We won’t ask how you know 
No need to ask, I used to live in Australia. 
Lovey to hear that you have a new hobby!
If you don’t have them already, a pair of binoculars is the next step 
2 Likes
Got some good bino’s already. We’ve known we’ve got several different bird species around here but apart from the robin, blackbird, sparrow etc. have not known what the others sound like. Yesterday we heard a skylark and a wood lark so our ‘list’ is getting longer each day. 
2 Likes
Had to move a slug today because it was blocking the closure of the water mains tap. He wouldn’t move when asked so I swore at him. 10 minutes later he was gone and the kitchen was saved from becoming a swimming pool. 
Who would have thought it, a French slug that understands English? 
3 Likes
It was the tone of voice he responded to.
3 Likes
For the first since we moved to Normandy, I’ve just seen a snake. Couleuvre, beautiful white and yellow collar and sitting by my pond eyeing up a frog.
Unfortunately I didn’t have my phone with me.
5 Likes
Hmm… the insect-wildlife around here is obviously happy… there seems to be an orgy going-on amidst the wild flowers in the front of our house. I wondered why there were beatles on each faded flowerhead. Neighbour said it was to drink the nectar but, when I looked closely I realised they were (ahem).. “bonking”. 
Even though the petals have fallen off, I’ve decided not to cut the stalks/heads back for a while.. let the happy couples enjoy themselves for a little longer.
3 Likes
That was one of the things I loved about living in France - having snakes in the garden. I was less happy when one decided to cool off in the kitchen and refused to leave when asked. It eventually climbed into a kitchen unit. My neighbour and I had to pull it away from the wall, take it outside and leave it overnight for the snake to find its own way out.
4 Likes
Possibly masonry bees?
Wife spotted this in the long vegetation in one of our borders near the pond the other week, minding its own business (by all accounts, a grenouille agile. The hind legs were really long and it had an impressive leap!
6 Likes
Agreed. I have either visually identified, or Merlin identified by sound, 77 species on our property. Including white storks (spent the night during migration), herons ans egrets on the big pond, four species of woodpeckers and three of owls. And kingfishers and bee-eaters! Incredibly colourful.
One day, running the Merlin sound ID, I had 26 species in a few minutes. A small piece:
4 Likes
You must be more northerly than me…we don’t see Bramlings herz nor Greenfinches but perhaps if I go into Lozère and a bit higher where we go from a Mediterranean to Temperate climate and there are beech trees all of the sudden.
Picardie, 100 km northeast of Paris.
1 Like
Not French wildlife by any means,visiting in my son’s garden in North Texas, I have just seen a Painted Bunting.
While working away here in the kitchen this morning i heard Jules start barking loudly in the living room. This unusual but normally signifies someone at the gate. i went straight through and saw the object of his disquiet, a large female blackbird standing motionless on the edge of the terrasse. It appeared to be undamaged and thought another stunned after a window collision.
I managed to squeeze out of the door alone to get a closer look. It hardly moved, was facing outwards away from me and with eyes open and slight breathing movements it seemed ok. So I moved slowly round outside the terrasse so that i was a couple of feet below it and was able to sit right next to the bird. After a few minutes i placed my hand, palm uppermost in front of it and, encouraged by its continued calm, moved towards it so that my hand touched its breast. At last some movement, stretching its wings for balance, it stepped forward onto my hand so I then started to stroke it gently with my other hand all the while talking softly to it. then i stood up and walked a couple of paces towards the forest which then persuaded it to fly at last off my hand to rest on a nearby branch.
While this was going on Jules had left by the back door and walked round to join us. He showed no interest in the bird proving his usual lack of aggression, and only looked at it as it took flight deeper into the trees.
I do think I was right that it was a collision victim but so glad that there was no serious damage.
6 Likes
Fabulous treats today, first this beauty who was actually even closer and quite unbothered, but I hadn’t got the wherewithal to take a photograph, and then this evening a trio of dear little fouines who were very entertaining rushing around the courtyard and the roof, on windowsills and up and down trees. They were about 40cm away outside a window but I was too entranced to think of grabbing my telephone. So so lucky and special 
6 Likes
A real privilage to receive such attention..!
1 Like
They were probably looking to see where your chickens were
2 Likes
Cute but don’t let them get into your roof space.