See Birds

...but don't feed them!

A set of three Australian seabirds:

A gathering of Australian Pelican. We've written about these birds before, and even photographed them on the same sandbank 7 years ago.

The Greater Crested Tern. This species is pan-global, with 5 sub-species. This particular bird was photographed at Cabbage Tree Bay, Manly.

Silver Gulls. They're not as huge as European Herring Gulls, but they're capable of being as much of a nuisance.

Duck!

(or is it?)

I was sorting through some photos, and asked Susan about the photos of the little goose she took at Yarrangobilly. It turns out that it was an Australian Wood Duck.

The Australian wood duck, maned duck or maned goose (Chenonetta jubata) is a dabbling duck found throughout much of Australia. It is the only living species in the genus Chenonetta. Maybe if there were more members of the genus they could reach a decision, but it looks like a mini goose to me.

Sometimes I think it's just as well I'm not an taxonomist.

Walking Around Boussay

I took these photos three weeks ago, so things have moved on a bit since then. But they are too good to waste, so here they are.

 

An abandoned well in the hamlet of la Boissiere.

Marsh Crane Fly Tipula oleracea (Fr. tipule potagère).

A canola crop with the hamlet of la Boissiere in the background.

Arable farmland in the Claise Valley.

Violet Oil Beetle Meloe violaceus (Fr. Méloé enfle-boeuf violet).

The former orangerie, now a holiday let, in the grounds of the Chateau de Boussay.

Horse chestnut avenue in the grounds of the Chateau de Boussay.

Grape-hyacinth Muscari neglectum (Fr. Muscari).

Chateau outbuildings.

The moat around the Chateau, and the stables.

Chateau de Boussay.

Bee'd

On Tuesday afternoon I noticed a couple of honey bees hanging around in our front courtyard. I wasn't particularly worried, because (I thought) there's nothing there for them. Susan rang Bernard, who popped over that evening, took a look, and agreed that nothing much needed doing - or could be done. There was also 30 or 40 bees in the attic bathroom which were shooed out. As they were standing there a bee popped out of a drain hole in the bathroom floor - which they then blocked.

Bees thinking they've found somewhere.

Yesterday, as Susan was preparing lunch I realised I could hear a bee swarm. I wandered outside, and the air was thick with insects.

A decision has been made

Ten minutes later they had coalesced into the traditional mob of bees, and ten minutes after that they had settled in to the void beneath the attic bathroom floor.

There's nothing responsible we can do about it, so we're in wait and see territory. 

What larks!

Pictures of Preuilly

Photos taken on some of my recent walks around town.

The Guinguette is setting up for business

Les Cochetières

Reflections in the Claise

Preuilly-sur-Claise on a Monday morning 

The Claise

Fete St George

Last Saturday was the fete St George. St George is the Patron Saint of Preuilly (and a lot of other places) and his feast day (23 April) is when one of Preuilly sur Claise's fairs is traditionally held. There have been occasions in the past when the fete wasn't held (most recently the plague years) and occasionally in previous centuries the town was fined by the authorities for not holding the fete and its associated cattle market. The cattle market is long gone, and apart from a couple of professional sellers, these days it's mainly locals selling their extra stuff, and organisations fundraising.

Unfortunately, the fair is held at peak brocante time in the Touraine, so it can clash with events in neighbouring towns and be a bit thin on the ground. Last year was fairly active, but this year the competition meant that it was a bit quiet.

Sylviane with her donkey Brunelle, selling homemade biscuits 

But: it's a chance to get out and be sociable with the townfolk, and say hello to the second home owners who arrive about this time of the year.

Tour de France 2025

On Friday the detailed route for the 2025 Tour de France was made public. We have known for about 6 months that it will be coming through Preuilly on the 13th of July, and we have all been making guesses as to which path through the village it will follow.

We can now stop guessing. The cyclists will arrive on the main road from la Roche Posay, cross the river and turn right at the Abbaye towards Bossay and Martizay. After that they follow the main road to Azay le Ferron, and on to Châteauroux.

Looking towards the Abbaye in the direction the bikes will be travelling

Bubblers

We've written before about drinking water fountains in Australia.

Here are three more:

Massive in Manly 

Moderne in Marimbula

Wacky in Walcha

Strange Things on the Beach

I've often noticed clear jelly-looking crescent shaped blobs washed up on Australian beaches and the shorelines of coastal lagoons and lakes, but never really thought about them much beyond "they must be bits of jellyfish - or something"

Mystery blobs on the tideline

The blobs are actually thousands of moon snail (Conuber sordidus) eggs embedded in a matrix of mucus and sand. The female snail lay her eggs in a single line within the sandy matrix, which then takes on water and forms the crescent-shaped jelly substance. The egg sacs break up in the water after a few days, releasing planktonic larvae from the eggs.

Not so much of a mystery now

The egg mass can grow up to five times larger than the snail which laid it, growing between 5cm and 10cm in length. These ones were photographed from the boardwalk around Merimbula Lake, Southern New South Wales.

A conuber sordidus egg sac in the water

A Walk in the Forest

The other day I wanted some ramsons (wild garlic) to use with a fish dish I was planning to cook for dinner. Luckily our local forest has a secret (ahem...not very...) ramsons patch, so I went for a walk in the forest.

 

White Asphodel Asphodelus albus (Fr.  Asphodèle blanc).

Ramsons Allium ursinum (Fr. Ail des ours).

These are the new young leaves of Lily of the Valley Convallaria majalis (Fr. Muguet). Don't mistake them for Ramsons, because they are toxic. These were growing right next to the Ramsons in the photo above.

A teensy weensy female dagger fly Empididae in a Wood Anemone.

Hornbeam and Sessile Oak forest.

Silky Wall Feather Moss Homalothecium sericeum (Fr. Homalothécie soyeuse). Maybe...

Bank Haircap Moss Polytrichastrum formosum (Fr. Polytricie élégante) and Rough Stalked Feather Moss Brachythecium rutabulum ... Maybe...

Polypore Lenzites sp.

Bank Haircap Moss.

Checking Out the Early Orchids

I needed cheering up the other day so Simon and I went for a drive around our various local orchid sites to see what was out yet. 

 

Early Purple Orchid Orchis mascula (Fr. Orchis mâle).

Early Purple Orchids.

Knitting bombed bicycles over the voie verte (greenway) in Bossay sur Claise.

Monkey Orchid Orchis simia (Fr. Orchis singe).

Country road.

Lady Orchid Orchis purpurea (Fr. Orchis pourpre).

Early Spider Orchid Ophrys sphegodes (Fr. Ophrys araignée)

Lupin crop.

Canola pollen on the road.