Today began with the sound of a Nuthatch tapping on the bark of a Walnut tree outside the gite where we had been staying in south-west France. A Kestrel flew over the farm track as we began our journey home. However there was no sign of the three Black-shouldered Kites which had been our regular companions since we arrived a week ago. Heading down to San Antonin, a Jay flew over the road, confirming the status of this species as perhaps the most obvious and ubiquitous of the region's birds. Apart from a single Buzzard in a roadside tree, there was nothing else to report on the journey to Toulouse. Instead, a White Wagtail feeding close to the departure gate for our flight home was the last natural connection of an interesting week (more to follow).