew over and then I spotted a superb male perched on a rockpile not 50 metres from the track. It too posed beautifully for an extended viewing. Kestrels were numerous (>15), and seemed to be occupying every stonepile available. A female Montagu's Harrier then put in an appearance, impressing with her effortless soaring in the strong winds. As I continued on the track south I spotted another harrier perched on a rock and managed to get fairly close to it. After having scoped it I was 90% certain it was an adult female Pallid Harrier. Its facial markings added to the wing shape in flight and the lack of the dark bar across the upper secondaries seemed to rule out both Hen and Montagu's. Unfortunately, I did not get a view of the underside of the bird in flight so could not see if it had the diagnostic dark inner secondaries but I did get a decent picture of the bird when perched and it is posted on the blog! I turned east and parked near Limous Berg and had a walk around. Almost immediately I put up a Hoopoe and spotted another pair of Wheatears, and a pair of Whinchats. Several calling Corn Buntings and a Calandra Lark took flight and in the distance I spotted a female Little Bustard creeping through the long grass. A Red-legged Partridge was spotted running away along another track and I noticed a pair of plovers flying over my head. The view was not good but they may easily have been Dotterel. Back in the car I found a male Southern Grey Shrike perched in a bush close to the Berg and as I approached Mas Chauvet again I spotted a juvenile Red-backed Shrike in its customary pose perched high in a gorse bush. I made a brief stop at the Etang d'Entressen but it contained nothing but Yellow-legged and Black-headed Gulls

22nd - An early start today for a trip to Piemanson via Vignolles/Fangassier. I arrived at Vignolles just before 8am and the shallow water at the north end of Fangassier was full of Black-headed Gulls, probably numbering around 500. I scoped the shoreline on Vignolles and the first wader I picked out was a splendid, moulting adult Temminck's Stint. It was feeding in the company of 6 Little Ringed Plovers and 2 juvenile Kentish Plovers. Due to the high water level on Vignolles there was nothing else about except 4 Common Sandpipers. However, as I drove back towards L'Amphise a couple of juvenile Caspian Terns swooped low over the car. I made my way down to Piemanson and as I approached the Baisse de 500 francs it was obvious there had been a major influx of waders in the past week. I counted 42 Black-winged Stilts, 10 Redshank, 3 Common Sandpiper, 12 Ringed Plover, 45 LRP, 35 Kentish Plover, 14 Little Stint, 2 Sanderling and a moulting Knot. Continuing along to the They de Ste. Ursule there were even greater numbers with around 400 Dunlin, 150 Little Stint, 12 Curlew Sandpiper, 30 LRP, 55 Kentish Plovers and over 200 Shelduck, most of which were juveniles! I had a quick trip to the beach but the tourists were everywhere and the sea held nothing but Yellow legged Gulls and a few Little Terns feeding, although the garrigue was full of juvenile Yellow Wagtails. I made my way back into the Camargue via Mas Cameroun where I spotted 3 Turtle Doves and a couple of Bee-eaters and stopped by the Etang de TdV. Here I found 6 Mute Swans, 20 Mallard and 5 Gadwall on the lake plus a flock of 30 Little Terns and one Whiskered Tern over.  A couple of Green Sandpipers flew between the islands and both Grey and Purple Herons flew in to feed. There were Sand and House Martins flying over continuously and a splendid male Marsh Harrier then appeared on the far side of the lake. I heard Cetti's and Sardinian Warblers and saw a pair of Fan-tailed Warblers as they called high above me. On the journey back I also spotted single Linnet, Reed Bunting and Greenfinch.

21st - An evening visit to Mas d'Agon today. Earlier in the day a juvenile Caspian Tern was seen crossing the N113 just to the east of St.Martin de Crau. The water level in the main lagoon at Mas d'Agon is quite low at the moment and, as a result, more waders seem to be present. A number of Little and Great Egrets, 2 Squacco Herons, 3 Black-winged Stilts and 3 Night Herons were feeding on the lagoon. On the far side I spotted a pair of feeding Wood Sandpipers and 3 Green Sandpipers flew over the reedbed. At least 5 Little Grebes and 7 Great Crested Grebes were also feeding on the surface weeds. A single Snipe then flew over the road and headed east. Then I noticed a small bird at the edge of the nearest reedbed. When I scoped it I was gobsmacked to find it was a juvenile Baillon's Crake, a bird I had never seen before! It fed for several minutes out in the open before disappearing back into the reeds. What a fantastic surprise! As the sun went down the number of terns returning to their roosts increased and the number of Whiskered Terns alone must have numbered around 200!  Just to add icing to the cake I then spotted an adult Purple Swamphen appear from another reedbed and potter about a bit before flying directly towards me, only to land out of sight behind the reedbed by the road. A great 2 hours birding!

20th - An afternoon visit to Gimeaux and Vaccares today. The rice fields at Gimeaux still held half a dozen post-breeding  Black-winged Stilts and overhead I noted 6 Whiskered Terns, 3 Gull-billed Terns and 2 Common Terns. Further along the road 35 Bee-eaters, including 15 juveniles, were perched on the cattle fences along with 200+ Starlings. A quick visit to Mas Lauricet produced adult and juvenile Rollers, both perched in trees and giving excellent views, and 3 Common Buzzards seen soaring distantly over St. Gilles. At Vaccares, 3 Common Sandpipers were spotted feeding along the shoreline and a single Wood Sandpiper flew over. On the lake 4 Black-necked Grebes and a Little Grebe joined around 20 Great Crested Grebes. Then I spotted a harrier approaching from the south and assumed it was a Hen Harrier but as it flew past it was obviously a "stonking" male Pallid Harrier. It continued northwards before I had a chance to get the camera out! This was the first male Pallid Harrier I have seen in France! At the Etang de TdV I spotted a pair of Short-toed Eagles that were alternately hovering and gliding as they searched for food. On the Etang itself were a pair of Little Terns, 5 Mute Swans, 12 Mallards and a feeding Purple Heron. In the fields by TdV a Hobby was spotted perched on a fence and 2 Crested Larks flew over.

13th - Another early morning trip to Mas d'Agon and Vaccares today. In the flooded rice fields north of Mas d'Agon I spotted a flock of 12 Cattle Egrets and a single Glossy Ibis feeding. This seems to be a regular spot to find the ibis at this time of year. A Purple Heron also flew over here. Further south by the main lagoons I had a great view of a Squacco Heron as it hunted at the water's edge and many Little and Great Egrets were seen at the far side of the eastern lagoon engaged in the same pursuit. A small copse of trees near the road produced both adult and juvenile Night Herons perched unobtrusively - probably at their roosting site! A female Marsh Harrier was seen quartering the reedbed to the west and then a male Sparrowhawk suddenly flew down the small canal, missing me by a couple of feet! If it was hoping to surprise an unsuspecting sparrow or finch it was out of luck! A good number (40+) of Whiskered Terns were hunting over the lagoons as usual and these were joined by a pair of juvenile Caspian Terns, at least 4 Gull-billed Terns and a single Common Tern. A flock of 24 Bee-eaters then appeared and began perching in the same trees as the Night Herons. A Kingfisher called and flew over and I managed to spot a pair of Little Grebes on the lagoon amongst around 20 Great Crested Grebes. Next stop was along the eastern shore of Vaccares where I saw 2 Common Sandpipers feeding, a Buzzard over, a single juvenile Lapwing, and a number of Common and Little Terns feeding over the lake. Visible migration was obvious here with at least 60 Sand Martins making their way south alongside the Barn Swallows and House Martins. At the Etang de TdV I saw several Gadwall and Mallard on the water. In the garrigue next to the road a Yellow Wagtail was easily spotted and a female Reed Bunting flew over. Five minutes later an adult Short-toed Eagle began soaring over the lake giving excellent views. It hung in the breeze for minutes on end without any wing movement as is characteristic with this species. At least 2 Fan-tailed Warblers were calling  and a pair of Crested Larks perched on a fence by the road. Then a most unusual sighting for this area - a flock of 12 Collared Pratincoles flew over the road heading east! This is the first time I have seen this species away from Mas d'Agon, Gimeaux or the Pont des Tourradons! The journey back to Arles produced a single Green Woodpecker over and at least 4 Rollers perched on conspicuous lookouts.

12th - An afternoon visit to the Alpilles around Aureille today. On the journey a flock of around 40 Cattle Egrets were seen feeding in a rice field in the Baux valley. I followed the GR6 path to the east and then took the first footpath on the left. A calling Southern Grey Shrike was the first bird I saw and it was soon joined by its mate which gave excellent views on the top of a rocky outcrop. At least 3 male Subalpine Warblers were heard calling from the scrub and soon one was seen flying into a small tree accompanied by a juvenile. A male Stonechat then appeared on the other side of the path giving its characteristic 'chaak' call. A little further on I noticed a raptor appear over the rocky ridge to the south. On closer inspection it turned out to be an adult Bonelli's Eagle which was soon joined by another and they gave wonderful views for about 5 minutes before disappearing behind the ridge. A Kestrel then flew over the path and perched high on top of the cliff to the North where a Crag Martin was flying around. Then I caught a glimpse of a passerine standing on top of a rock near the path. I assumed it was another shrike but having scoped the bird it was a splendid male Black-eared Wheatear! This was the first time I've seen this species in the Alpilles and only the second I've managed this year. A little further along the path passed through a stand of dead trees and here I spotted a male Dartford Warbler, a pair of Black Redstarts and heard a pair of Serins calling. On the walk back I spotted a Stock Dove, a Black Kite and an adult Short-toed Eagle that was hunting over the olive fields.

11th - A visit to Mas d'Agon and Vaccares today. At Mas d'Agon the usual Cattle, Little and Great Egrets were feeding on the lagoons. A pair of Squacco Herons flew over in courtship flight and a Purple Heron was spotted feeding in the distance. A number of Whiskered Terns were feeding over the marshes and around 20 Common Terns soon joined them. A Water Rail was heard calling from the reedbed and both male and female Marsh Harriers hunted over the marsh to the west. The flooded field by the road held around 100 Black-headed Gulls and 12 Wood Sandpipers that were busy feeding. Both Mallard and Gadwall flew over after a while and a Reed Warbler was seen disappearing into the reeds. A brief stop at Vaccares and a few Black-winged Stilts were still feeding on the lagoon next to La Capeliere. Along the shore I spotted at least 4 Common Sandpipers, a juvenile Curlew and a Redshank. Sitting on the jetty were 15 Common Terns and a single Arctic Tern, and I then spotted 6 Sandwich Terns and a pair of Little Terns flying over the water. At Fielouse I noticed 6 Bee-eaters calling and swooping around the canal and a pair of Yellow Wagtails were chasing each other through the garrigue. Finally, as I drove back 3 Greenshank flew over the car.

7th - This morning I visited Mas d'Agon, Vaccares and Fielouse before the rains came around lunchtime! The fields north of Mas d'Agon held a pair of Glossy Ibis feeding amongst the grass plus 8 Little Egrets, a Great Egret and 3 Cattle Egrets. An adult and juvenile Night Heron flew over giving their ugly, frog-like "quark" call. Just as I was leaving a flock of 8 Collared Pratincoles flew low over the road and landed out of sight somewhere in the nearby rice field. At Mas d'Agon there were around 25 Little Egrets, 3 Great Egrets, 2 Purple Herons and 10+ Grey Herons all fishing on the main lagoon. I spotted at least 3 Little Grebes and a pair of Great crested Grebes, too. The resident Whiskered Terns, numbering around 35, were still fishing over this lagoon and they were joined by 8 Common Terns and single, adult Gull-billed and juvenile Black Terns. 15 Flamingoes passed overhead in formation and a single Snipe then flew low over the reedbed, the first I've seen for 3 months! A pair of Squacco Herons also flew over giving great views. The ploughed field south of the lagoon held 100 or so Black-headed Gulls and 8 Wood Sandpipers. I spotted a Kingfisher flying along the canal as I drove away. On the drive to Vaccares I saw a Roller take off from a wire fence and a Green Woodpecker fly across the road just missing the car! At Vaccares I noticed 5 Common Sandpipers and a juvenile Curlew feeding alongside the Etang. Many Sand Martins and Swallows were migrating through over the water and several Common Terns were fishing here. At Fielouse, an adult Short-toed Eagle hovered silently overhead in the strengthening wind and I spotted 2 juvenile Melodious Warblers and a Sardinian Warbler in the trees. A Blackcap sang energetically from the same trees. Further along towards TdV a pair of juvenile Whinchats and an adult male Stonechat perched on top of the garrigue giving excellent views. 4 Corn Buntings flew off from the adjacent corn field and a Green Sandpiper flew along a drainage channel, calling loudly.

5th - Beauduc was the early morning destination today in the hope of catching up with more migrating waders, some rare hopefully! As I drove along L'Amphise a female Sparrowhawk almost collided with the car, only taking avoiding action at the last moment! Along the track just before reaching the water pump at Enfores de Vignolles I spotted around 12 Little Stints and 6 Curlew Sandpipers, most of which were moulting from summer plumage. The lagoon also held around 60 Flamingoes. Having parked the car I walked between the Etangs Fangassier and Galabert spotting at least 5 Common and 3 Green Sandpipers on the way. On the exposed mud of Fangassier was an amazing sight - in the region of 400 Sand Martins resting on the ground! They flew off as I approached but this was easily the greatest number of this species I had seen in one colony! At the southern end of Galabert I noted 12 Little Ringed Plovers, 5 Curlew Sandpipers, 3 Dunlin, 2 Kentish Plovers and 8 Little Stints. Rounding the corner on the way to the pump behind the beach there were a good number of waders on the Etang du Grand Rascaillon and it was here that I spotted my first Temminck's Stint since last autumn! It was associating with a flock of 20 Curlew Sandpipers, 13 Little Stints and 8 Little Ringed Plovers. A flock of 8 Bee-Eaters swooped and called overhead and a Cormorant flew over. In the copse of trees behind the pump I found a female Pied Flycatcher and 5 Melodious Warblers which were surprisingly active and obliging. The lagoon behind the beach road produced 6 Slender-billed Gulls, 4 Sandwich, 3 Common and 8 Little Terns and a pair of Oystercatchers but no waders. The return journey produced a pair of Crested Larks, a White Stork in flight, a female Marsh Harrier and more of the same.

4th - A return to La Palissade this morning given the promising variety of waders seen here last week. A brief stop near the Tour du Valat resulted in an adult White Stork being seen feeding amongst the scrub and a flock of 20+ Cattle Egrets gathered around a herd of cattle. As I approached the car park at La Palissade a Hoopoe disappeared into the trees and a Black Kite flew over. The walk to La Sableuse was productive as the almost dry lagoon to the south had 5 juvenile Black Storks feeding on the ever disappearing pool of water, along with a couple of Grey Herons and a Great Egret. The scrub produced 2 juvenile Yellow Wagtails and at least 4 Melodious Warblers flitting around in the trees. Overhead were 15+ Sand Martins, 10+ House Martins and 30 Swallows. From the hide I spotted 48 Avocets, 60 Black-winged Stilts, 40+ Little Ringed Plovers, 5 Kentish Plovers, 25 Grey Plovers (including only 2 summer plumaged adults), at least 300 Dunlin, 43 Curlew Sandpipers, 10 Little Stints, a single Wood Sandpiper, 4 Green Sandpipers, 12 Common Sandpipers, 15 Redshank, 3 Greenshank and, most surprisingly, a pair of Turnstones (both moulting from summer plumage). In addition to these waders the lagoon hosted 15 Slender-billed Gulls, 30 Yellow-legged Gulls, 10 Little Terns, a single Gull-billed Tern, 40 Common Terns and 4 Whiskered Terns. A Buzzard soared overhead and a female Marsh Harrier caused consternation as it lazily flew over the lagoon! The walk back to the car park produced a pair of Reed Buntings, 15 Goldfinches, a Linnet and a Western Bonelli's Warbler! On the return journey to Arles I spotted a single Roller and a flock of 24 Spoonbills on the Etang de TdV.

1st - A brief trip to Le Vergieres today. 3 Black Kites were immediately seen circling over the small wooded area to the north of the Peau de Meau reserve while a flock of around 10 Bee-eaters swooped over the approach road. A number of Kestrels perched on top of the stone piles strewn across this part of the Crau and a single Lesser Kestrel flew over the car evidently looking for food. Just a little further on a juvenile Montagu's Harrier was spotted preening on another of these stone lookouts. The number of larks and pipits had dropped significantly since my last visit - I saw a single Tawny Pipit walking through the scrub and one fly-over Crested Lark today. A couple of Buzzards soared over towards the N568 and a second Montagu's Harrier flew over the track. A single Roller was then spotted perched on a fence on the Peau de Meau reserve. On the return journey I spotted an immature Caspian Tern fly across the D35, probably the best sighting of the day!

31st - A return to the Pont des Tourradons today with the hope of spotting a rare migrant or two! The water level on the marshes had dropped significantly since last week and so waders were limited as to their feeding areas. The number of Wood Sandpipers had increased to around 20 and were accompanied by 3 Avocets, 10+ Black-winged Stilts, 5 Little Ringed Plovers, 4 Green Sandpipers, 8 Common Sandpipers, 3 Greenshank and 4 moulting Ruff. In the distance, over the reedbeds, a Marsh Harrier put up a flock of 30+ Spoonbills which soon returned to their feeding grounds out of sight! Both Night Herons (2) and Purple Herons (5) flew over and a Hobby was spotted hunting over the same reedbeds a few moments later. One of the lagoons held a number of terns preening on the exposed mud. They consisted of 15+ adult and juvenile Gull-billed Terns, 30+ Sandwich Terns, 50+ Whiskered Terns and a pair of Common Terns. A flock of around 100 Black-headed Gulls accompanied them. The sky was full of the usual Swallows and House Martins and I managed to spot a single Red-rumped Swallow in their midst. Passerines were again scarce though I found Sardinian, Fan-tailed and Great Reed Warblers. I drove back to the Etang du Charnier en route finding a Hoopoe, a male Cuckoo and 6 Bee-eaters. The Etang was quiet although 4 Shoveler and 6 Gadwall were seen in flight and a juvenile Shelduck fed on the lake.

30th - Today I decided to take a trip to a rarely visited reserve close to the plage de Piemanson, the Domaine de Palissade. The weather was hot and sunny with a weak southerly breeze, the early mist having been quickly burnt off by the sun. On the drive down the D36 I stopped briefly by the Tour du Valat and noted a White Stork gliding in to land, a Common Sandpiper and Squacco Heron flying along the roadside canal and a flock of 30+ Cattle Egrets in a field. At the reserve I walked along the trail to La Baisse Claire and soon located a number of warblers in a copse of trees. I spotted a pair of Sardinian Warblers, male Lesser Whitethroat and a Melodious Warbler, plus I heard a Spectacled Warbler give its characteristic alarm call. As I continued along the track 3 Goldfinches flew over. From the hide overlooking the lagoon I found a flock of 40+ Little Egrets, 8 Grey Herons, 2 Purple Herons, a single Greenshank, 2 Common Sandpipers and 6 Black-winged Stilts. I also spotted a juvenile Marsh Harrier on the ground eating a small mammal and a Grey Heron catch an eel and carry it away, presumably to feed its young. I continued on the track to the next lagoon where I had more distant views of a pair of Black-tailed Godwits and another sizeable flock of Little Egrets (> 50 birds). Returning to the main path I continued on to La Sableuse and from the hide noted an impressive selection of waders. These included 2 Grey Plovers, 30+ Dunlin, 4 Wood Sandpipers, an Oystercatcher, 20+ Little Ringed Plovers, 12 Green Sandpipers, 8 Common Sandpipers, 40+ Ruff, 4 Greenshank, 3 Black-tailed Godwits and a single Spotted Redshank. There were a number of Little, Common and Sandwich Terns feeding over the lagoon too. On the walk back I noticed a colony of Grey Herons in trees by the Rhone.