On a family holiday visiting non-birding friends I did not expect to have many opportuniti
es to see
good birds. Getting above the treeline to
Cret de Chatillon in the French Alp
s offered some hope but, as coffee an ice cream were the main objectives of the rest of my party, not much. Or so I thought. Stepping out of the car I immediately heard an unfamiliar '
te-
te-
te' call as a small flock of
Citril Finch flew over. They landed nearby so family and friends were abandoned in search of some photos - against the light unfortunately, but the first I have manag
ed of this species. Rejoining the coffee drinkers I heard another unfamiliar call - somewhere between a Jay and a
Nightjar - and saw the back end of a Nutcracker vanish into a conifer looming over the cafe. It exchanged calls with another further down the slope, and after some careful searching I could just about see it, partially obscured by branches. After this excite
ment, a short walk to the nearby summit brought us face to face with a small flock of Alpine Chough (see later post). The best hour's birding of the entire trip!
s offered some hope but, as coffee an ice cream were the main objectives of the rest of my party, not much. Or so I thought. Stepping out of the car I immediately heard an unfamiliar 'te-te-te' call as a small flock of Citril Finch flew over. They landed nearby so family and friends were abandoned in search of some photos - against the light unfortunately, but the first I have manag
ed of this species. Rejoining the coffee drinkers I heard another unfamiliar call - somewhere between a Jay and a Nightjar - and saw the back end of a Nutcracker vanish into a conifer looming over the cafe. It exchanged calls with another further down the slope, and after some careful searching I could just about see it, partially obscured by branches. After this excite
ment, a short walk to the nearby summit brought us face to face with a small flock of Alpine Chough (see later post). The best hour's birding of the entire trip!
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