blast off from the Loire

 

the cormorant

 

the search is on

 

down by the river

 

vigilance

 

Alright Mr deVille, I'm ready for my close-up

 

That would be Monsieur deVille d'Amboise.

smooth sailing

As someone who has in the past tried to get up close and personal with the birds, I can say they inherently know more about social distancing than us humans.  Thank goodness for telephoto lenses (and video-conferencing).

wading for lunch

It won't be long.

sunset on Spring

The solstice was yesterday and it's officially Summer!  Note that this shot was taken a 10:15 pm.  We are at the same latitude as Newfoundland.

free ranging

vigilance

wading for breakfast

see ya next year

the search

One of dozens that I found hovering over the Loire.  I presume looking for lunch.

as close as I can get

Egrets (les aigrettes) are extremely skittish and this is about as close as I have ever gotten to one.  And this was with a telephoto lens.  They are such beautiful birds though.  Maybe one day they will inspire me to plunk down serious money for a longer telephoto.

now that's a costume

This fellow was strolling around the grounds of Clos Lucé when I snapped this shot.  He was quite shy and just didn't seem to want to pose for me.  Maybe he'll open up, so to speak, for Halloween.

les martinets - the martins

These martins often make their mud nests in the protected niche above windows.  In this case, this window belongs to the Amboise city hall (hôtel de ville).  They generally do not make too much of a mess below the nests and so their nesting should not be a problem to home owners.  And the great benefit of having lots of martins in the area is that they consume huge amounts of flying insects.

In this photo there are five martins. If you maximize the photo you may find them (click on the photo and maximize your browser window). The two in the upper left corner are easy to find clinging to their nest.  A third and its shadow can be seen in flight on the lower right.  A fourth is difficult to see in the upper left but look for the little patch of white above and to the right of its shadow.  It's coming in for a landing.  The last one is just a tail sticking out of the entrance to a nest, it's in between the first two and the fourth.

la crécerelle - the kestrel

I have seen these amazing birds from time to time for years, hovering over open fields looking for a good meal.  Like helicopters, they fly stationary and patiently wait for their prey.  Alas, they have always been way too far away for me to capture on "film" but recently I encountered this one on the banks of the Loire right next to the levee as I passed by.  I had only a few moments before he saw me and flew away, so I didn't capture the "perfect" image.  However, these two shots manage to show his hawkish profile as well as his tail plumage.

looking for lunch

Usually the egrets are so skittish that I can never get close enough to get good shot.  On this exceptional day, this fellow was so intent on finding a snack that I managed to get the snap before he swooped away.

seven swans a-swimming

They're a little late but there they were this week around the Ile d'Or.  In fact, not far out of the picture were another group of five, the most swans I've ever seen together in Amboise.  I'm now on the lookout for the geese... and the maids.