The Four Seasons : To Twitch or not to Twitch?

One thing that I love about living in the Poitou-Charentes is that you notice the changing seasons. You can get the first signs of spring quite early and quite often I have seen butterflies as early as the beginning of February. The autumn can be quite stunning with the beautiful colours on the trees.

This autumn has been very mild andwe have had lots of yellows and golden browns but not as many reds as there would be if there were early frosts.

The summers are long and I enjoy the outside living and the winters thankfully are usually short and sharp.

One of the things that I notice most is the comings and goings of the various birds we have in the area. I am not a ‘Twitcher’ yet but I could be!! One of the main events that everyone gets excited about is the migrating cranes especially when they are going north (ie. spring is coming). They fly backwards (not literally) and forwards every spring and autumn between southern Spain and Portugal and Scandinavia and Russia.

We see huge V-shaped formations of the cranes flying over the region. They make a tremendous noise and you can hear the trumpet-like calls from miles away. Everyone talks about it. It is one of nature's most incredible sights and a sure sign of a change in the seasons.

You also notice how quiet it goes in the late summer when the birds stop singing. During the winter you get a few tweets here and there and the good old robin likes to have a singsong but it is very quiet. If you have a very mild day in December or January you might hear a confused greater spotted woodpecker drumming with its beak trying to get noticed but it is a tad early.

The first blackbird that you hear is wonderful. Spring is definitely arriving. Then you start listening out for other things and you notice birds and noises that you had forgotten about since the previous year. Corn buntings, black redstarts, etc. etc. etc.

Then the swallows arrive, sometimes by mid-March, it is wonderful. Again you notice them flying south in the early autumn - hundreds and hundreds of them and sometimes you will find huge flocks of them having a rest on the roof of your house.

By 1st April you should have heard a cuckoo and it is said that you should have money in your pocket when you do as it will bring you good luck. You will see hoopoes and hear nightingales. It's great. I have quite often pointed out the song of a nightingale to clients when viewing a property. So many people have never heard one. Although they are loud and you can be standing close to one they are extremely difficult to see.

The Poitou-Charentes is a fantastic place for birdwatchers. If you live here or have a holiday home here I am sure that you will notice the seasons and you can't help but notice the different birds that come and go.