those funny Frenchies

Recently spent a week birdwatching in Champagne, FR with a Belgian bird club I joined a year and a 1/2 ago. Goal was to see Common cranes (Grus grus) that make a pitstop at Lac du Der Chantecoq, the largest of several reservoirs built to prevent Paris from flooding, on their journey to Spain. On a good day you can see 30,000 or more of these gigantic Gruiformes!

There's always more to see than just birds, which is good on days when the birding is light. Will leave you with just a few of our curious impressions...


Your eyes are not deceiving you. That's a refrigerator in a plowed field! The door is open, maybe so the cranes can fetch a drink after eating all that corn. Ever see anything like this? Any clues what it's for?


... or this unit, which was the second metallic vogelverschrikker? scarecrow? What would the hood of a car or truck w wheels attached be doing smack dab in the middle of a plowed field? Go figure. OH, I GOT IT! Maybe it's farm ART!!!


The city of Troyes was no less entertaining because of the lack of symmetry. Made you feel like you were Alice in Wonderland! Take this building, for instance, which looks like one my 5-year old Thijs could've built. Actually, I take that back - Thijs is so organized - he'd never forget his LEVELER! But thank God this building is not so LEVEL because that's what makes it so interesting, as with most Euro cities. Symmetry is not always important.



Even the cups were crooked ... hmmmm, and what else might this apply to?


But the sunsets were just as spectacular as you would hope and expect, especially with the never-ending lines of cranes, trumpeting and calling to and fro. If that's not a life-changing experience I don't know what is.

photos courtesy of Rene Conings