Chough Blog! (French Alps No. 1)

As part of our holiday to the the Ecrins National Park in the french alps, Kirstine and I headed off to have a look at the Glacier Blanc. The Walk from the car park at Pre de Madame Carle to the lower 'Refuge de Glacier Blanc' takes under 2 hours and provides some spectacular views.

When we arrived at the Refuge I discovered the rare and wild 'Alpine Chough'. These birds are members of the corvidae or crow family and a close relative of the Choughs that live around the remote coastal headlands of Wales and the Isle of Man.

I was pleased to find that they don't really seem to as shy as their coastal cousins - especially when there is food to be begged for.

It was a disapointing discovery when they began to form an orderly queue - not so wild afterall.

So I offered to share some of my lunch, "I say Monsieur Chough would you like a peice of my Croissant?"

"Hmmmm..." said Monsieur Chough, with a suspicious turn of his yellow beak, "...was it freshly baked this morning?"
"Of course!" I replied, "Fresh from La Boulangerie d'Ailfroide."

"La Boulangerie d'Ailfroide!" exclaimed Monsieur Chough, "Why didn't you say so, how can I resist. Merci!"