After a well-deserved, good night's sleep, we awoke at the same time as the previous day to head on out early enough to avoid the heat, the crowds and to be able to see the birds fully active. We spent the previous day in the middle and eastern parts of the reserve, so we decided to visit the western part, colloquially called "La Petite Camargue". We drove towards "L'Etang de Scamandre", not surprisingly a vast marsh with designated trails and boardwalks, some leading to some bird blinds. As we drove, we came across a tall tower with a
White Stork's nest built at the top. This fascinating structure was at least 4 feet across and 5 feet tall. It was so enormous that there were even little
House Sparrows that had built their own nests within that nest, veritable commensalism (one-way symbiosis).
 |
White Stork
(notice the white on its body, the red bill,
and the black primaries) |
Unfortunately, the "Etang de Scamandre" didn't open for another hour. So we kept on driving, hoping to perhaps come across a different marsh we could check out. To our luck, along the side of the road was a marsh that seemed to host many different species. Every 10 meters or so (I was in Europe so it's the metric system), there were gaps in the reeds and they would substitute as blinds. I also sat on the roof of car if I wanted a better vantage point, but I had to do so carefully because the birds were skittish and would flee if they saw me. Anyways, the first bird I noticed was actually one of the best birds of the trip! It was a
Little Bittern, a very cryptic and secretive species that isn't seen all that often. Most experiences that birders have with this species either involve hair-tearing, binocular-tossing or just plain rage. This is because this bird is most often heard calling deep in the reeds. Already seeing a brightly colored bird in reeds is difficult, so imagine trying to find a bird with a plumage adapted to render it nearly invisible in this environment. That is this species's best defense, and best offense. It'll use its brown-yellow streaks on its throat and breast to mimic the tall reeds to escape the sight of any possible predator. However, this camouflage also serves as a means of sneaking up onto an unwary fish or invertebrate, that it'll then devour quickly after a quick snap of the neck.
 |
Little Bittern
(notice the brownish streaks on the neck,
and the gray-blue cap) |
This was quite the find and was a great way to kickstart my day! After perusing the marsh thoroughly with my scope, I learned that there were many species to be found, from
Black-winged Stilts, to
Squacco Herons, to an immobile
Purple Heron on the prowl.
 |
Purple Heron
(notice the orange neck with the purple streaks,
and the dark colored wings) |
Overhead were small flocks of
Glossy Ibis. This species was a lifer for me, but I never thought that my lifer
Glossy Ibis would be in Europe. This species is found on the eastern side of the United States and the Caribbean. It's thought that this species was originally from the Old World and naturally spread to South America in the 19th century, and from there extended north to North America.
As a huge flock of
Black-headed Gulls took off, I noticed some smaller terns amongst them. To my great pleasure, these darker colored terns ended up being my lifer
Whiskered Terns! This tern belongs to the unofficial complex known as the "marsh-terns", along with other species like the
Black Tern and the
White-winged Tern.
 |
Whiskered Tern
(notice the gray underbelly, the black cap,
and the white cheek) |
Finally it was 9:00 AM, so we headed towards the entrance of the "Etang de Scamandre". It was a great little reserve. The trails were well-maintained and well-indicated, it was overall remarkably pristine, and birds were singing from everywhere. Unfortunately, the foliage and the reeds were extremely dense and thick, so it was extremely difficult to see any birds. As we walked towards the blind, the only interesting birds were some flyover
Purple and
Squacco Herons. We finally arrived at the blind, and we had a view of the entire marsh. Thanks to my scope, I was able to find my lifer
Great Reed Warbler. This bird was extremely loud and could be heard from a great distance, but it was crouched deep in a bush while singing, which made it difficult to snap a shot. So I digiscoped it with my trusty iPhone.
As I watched this little guy, two large white birds landed on a branch further back in the marsh. These birds ended up being
Eurasian Spoonbills, another lifer! These fun birds have a rather bizarre-looking bill, but that goofy bill is extremely utile. The spoon-shaped base helps capture more grasses or invertebrates as it swishes its bill left and right in the water. A peculiar bird, but an undeniably beautiful one at that.
These birds were quite exciting to see, and my excitement only grew as my lifer
Little Grebe paddled out of the reeds into view. This species in breeding plumage is extremely pretty, what with its rufescent and black body, or its yellow-green skin-like gape. It was a stunning little bird to see.
Once we left the blind, we were greeted by three small juvenile
Bearded Reedlings that were remarkably showy. When these birds reach their adult plumage, they develop these black feathers that extend from their eyes, down their cheeks, to the bottom of their head (which is how they earn their name "
Bearded"
Reedling). However, as these were juveniles they lacked these mustaches. They were nonetheless pretty and pert little birds.
We continued down the trail and reached an elevated platform, that gave a broader view of the marsh and neighboring fields. In the fields I noticed
Western Yellow Wagtails flying from shrub to shrub,
Zitting Cisticolas squabbling and a surprise male
Reed Bunting! A lifer for me, and the only one I saw on the trip!
 |
Reed Bunting
(notice the black head, the white malar
and nape, and the brown back) |
Along with the myriad herons and egrets that flew, of every species (Gray,
Purple,
Squacco,
Great,
Little &
Cattle), there were also many ibis that flew over. It turned out that "l'Etang de Scamandre" is one of the few areas where this species breeds in all of southern France.
 |
Glossy Ibis
(notice the blue-green face,
and the iridescent green wings) |
As I was about to descend the platform, a medium-sized bird with white wings bars caught my attention. When I put my binoculars up, I noticed it had an upturned bill. I immediately knew what it was: a
Black-tailed Godwit! The only other option would've been a
Bar-tailed Godwit, but those are only rare migrants in the area, whereas
Black-taileds regularly migrate through and even winter in the region.
The trail soon led to a forested area right at the edge of an open pasture. This ecotone (where various habitats meet) boasted many
European Goldfinches,
Common Nightingales, a
European Bee-Eater, and my lifer
Melodious Warbler. The trail meandered through this zone until it brought us back to the entrance. Before leaving the reserve, we decided to stop for lunch and eat at one of the picnic tables (as it was 12:30 PM by then). As we were eating I noticed many numbered birds boxes under the eaves of the roofs, and banded
House Sparrows would fly in and out of the boxes. This was a funny sight for me because in North America,
House Sparrows are an introduced species and are considered a nuisance, so nobody would ever bother studying them. But in Europe, they're a native species, so studying them would make sense. It was somewhat of a culture shock for me. Among the
House Sparrows foraging in a nearby tree, I also spotted a single
Eurasian Tree Sparrow, my second during the entire trip.
Not knowing where to go next, we decided to wander and see if we could come across a field or a marsh worth scoping out. As we drove, I noticed a large field with a large number of
Cattle Egrets. Enticed, we pulled over and I scoped it. As far as shorebirds went, this was the place to be. I saw 4-5
Northern Lapwings, about 3
Wood Sandpipers, and over 45
Black-winged Stilts. However, the shorebird that truly blew me away was a
European Golden-Plover, a very early arrival! In my guide for birding the Camargue National Reserve, the abundance of the golden-plovers in the month of July is a 0 over 5. This was an exceptional and unexpected find that really made my day.
Unfortunately, that's about as far as the birding here went. So we decided to venture further east than we had the previous day. We began arriving in this area that didn't resemble the Camargue that we were used to whatsoever. It was remarkably arid, open and windy. There were very few people, and the birds were nonetheless present. Several
Greater Flamingos congregated in the middle of a pond, and a few
Yellow-legged Gulls reposed on the ground, incapable of escaping the afternoon heat. The shorebirds were interesting here as well. My dad pulled over, and I rolled down the window to bird from the car. A few feet away from me was a
Little Ringed Plover, a lifer for me on this trip (I saw one during our brief stint in Nice), but this was a much better view.
 |
Little Ringed Plover
(notice the yellow eyering,
the white collar and front,
and the brown head and back) |
Right in front of the plover was an equally exciting shorebird, a
Common Sandpiper. Not a lifer, but the best view I've had of this bird to date.
 |
Common Sandpiper
(notice the relatively stout bill,
the white underbelly,
and the brown-gray head and back) |
But the most exciting shorebird to see was the
Kentish Plover! This species was once lumped with our
Snowy Plover, which is understandable when you take a look at both of them. These plovers are more often in open and arid areas. In my experience with
Snowy Plovers, they tend to stay away from the direct shore, and will stay in the middle of the beach, away from the water, which was evident when seeing these guys.
 |
Kentish Plover
(notice the overall light colors,
the plover bill, and the dark collar) |
Once I had viewed all the shorebirds in this area, we kept on driving. We then reached a more touristic area, which was actually a place where salt is cultivated. The Camargue is known for three things: Flamingos, White Horses, and their Salt. My dad decided to buy a jar of salt as a souvenir, so I decided to bird the nearby shrubs, hoping to find something interesting. But as I started walking, I saw a shimmering pink hue in front of me. This piqued my curiosity, and I walked towards it. From a designated promontory, I was looking at these massive pink ponds. The water was literally pink! It was the wildest thing I had ever seen. I learned later that this color is only present during a certain time of year. The water earns this color when the shrimp that reside in these waters die. The combination of the shrimp corpses and the chemicals in the water grant the water with this pink hue. It was extremely fascinating.
As I birded the nearby shrubs, I didn't notice any birds. The area was actually devoid of any sort of life. But just as I thought this, I flushed a fairly long bird with white outertail feathers. This indicated that it was most likely a pipit. But there were so many possibilities that I couldn't confidently identify it. After twenty minutes of searching I finally rediscovered it, and to my great pleasure, it was my lifer
Tawny Pipit! This is a species that breeds throughout much of Europe, but it sticks primarily to the more arid areas. Seeing how we were in a very arid area, that should've been enough of a clue.
 |
Tawny Pipit
(notice the overall tan-brown color,
and the black lores) |
Just as I was about to leave, another bird catches my eye. However, this wasn't a pipit. From a distance, I was able to tell from its overall structure that it was a
Sylvia warbler. Using the same logic that I realized I should've used for the pipit, I was able to deduce that it was actually
Spectacled Warbler! A range-restricted species, the Camargue is definitely one of its strongholds. This was definitely a wonderful way to end the day. By then it was 5:00 PM, so we decided to head back home. That concluded our second day in the Camargue National Reserve, and what a day it was. What really made that day special was the diversity of habitats we visited, from the marshes, to flooded fields, to open and arid salt plains. This diversity of habitats yielded a vast diversity of species, which made for a great day of birding!
