Brianpen Birds - Le Marathon de la Liberte, Caen FRA, 13 Juin 2010

 

Bird Sightings, Le Marathon de la Liberte, Courseulles-sur-mer to Caen, France, 13 Juin 2010

List of birds I saw or heard (and was able to identify) during Le Marathon de la Liberte between Courseulles-sur-mer and Caen in Normandy, France on June 13, 2010. Birding was fairly good during the race once the crowd thinned out after the first couple of miles. The course runs along the coast for the first half, through small towns and farming country, then turns inland following a bike path along a river past farms, fields and hedgerows. My list was limited by my ignorance about the birds of the area, and in particular my unfamiliarity with many of the songs and calls. I also ran fairly hard and didn't write down my list of birds until after the race, which means I overlooked some obvious birds, Corvids for instance. Despite all that, I counted 19 species, plus a Hobby during the bus ride to the start.
SpeciesNotes Gray Heron Along river Mallard   Herring Gull   Collared Dove   Woodpigeon   Common Swift   House Martin   Wren Singing Blackbird   Cetti's Warbler Distinctive song, in rushes along the river Blackcap Singing Chiffchaff Singing, hedgerows Great Tit   Starling   House Sparrow   Chaffinch   Greenfinch   Goldfinch   Linnet House-finch like song     Hobby One flew by the bus as we were driving to the start. Handsome falcon, like a small peregrine but sleeker and sharper winged w/ rusty vent area.