French tits...

Romelaere, St Omer - 0930hrs - warm, dry, sunny, light airs - Went under the water today with Marshman and four Marsh women for a day out near St Omer. After dropping the ladies in town we headed for the nearby wetland reserve, a series of lakes, canals and drainage ditches as a result of past peat cutting. It was a quiet time of year to visit such a site with many of the summer migrants gone but there was still plenty to keep us interested, in particular a large tit flock that contained two cracking Willow Tits a species I last saw in England at Dunstable Sewage Works in 2002. From the boardwalk a number of Long-tailed Tits were also noted along with a scattering of Chiffchaffs, Cetti`s Warblers, White Wagtails, Mipits, Tree Sparrows, Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Skylark and Goldcrest. On the waters, and from the hide, many of the Great Crested Grebes still had attendant juvs, where also two Great White Egrets, Grey Heron, Lapwings, Marsh Harrier, Kestrel, Dabchicks, Cormorants, Shovelers, Gadwall, Swallows, House Martins, two Kingfishers and calling Water Rails in the main reedbed.
At one part of the site you have to cross a channel in a boat with a pull chain at either end which brings back memories of an incident about 12 years ago when a certain Dunstable birder stumbled into the water whilst trying to climb into the boat!

                                Romelaere Reserve, St Omer


Foret de Clairmarais - We then moved on to a nearby deciduous forest for a couple of hours where we noted at least four Marsh Tits amongst Long-tailed, Blue, Great and Coal Tits and one probable Crested Tit, albeit on call, plus Nuthatches, Greater pecker, Goldcrest, Jays and a Hobby.
Also of note here was a spanking White Admiral (very late to be still on the wing) butterfly along with plenty of Speckled Woods and Red Admirals, whilst at the former site we also had Peacock and Clouded Yellow.
Thanks to Marshman for driving on a day that will be remember for glorious autumnal sunshine, peace and tranquillity, plus black-capped tits.