Etangs Foucault was our first stop and the main hide here gave us some great views. A French birder ushered us to the far left of the hide where a Purple Heron had flown in and was hunting in the shallow water close by. What a joy it was to get such a good view of this amazing bird. We watched for some time as it patrolled the margins and then flew to the far corner of the lake, landing within a few yards of one of its Great White cousins.
The far bank held a large colony of mostly Little Egrets with a couple of Great Whites and one Cattle Egret that took to the air, crossed toward us and continued over the hide and away. Shortly after this, a single Little Egret broke out to pay us a front-of-hide visit. We also noted Cormorant, Mallard, Lapwing, Pochard, Mute Swan, Great Crested Grebe and a Buzzard landed on a nearby post and stayed for some time. Before leaving, we were treated to a Roe Deer as it emerged from thick foliage to take a short stroll along the far bank.
We moved on to the expansive Blizon Lake which is a somewhat deeper affair and bird-wise, was rather quiet other than a few ducks on the water and a Grey Heron on a far-off island. We walked the area for a while and found a shoal of catfish basking in a small pool on an outlet stream and a Great White Egret flushed up from one of the smaller lakes as we approached.
Lots of Ruddy Darters accompanied us (vice-versa in truth) along the lakeside paths and adjacent woodlands.
Purple Heron patrolling the near margins of Foucault
Yellow-wellied Little Egret on look-out duty at Foucault Lakes
Ruddy Darter at Blizon Lake
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