As we settled into the ebb and flow of campsite life, one of the first things we noticed was the fabulous variety of sounds from the local birdlife, so many more than the ubiquitous wood pigeons and magpies we hear at almost all the places we stop. And this time, thanks to our friends Paul and Sue in Arran who are great lovers of birdlife, we were well equipped with the Merlin App, which meant that apart from Blackbirds and the very distinctive Scops Owl which we could identify, we were able to work out the identities of the many other birds that accompanied us throughout the day, and sometimes night. Nightingales sure are early risers, hence their name. It’s the boys who sing, we learned, looking for a mate.
But first, to return to the sad tale of the barn swallows. Once we realised that all the routes in and out of the sanitaires had been blocked with uPVC windows and self closing doors, we wondered what the impact on the migratory Hirondelles would be, returning as they frequently do to the same nesting sites each year. The nearby and extensive wetlands of La Maïre provide an abundance of insect life, not just the mosquitos we were very aware of, so it’s no wonder there are so many birds! And after their up to 6,200 mile migration from sub-Saharan Africa, where were our swallows going to nest?
There are plenty to be seen and heard, so it didn’t take us long to find where they were nesting on the site – on the outside of the sanitaires, in the rafters and eaves that project out from the roof, and a couple with chicks in the reveals of the blocked in windows – phew!
Of particular interest to us were a couple of nests at the entrance to the block, one each side.
But imagine our horror when we saw that they had been removed…
… and then rebuilt…
...only to be destroyed and rebuilt again.
There would appear to have been a change of heart by the family that own the site to ‘modernise’ the sanitaires – but at what a cost to the birds. And the experience for the humans using the block is diminished too, as what was once a lovely airy space to shower and faire one’s toilette, is now humid and mosquito rich without our little Hirondelle hunters to keep the population down and the airy windows and doors kept open. For us, the new fittings and shiny tiles are no substitute for their open and inclusive predecessors.
So, what to do? Fired up by indignation and believing that surely Hirondelles must be protected, even in fond-of-small-bird-shooting France, Mrs B did a bit of digging and liaison with a certain other Mr B, now a long term resident of France. Turns out that in France although Hirondelles are indeed protected, nests are allowed to be removed for ‘reasons of hygiene,’ which may explain why these had been taken down from the entrance, but not why the nest over the washing-up sinks has (thankfully) been left alone. It’s obviously down to someone’s personal judgement. We immediately felt a little better too, when we spotted a nest, with chicks, in the entrance way to reception that all guests have to pass under as they register to stay! This one has been protected with a wooden slat, so we felt a bit better for the future of our feathered friends after seeing that - and so we live in hope that the existing broods will be left in peace to raise their young …..
“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all”
Thank you Emily Dickinson!
All of this was also a good lesson in the dangers of assuming, we realised.
In the interests of not wanting to get the wrong end of the stick, or the broom that had taken the previous nests down, Mr B had a chat with a staff member in reception who was of the opinion that the nests were indeed protected, surprised that any had been knocked down, and happy to escalate the issue to management…
Currently the twice re-built nest at the entrance to the sanitaires has been left...
The next day, Mr B returned to reception and met with the big boss. Who told him that no, their staff did not remove nests. When Mr B showed before and after photos, the response saw the boss retreat to his office, exclaiming that they weren’t actually nests, just the beginnings of a nest, which were removed in order to encourage the birds not to fly into the sanitaires. Thinking ahead for a change, and of any possible return visits to Beauséjour, Mr B decided not to pursue any further questions regarding when is a nest not a nest...
To end on a more positive note about the abundance of birdlife, just a couple of days into our stay, and our serenade over dinner outside Evie was provided by Swallows, Blackbirds, Golden Orioles, Nightingales, and Greenfinches over a 45 second period! To which we have since added Sparrows, Scops Owls, Redstarts and Great Tits on a regular basis. At this rate we may be able to do some bird sound recognition without the help of the Merlin App. And, although we have not managed at the time of writing to take any snaps of the rarer Orioles and Nightingales, we have at least seen them in the trees and in flight!
Mr B can now be found wandering the site at dusk, convinced he has heard another type of owl, but has not yet managed to return with an ID...
S&J 02.06.26
