Plane Trees Overhead!

It's about 6 pm around farm buildings in the south of France (where we are renting a gîte*). The setting sun set the trees aglow--this shot is nearly straight over my head--including parts of three and maybe even four trees. They are platanes in French--often called plane trees in English. The trees surround the farm buildings, and there are many jackdaws--crow-like birds with a characteristic creaking call. I hadn't the energy to try to properly photograph them-perhaps in the next few days. View it large--my second straight tree blip--here's yesterday's!

We're some 15 km east of Arles, in St. Martin de Crau. We''ll be birding around here in the next few days, mainly just south and west in the Camargue.

The *Gîtes de France system is wonderful--organized by the French government (are you listening, Mitt Romney?) to encourage rural farmers and other property owners to make thousands of holiday apartments and bed-and-breakfasts available short term. We have used it frequently, and never been disappointed.

Two years ago we spent a week birding in the Camargue, starting here.