![\"Barb's](\"https:\/\/franklinhaas.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/BarbApt_2.jpg\")
<\/a>Barb’s apartment building, Cugy, June 19, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Barb’s apartment building, Cugy, June 19, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n
Okay, enough of non-birding!<\/p>\n
We headed up to a nature preserve called Chavornay — a wetland, fields, and marsh. Just before we got there, we found a Eurasian Collared-Dove.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Eurasian Collared-Dove, Chavornay, June 19, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n
At the first pond, a Purple Heron was preening.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Purple Heron, Chavornay, June 19, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n
From the observation blind, we saw Coots, Tufted Ducks, and this Great Cormorant. Great Cormorant, Chavornay, June 19, 2016<\/p>\n Another Purple Heron flew by.<\/p>\n Purple Heron, Chavornay, June 19, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n Also there, a Reed Warbler posed.<\/p>\n Reed Warbler, Chavornay, June 19, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n I decided to walk down to check a nearby channel. Although I didn’t find any new birds, I did find Deer tracks — the closest we have come so far to seeing any wild mammals here.<\/p>\n Deer track, Chavornay, June 19, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n And another frog (at all of the wetlands we have visited so far, the frogs and toads are in full chorus).<\/p>\n Frog, Chavornay, June 19, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n While I was doing that, Barb started walking back to the car. In a field of Swiss Chard (!), she found a Yellow Wagtail, which conveniently reappeared when I caught up.<\/p>\n Yellow Wagtail, Chavornay, June 19, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n We next headed for the Vallee de Joux. As we pulled into the first wetland parking area, a Hobby flew in and raced back and forth over the stream and marsh for several minutes.<\/p>\n Hobby, Vallee de Joux, June 19, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n Hobby, Vallee de Joux, June 19, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n Out on the lake were many Coots, Great Crested Grebes, and Black-headed Gulls. We drove down the lakeside, but didn’t find anything new. But as we pulled into a parking lot to turn around, a small bird flitted into a tree in front of us. It was a Redstart.<\/p>\n Redstart, Vallee de Joux, June 19, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n Although Tufted Ducks are common here, most of the ones we have seen have been distant. So a closer one on a pond was nice.<\/p>\n Tufted Duck, Vallee de Joux, June 19, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n While driving back to the hotel, we spotted a Common Buzzard. Common Buzzard, near Cugy, June 19, 2016<\/p>\n In Pennsylvania, when a farmer is out mowing the hay, he is followed by a swarm of swallows. Here, he is followed by kites!<\/p>\n Kites, near Cugy, June 19, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n Kites, near Cugy, June 19, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n Kites (Red on right), near Cugy, June 19, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n Black Kite, near Cugy, June 19, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n The triplist is 52, with 40 lifers.<\/p>\n We head to France and the Camargue (a large coastal preserve) tomorrow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We started down memory lane today by driving over to Cugy (where Barb had lived for 5 months). Remarkably, we found her old apartment building — although with some changes (I thought we had brought along photos of it from … Continue reading <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>