Now we are a Nature Reserve

As you can see from the sign on our gates we have now become a League pour la Protection des Oiseaux Refuge, in other words we are now a registered Nature Reserve.

 

We must be doing something right as we are attracting new species all the time and here are a few more..........................

 

A Broad-Bodied Chaser

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a member of the Cicada family - we have looked for the creature that was in the trees around the garden making a noise that I can only describe as an electrical short circuit. We called it the electrical bird thinking it was a bird until yesterday when I found it was caused by this little one.

It is about the size of my thumb and is extremely loud. Now I know what it is it makes sense as it sounds like one of the common cicada on speed..............  

After leaving the tree where it came into the world on, it can spend up to seventeen years underground sucking the sap via the trees roots before coming back out, shedding its exoskeleton and turning into this not-so-little adult beastie. 

 

 

and so to some of our birds - here is a Red Legged Partridge who often pops up on our wall or the roof of one of the buildings to have a look around and in mating season to call for his girls.

 

 

These three landed in a melon field at the side of us; they are Little Egrets and look like a couple with one young one. 

 

Another frequent visitor as regular readers will know are Grey Herons, this one is always hanging around. These pictures clearly show how the wing feathers can be manipulated whilst flying.