Day 7 - Crau

My departure from the Cevennes was delayed today because I couldn't check out of the campsite till 8.30. This meant my birding at La Crau would have to be done in the searing heat of the afternoon - not ideal.

There was still a chance of seeing some great birds, though. A Turtle Dove and a Roller were the first two that I saw on La Crau. This gives an idea of the quality of the place!



I parked up at the Peau de Meau reserve and the sky was full of dark black shapes. At least 30 Black Kites were knocking around, attracted by the nearby rubbish dump. There was a White Stork in amongst them, and a few overflying Cattle Egrets. The vegetation was longer than when last I was here..it wasn't going to be easy to pick out the specialities. A family of Germans in the car park confirmed that it would be hard work - they'd been trekking round for 3 hours without seeing anything!

Undeterred, I set out across the vast stony desert.

The Crau is covered in piles of rocks ('Coussous'), and I used these to gain some height before launching some huge scan grenades across the plain. This technique proved successful, yielding a Hoopoe and another Roller.

There's a make-shift hide in an old sheepbarn in the middle of the Crau and I headed over there with an old French birder. He picked out a Lesser Kestrel, and then I spotted a couple of strange shaped birds on the ground. Bustards? Unfortunately not, but the pair of Stone Curlews were still a welcome addition to the list.

It was a long way back to the car, but en route I found a Southern Grey Shrike, some Tawny Pipits, Skylarks and 3 fine Short-toed Larks. A juvenile Short-toed Eagle made a kill pretty close to me causing 2 nearby Brown Hares to race away. It was no surprise that I dipped on the Bustards and Sandgrouse, coming at this time of the day and year. Still, birds like Rollers, Lesser Kes and the Shrike more than made up for it.

*Apparently the canal at La Crau is the best place in Europe for dragonflies, with over 50 species here. I recognised the Emperor, but thats about it!

I passed another rubbish dump on the drive onto my F1 in Brignoles. 2 ways of telling: a) the smell, and b) a cloud of 35 Black Kites floating around after a scrap or two.

New birds today: Lesser Kestrel, Roller, Short-toed Lark, Southern Grey Shrike, Yellow-legged Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull

I've started a page on the blog (left hand side) with my butterfly photos.

Day 6 - First Lifer

Awoke early this morning to explore the Causses Mejean, a large expanse of steppe land above the Tarn and Jonte. The narrow road had all my attention on the ascent, but once it flattened out I could begin to take note of the bird life. A party of 20 vultures floated over. 19 were Griffons...



Not that this rushed photo is too clear, but the twentieth was this fine Monk Vulture, one of the handful of reintroduced birds struggling for a foothold here in the Cevennes.

The searing heat meant that the Causses were fairly quiet, though I did find plenty of Tree Pipits, a Tawny Pipit, 2 singing Woodlarks and 2 Red-backed Shrikes (adult and juv) fairly quickly. The scenery was pretty nice as well. Reminded me of Gladiator.



Continuing onto the village of Le Buffre, a clown like bird flitted across the road in front of me. It was my first Hoopoe of the trip. It didn't hang around for long, but from the same spot I had Red-legged Partridge and a few Northern Wheatears.

Outside the tiny hamlet of Hures, I saw some strange looking birds in a patch of brambles. I stopped the car and got the bins out but could only manage fleeting views, not enough to confirm i.d. Luckily, one perched up on a post for a while, before starting to peck around for ants in the fields close to the car.



Unbelievable - a family party of Wrynecks. I certainly wasn't expecting to see them up here.

Satisfied with the mornings birds, I bashed on to Florac to set up camp and explore Mont Lozere, an area which had the potential to provide the first lifer of the trip. I drove up to the Col de Finiels, left the car, and headed towards the summit of Mont Lozere. I was pretty pessimistic to be honest - middle of the afternoon, windy and hot, and nothing was singing. So when two of these blighters popped out of the conifers, I couldn't believe my luck.



Finally thanks to these Citril Finches, I had my first lifer of the trip. They breed only above 1500 metres usually, so Lozere (1560m) is perhaps one of the only places in the Cevennes to find them. Though I heard Crossbills and some Crests, there was very little else up there bird-wise. Plenty more butterflies and flowers, including this 'some sort of Orchid possibly' haha.



New birds today: Monk Vulture, Woodlark, Goldcrest, Crossbill, CITRIL FINCH, Northern Wheatear, Wryneck

Butterflies: tbd after book consultation

Day 5 - Gorges

I explored the area around Le Rozier by foot today, giving myself a much needed break from driving. There are plenty of footpaths up into the Corniches between the Gorges du Tarn and Jonte, and I headed up one of these past the village of Capluc. There were more butterflies than you could shake a stick at. This Swallowtail and Escher's Blue the pick of a bunch that also included Great Sooty Satyr, Spanish Gatekeeper, Spanish Purple Hairstreak, Silver Studded Blue, Dusky Heath and Cleopatra.





The bird list was still rising as well. I had a juvenile Subalpine Warbler just above Le Rozier and then a couple of singing males further up the slopes. There were plenty of trilling Bonelli's Warblers on the slopes as well as Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs.



A party of Crested Tits, 2 juvenile Firecrests and some Coal Tits higher up were new for the trip. I reached a level of about 1000 metres, and had great views of fly past Griffons and hunting Short-toed Eagles. There were also good numbers of Crag Martins everywhere today, with a few Alpine Swifts and the more ubiquitous Swallows, Swifts and House Martins. A couple of Blue Rock Thrushes hopped about under the Griffs.



I spotted a few Ravens whilst having lunch in Le Rozier, and then went back to the campsite, where I found a Golden Oriole and Short-toed Treecreeper.

New list additions: Subalpine Warbler, Raven, Firecrest, Blue Rock Thrush, Short-toed Treecreeper, Red-billed Chough (yesterday), Crested Tit, Coal Tit (111)

Day 4 - Brenne to Cevennes

Today unfortunately held the promise of another big drive, so I was up pre-dawn to fit everything in. After a bit of watery porridge cooked on the stove, I was off for a quick tour of the various Etangs. First stop the Cherine Nature Reserve..not open till 10 a.m. Whoops, 4 hours too early. Never mind, it was time for a bit of improvisation as I scaled the fence and in doing so flushed 2 Night Herons. A Cetti's Warbler was surprisingly showy from the boardwalk, and I also picked up another Melodious Warbler and a couple of Black Kites quartering the marshes.

Then a noise which would be more at home in the jungle than the middle of France. Golden Orioles. These birds are notoriously difficult to see, but I was in look, as a family party of 3 chased each other round the tree tops. I left them to it and headed to another hide overlooking Cherine. Not much new, but Great White Egrets, Night Herons and Whiskered Terns could all be seen commuting over the reeds.

Next to La Gabriere, a large shallow lake teeming with Mute Swans, Tufted Ducks and Coots. A flash of turqoise materialised into my first Kingfisher of the trip. I'd managed to see most of the Brenne specialities so I decided to try and make some yards towards the Cevennes once I'd refuelled with some Flan and Orangina back in Rosnay.



The raptor count picked up as I drove South East. I didn't have chance to stop and scope the big pale raptor on top of a telegraph pole but I knew from experience it was a Short-toed Eagle. There were 15 Black Kites all together, most of them seen as I drove through the Dordogne. Also, 1 Red Kite, a couple of Kestrels and Buzzards, and a Sparrowhawk as I lunched on rank tuna and cheese sandwiches.

I'd just passed the lovely village of Entraygues when I saw bird of the day. I wasn't really focussing as something big and black dashed across the road in front of me. I was ready when it's mate followed it a few seconds later, though. Big, all black, with a red crest. Black Woodpecker. Definitely a brucey bonus.

Tom Tom took me on a very dodgy track towards Le Rozier in the Cevennes. I had in mind the stories of satnav leading people off cliffs.

All was forgiven, though, as I picked up this Tawny Pipit and another Red-backed Shrike.


Just 2 kilometres to go to the campsite. Surely I could do it without having to stop again for birding. No. 4 huge barn doors were soaring above me on the thermals. This could only mean one thing - Rhys Jones (Griff) was in town. My campsite sits on the Tarn, and they've been in view all evening.

Invigorated after a quick swim in the river, I was off out again, this time on foot, in the hills above the Gorges du Tarn. Plenty of Swifts and House Martins were joined by their more interesting cousins - Alpine Swifts and Crag Martins. Higher up, I heard and subsequently saw a couple of flighty Western Bonelli's Warblers and a wealth of butterflies inlcuding Iolos Blue, Great Banded Grayling and Black-veined Whites.


Finally back to the campsite to relax over dinner listening to Green Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, Spotted Flycatchers, Serins and best of all as I write this, a Nightingale in full voice.

List additions: Black Woodpecker, Golden Oriole, Black Kite, Red Kite, Sparrowhawk, Griffon Vulture, Western Bonelli's Warbler, Tawny Pipit, Tufted Duck, Nightingale, Kingfisher, Alpine Swift, Crag Martin, Grey Wagtail, B.C.N. Heron, Cattle Egret, Serin (103)

Butterflies: Iolos Blue, Black-veined White, Great-banded Greyling

Day 3 - Terre de mille etangs

Absolute missions today. I left Amiens at about 8 a.m., and driving and birding soon payed rich dividends - a Hobby over the road about 5km south of Amiens on the road to Beauvais. That was about as good as the journey got for about 5 hours though!

Nightmare traffic and torrential rain dampened both car and spirits as I crawled through the middle of Paris (bloody Tom Tom!). The only consolation was a troop of 4Ring-necked Parakeets dashing through the Parisian gloom. It was still pretty slow all the way to Orleans, so I took an ad lib stop in the Sologne region.

A ropey lunch of cheese sandwiches and tomatoes was followed by some classic barbed wire fence climbing to view a few promising looking lakes south of the town of Saint-Vitre. Great birds straight away! A Purple Heron flew overhead, and before long I'd picked out two pairs of Black-necked Grebes on the water. A few minutes later, a Whiskered Tern started blogging along..quality. There was still time for me to add Mistle Thrush and some Black-necked Grebes, before continuing on towards la Brenne. The weather had brightened, and I was certainly in less of a bleak mood after seeing these specialities.


Tom-tom guided me into the heart of the Brenne and the habitat was brilliant. I stopped for a roadside scan of one of the 'thousand lakes'. Whilst chucking out a huge scan grenade, a lovely adult Red-backed Shrike flew through my field of view. I watched it flit from bush to bush, and then 2 monsters flew over - Great White Egrets. A great start at the Brenne.

I dragged myself on to Camping Rosnay and set up the tent by the side of a small lake. Straight away I heard bird song - Blackcaps, Corn Buntings, Whitethroats, Tree Pipits and something else...a more melodious song. The guide book had claimed Melodious Warblers bred on site, and sure enough I'd soon picked him out.

The campsite threw up even more surprises. A distant Short-toed Eagle hunting was quickly eclipsed by this cheeky git doing a spot of fishing by the tent.


I went on a run around Rosnay, leaving the binocs in the car and hoping to concentrate on my stride. Two Cirl Buntings, Stonechats and a load of Black Redstarts soon put paid to that idea.

A visit to Etang de Neuf just north of Rosnay yielded more B.N. Grebes, as well as G.C. Grebes and a few Dabchicks. Throughout the evening I was never out of earshot of a purring Turtle Dove.

Finally back to the tent for an evening meal of rice, tuna, and peas and carrots haha. Thought the wildlifing was over, but not quite... This beast started knocking around, apparently after a bit of the feast I was cooking up.



The Purple Emperor joins Wild Boar on best non-bird creature of the trip so far!

New list additions: Hobby, Red-legged Partridge, Black-necked Grebe, Whiskered Tern, Purple Heron, Ring-necked Parakeet, Mistle Thrush, Gadwall, Squacco Heron, Melodious Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Great White Egret, Red-backed Shrike, Pochard, Cirl Bunting, Black Redstart, Little Grebe, Short-toed Eagle (86)

Butterflies: Purple Emperor, Purple Hairstreak, White Admiral

Baie de Somme - Day 2

Another absolute scorcher today so there was only one thing for it - up at 4 a.m. for some early morning birding. We were at Sailly Bray for sunrise, and so were a host of singing warblers - Sedge, Reed, Garden, Whitethroats and Blackcaps. Some pretty angry dogs and cows added their sounds to a dawn chorus which quickly included Wrens, Yellowhammers, Linnets and Drawwaters.

We tried a few known Bluethroat breeding sites unsuccessfully but did manage great views of Reed Buntings, Lapwings, Oystercatcher, Spotted Flycatcher and this young Grasshopper Warbler at the Pont de Dien picnic site.



We also had our first of many Turtle Doves, purring away from a telegraph wire in the distance.

We drove on to the nearby Foret de Crecy, picking up an overflying Cuckoo and Green Sandpiper en route. The forest itself was encouragingly still alive with bird song; as soon as we left the car we were on to Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, a Garden Warbler and another purring Turtle Dove. A felled clearing held a couple of displaying Tree Pipits, Blue, Great and Marsh Tits and also a Nuthatch and G.S. Woodpecker.

By 10 a.m. it was already uncomfortably hot for birding so we bashed on towards Quend Plage. The moment of the day occurred on our way out of the Forest, though, as a huge adult Wild Boar charged across the road in front of us causing me to slam on the breaks. Absolutely massive, a class act.

Best of the rest were a couple of White Storks over Le Croton, 6 Sanger Terns blogging at sea and some adult Meds getting involved on a chip fuelled Gull melee on Quend Plage..



New species to list: Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Garden Warbler, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Marsh Tit, Turtle Dove, Cuckoo, Oystercatcher, White Stork, Sandwich Tern, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Tree Pipit, Shoveler, Shelduck, Little Egret, Spotted Flycatcher, Reed Bunting, Green Sandpiper (67)

New butterflies: Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock

Birding in France Day 1

Today marked the start of my summer 'Dorrington' style birding adventure around France. As my P and O ferry entered Calais harbour I was soon picking out Med Gulls (18), Kittiwakes and also Herrings and Black-headed Gulls following the boat:

Cap Blanc Nez was the first destination, a site which together with Gris-Nez is famous for seawatching. This isn't the perfect time of year for big seabird passage but i was still optimistic. The scrub around the head was alive with passerines - Stonechats, Meadow and Rock Pipits, Skylarks.



Over the water were Kittiwakes and Fulmars, both of which breed on the cliffs here. The drive to Gris Nez brought a fine selection of the kind of farmland birds often so difficult to see in England only 17 miles away. Corn Buntings, Yellowhammers and Yellow Wagtails all singing in the Sun.

I didn't have much time watching from the head, but still managed to add a couple of Curlews and plenty of juvenile Gannets. Plenty of butterflies out as well. Today I've seen Large Whites, Marbled Whites, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Common Blue and this Skipper.



The drive onwards to Amiens wasn't short of excitement. Kestrels were to be expected, but a magnificent Honey Buzzard rising out of the roadside trees was a great early bonus.

Met with Xander and a walk around Boves and the Etang St. ladre reserve at dusk produced more outstanding birds, including 6 reeling Grasshopper Warblers of which we saw just one.



FRENCH LIST SO FAR
Great Grebe, Cormorant, Fulmar, Mallard, Grey Heron, Kestrel, Honey Buzzard, Common BUzzard, Pheasant (h), Moorhen, Coot, B.H. Gull, Med Gull, H Gull, Kittiwake, Mipit, Ripit, Skylark, White Wag, Yellow Wag, Nuthatch, G.S.W., Corn Bunting, YHammer, Swallow, H Martin, Swift, H Sparrow, Blackcap (h), Cetti's (h), Chiffchaff (h), Gropper, Jackdaw, C Crow, Magpie, Jay, Stonechat, Linnet, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Lapwing, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Feral Dove (46)