NORTHAMPTONSHIRE BIRD CLUB PRIVATE TOUR IN CONJUNCTION WITH NATURETREK
9th – 16th May 2019
Tour Participants: Neil McMahon (Leader & Club Member) with 12 Northamptonshire Bird Club members
Summary
Neil had previously led this tour on behalf of Naturetrek and strongly felt it would be a good trip for the Bird Club and offered to lead it on our behalf. We were all looking forward to seeing the specialist birds the region offered as well as the invertebrates, wild flowers and other wildlife.
Day 1
After an eventful start with three of our group being bumped off the flight due to problems caused by French Air Traffic Control, we met up with Neil at Marseille Airport in the late afternoon. Neil had just waved off his latest Naturetrek group. Our three colleagues would be joining us the following day. After collecting our 2nd vehicle we were ready to see some birds. As it was fairly late Neil suggested a short detour via a grass airstrip at Berre-le-faire where we enjoyed good but distant views of several Little Bustard, a pair of Whinchat and some Common Shelduck.
With that under our belt we made the 45minute drive to the delightful Hotel Des Granges where we met our hosts, Christine and Pasqual, and enjoyed the first of many excellent meals.
Day 2
Only two of us made the first early morning walk but we were rewarded with Roller, Hoopoe, Marsh Harrier, Black Kite, Melodious Warbler, Cattle Egret, Mediterranean Gull and, what seemed like wall to wall Nightingales, including one particularly noisy individual in the hotel garden. A Crossbill was also seen in the garden.
After a substantial breakfast we headed to the dry, stony plains of Le Crau with several planned stops en route. These stops produced a range of goodies including Golden Oriole, Turtle Dove, Short-toed Snake Eagle, Montagu’s Harrier and Hoopoe.
The area of Le Crau was thin on birds although Woodchat Shrike, Short-toed Lark and Tawny Pipit were added to the list. It was, however, great for insects with Western Marbled White, Common Blue, Swallowtail and Clouded Yellow Butterflies, Copper and Beautiful Demoiselles, Southern and Blue-tailed Damselflies and Black-tailed Skimmer made up the dragonfly list. The impressive Egyptian Grasshopper showed well.
We then moved on to the wetlands that the Camargue is famous for, stopping at the attractive reserve Marais du Vigueirat. We enjoyed the full spectrum of water birds the area is known for, Little, Great White and Cattle Egrets, Grey, Purple, Squacco and Black-crowned Night Herons, White Stork and Glossy Ibis. Waders were also well represented by Black-winged Stilt, Ringed Plover, Greenshank, Wood and Common Sandpipers, and Temminck’s Stint. Gull-billed and Common Terns were plentiful. Collared Pratincole was seen in flight from the car park.
Wall and Green Lizards were plentiful on the boardwalks as was the beautiful Scarlet Darter dragonfly.
While the rest of us slobbed out at the hotel, Neil went back to the airport to pick up our three missing comrades, returning to the hotel via the airfield and the Little Bustards. Another fine dinner with some excellent beers and wine followed.
Day 3
The morning walk from the hotel added Crested Lark, Black Redstart, Red-legged Partridge and Sardinian Warbler to the trip list.
One of our members had brought a portable, actinic moth trap with him which we had run overnight with some success. Spurge Hawkmoth was the pick of the bunch, Cream-spot Tiger was common also being seen around the hotel bollard lights. Other moths were The Delicate, Scarce Bordered Straw and the beautifully named Etruscan Viridian.
Today we planned to cover various areas of the Camargue wetlands including St Cecille, Mas D’agon, Etang du Vaccares and Marais de Grenouillet before finishing at the coastal lagoons of Digne a la Mar.
We enjoyed our first real sightings of Greater Flamingos for which the area is famed. Other notable additions were Black Stork, Honey Buzzard, Osprey, Kentish Plover, Whimbrel, Whiskered Tern, Hobby, Red-backed Shrike, Bearded Tit, Western Bonelli’s Warbler and Great Reed Warbler.
The coastal area of Digne a la Mar added Grey Plover, a colony of Slender-billed Gulls, Little Tern and Black Tern, Spectacled Warbler was seen and heard well in the scrub.
Day 4
Today was forecast to be really windy and so it proved. Our morning walk added Little Owl and Red-footed Falcon to the trip list.
Our planned trip today was to the rocky, hilltop town of Les Baux followed by a lunchtime picnic at La Caume (an area of pine woodland), ending the day at the spectacular viaduct of Pont du Gard.
The rocky outcrops of Les Baux yielded Alpine Swift, Crag Martin and Cirl Bunting but, unfortunately not the hoped for Blue Rock Thrush. The town itself held breeding Black Redstarts and a selection of cafes and restaurants.
The pines of La Caume held Crested Tit, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Cirl Bunting and Jay.
Pont du Gard, whilst spectacular and well worth the visit, only added White Wagtail and Firecrest to the list although great views of Alpine and Common Swifts and Crag Martins were enjoyed from the viaduct itself.
Day 5
Today was forecast to be even windier so the decision was taken to get an early start and head north to Mont Ventoux, an alpine area some 2 hours north east of Arles. The road over the mountain was closed near the summit even though the snow had gone. A stop on the way up the mountain road gave us excellent views of Firecrests which were singing in the pines.
Parking at the ski centre we covered the immediate area on foot. Black Redstarts were common around the buildings and typical upland birds added on the day were Citril Finch, Linnet, Northern Wheatear, Raven and Coal Tit. The highlight was good flight views of Black Woodpeckers which were obviously breeding nearby. Insect highlights were mainly butterflies in the form of Brimstone, Cleopatra, Orange Tip, Glanville Fritillary and Scarce Swallowtail but we did photograph the smart Longhorn Beetle Iberodorcadion fuliginator.
Our next stop (after coffee at the quaint town of Sault) was at some riverside meadows by the Gorges de Nesque where we enjoyed views of Wryneck, Western Orphean Warbler and Subalpine Warbler. Rocher du Circ is a spectacular gorge and here we were met by a female Wild Boar searching for free food. She was obviously used to visitors although we were assured she was wild and we could hear the rest of her party close by. The avian highlights were a pair of Egyptian Vultures which were known to breed in the area and a Peregrine Falcon.
We finished the day with a late meal back at Hotel des Granges.
Day 6
Thankfully it wasn’t so windy today but the morning walk only added a lone Canada Goose although we enjoyed good but distant views of a pair of Red-footed Falcons.
Today we headed back to the Camargue where a slow drive from St Gillies to Etang du Salamandre, with plenty of stops along the way, produced good numbers of the usual species. One stop at a lovely old windmill gave some great photo opportunities in the form of a White Stork on the nest with its chick. The only new species was Western Swamphen.
Our main stop was the Parc Ornithologique, a former bird hospital but now a series of man made lagoons with breeding herons, egrets and other water birds and a super place to enjoy point blank views of loafing Great Flamingos. A great place for photography with opportunities for both static and flight shots. Coypu are plentiful and also very photogenic.
The visit started well with four young Tawny Owls sitting quietly in some low trees by the picnic area with local schoolchildren noisily running around totally unaware of the owls a few feet above their heads.
A highlight came in the shape of a Grey Heron tackling a Viperine Water Snake which was doing its best not to get eaten. The Heron eventually won after 15-20 minutes of trying, swallowing the 2-3ft snake whole.
Day 7
This morning walk from the hotel added Stone Curlew for the trip. Meanwhile the moth trap attracted a really smart Puss Moth, Small Elephant Hawkmoth and White-speck.
After breakfast we headed back to Le Crau, but this time to the southern end where we quickly added Lesser Kestrel. A Booted Eagle was a nice addition.
A short ferry crossing took us to an area of coastal lagoons where waders and terns were the main attraction. Avocet, Redshank, Turnstone, Knot, Sanderling, Little Stint, Dunlin, Little Gull, Caspian Tern, Sandwich Tern and White-winged Tern were all seen.
A walk to the sea gave us Gannet, Balearic Shearwater and Scopoli’s/Cory’s Shearwater.
After dinner we headed back towards Le Baux and some limestone cliffs in search of European Eagle Owl. Although that failed to materialise we did enjoy a churring European Nightjar.
Day 8
Our final day and as we weren’t flying until late afternoon we headed back to Le Baux for a wander around the citadel. Neil spotted a Blue Rock Thrush and we enjoyed good views of a family of Black Redstarts, two more Honey Buzzards drifted over.
All too soon it was back to the hotel to collect our bags, say our goodbyes to Christine and Pasqual and head off to the airport.
All in all we clocked up a very respectable bird list of 167 species along with an impressive list of invertebrates and wild flowers.
Checklists - Birds
Checklist - Flora
Checklist - Invertebrates
Our thanks go to Neil McMahon for both organising and leading the trip on our behalf with all the work that involves, including laying on some excellent picnics. Neil leads this trip for Naturetrek and, indeed, we used Naturetrek as our booking agents and I would certainly recommend this tour to any other Bird Club.
Bob Gill
Club Chairman
9th – 16th May 2019
Tour Participants: Neil McMahon (Leader & Club Member) with 12 Northamptonshire Bird Club members
Summary
Neil had previously led this tour on behalf of Naturetrek and strongly felt it would be a good trip for the Bird Club and offered to lead it on our behalf. We were all looking forward to seeing the specialist birds the region offered as well as the invertebrates, wild flowers and other wildlife.
Day 1
After an eventful start with three of our group being bumped off the flight due to problems caused by French Air Traffic Control, we met up with Neil at Marseille Airport in the late afternoon. Neil had just waved off his latest Naturetrek group. Our three colleagues would be joining us the following day. After collecting our 2nd vehicle we were ready to see some birds. As it was fairly late Neil suggested a short detour via a grass airstrip at Berre-le-faire where we enjoyed good but distant views of several Little Bustard, a pair of Whinchat and some Common Shelduck.
With that under our belt we made the 45minute drive to the delightful Hotel Des Granges where we met our hosts, Christine and Pasqual, and enjoyed the first of many excellent meals.
Day 2
Only two of us made the first early morning walk but we were rewarded with Roller, Hoopoe, Marsh Harrier, Black Kite, Melodious Warbler, Cattle Egret, Mediterranean Gull and, what seemed like wall to wall Nightingales, including one particularly noisy individual in the hotel garden. A Crossbill was also seen in the garden.
After a substantial breakfast we headed to the dry, stony plains of Le Crau with several planned stops en route. These stops produced a range of goodies including Golden Oriole, Turtle Dove, Short-toed Snake Eagle, Montagu’s Harrier and Hoopoe.
The area of Le Crau was thin on birds although Woodchat Shrike, Short-toed Lark and Tawny Pipit were added to the list. It was, however, great for insects with Western Marbled White, Common Blue, Swallowtail and Clouded Yellow Butterflies, Copper and Beautiful Demoiselles, Southern and Blue-tailed Damselflies and Black-tailed Skimmer made up the dragonfly list. The impressive Egyptian Grasshopper showed well.
We then moved on to the wetlands that the Camargue is famous for, stopping at the attractive reserve Marais du Vigueirat. We enjoyed the full spectrum of water birds the area is known for, Little, Great White and Cattle Egrets, Grey, Purple, Squacco and Black-crowned Night Herons, White Stork and Glossy Ibis. Waders were also well represented by Black-winged Stilt, Ringed Plover, Greenshank, Wood and Common Sandpipers, and Temminck’s Stint. Gull-billed and Common Terns were plentiful. Collared Pratincole was seen in flight from the car park.
Wall and Green Lizards were plentiful on the boardwalks as was the beautiful Scarlet Darter dragonfly.
While the rest of us slobbed out at the hotel, Neil went back to the airport to pick up our three missing comrades, returning to the hotel via the airfield and the Little Bustards. Another fine dinner with some excellent beers and wine followed.
Day 3
The morning walk from the hotel added Crested Lark, Black Redstart, Red-legged Partridge and Sardinian Warbler to the trip list.
One of our members had brought a portable, actinic moth trap with him which we had run overnight with some success. Spurge Hawkmoth was the pick of the bunch, Cream-spot Tiger was common also being seen around the hotel bollard lights. Other moths were The Delicate, Scarce Bordered Straw and the beautifully named Etruscan Viridian.
Today we planned to cover various areas of the Camargue wetlands including St Cecille, Mas D’agon, Etang du Vaccares and Marais de Grenouillet before finishing at the coastal lagoons of Digne a la Mar.
We enjoyed our first real sightings of Greater Flamingos for which the area is famed. Other notable additions were Black Stork, Honey Buzzard, Osprey, Kentish Plover, Whimbrel, Whiskered Tern, Hobby, Red-backed Shrike, Bearded Tit, Western Bonelli’s Warbler and Great Reed Warbler.
The coastal area of Digne a la Mar added Grey Plover, a colony of Slender-billed Gulls, Little Tern and Black Tern, Spectacled Warbler was seen and heard well in the scrub.
Day 4
Today was forecast to be really windy and so it proved. Our morning walk added Little Owl and Red-footed Falcon to the trip list.
Our planned trip today was to the rocky, hilltop town of Les Baux followed by a lunchtime picnic at La Caume (an area of pine woodland), ending the day at the spectacular viaduct of Pont du Gard.
The rocky outcrops of Les Baux yielded Alpine Swift, Crag Martin and Cirl Bunting but, unfortunately not the hoped for Blue Rock Thrush. The town itself held breeding Black Redstarts and a selection of cafes and restaurants.
The pines of La Caume held Crested Tit, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Cirl Bunting and Jay.
Pont du Gard, whilst spectacular and well worth the visit, only added White Wagtail and Firecrest to the list although great views of Alpine and Common Swifts and Crag Martins were enjoyed from the viaduct itself.
Day 5
Today was forecast to be even windier so the decision was taken to get an early start and head north to Mont Ventoux, an alpine area some 2 hours north east of Arles. The road over the mountain was closed near the summit even though the snow had gone. A stop on the way up the mountain road gave us excellent views of Firecrests which were singing in the pines.
Parking at the ski centre we covered the immediate area on foot. Black Redstarts were common around the buildings and typical upland birds added on the day were Citril Finch, Linnet, Northern Wheatear, Raven and Coal Tit. The highlight was good flight views of Black Woodpeckers which were obviously breeding nearby. Insect highlights were mainly butterflies in the form of Brimstone, Cleopatra, Orange Tip, Glanville Fritillary and Scarce Swallowtail but we did photograph the smart Longhorn Beetle Iberodorcadion fuliginator.
Our next stop (after coffee at the quaint town of Sault) was at some riverside meadows by the Gorges de Nesque where we enjoyed views of Wryneck, Western Orphean Warbler and Subalpine Warbler. Rocher du Circ is a spectacular gorge and here we were met by a female Wild Boar searching for free food. She was obviously used to visitors although we were assured she was wild and we could hear the rest of her party close by. The avian highlights were a pair of Egyptian Vultures which were known to breed in the area and a Peregrine Falcon.
We finished the day with a late meal back at Hotel des Granges.
Day 6
Thankfully it wasn’t so windy today but the morning walk only added a lone Canada Goose although we enjoyed good but distant views of a pair of Red-footed Falcons.
Today we headed back to the Camargue where a slow drive from St Gillies to Etang du Salamandre, with plenty of stops along the way, produced good numbers of the usual species. One stop at a lovely old windmill gave some great photo opportunities in the form of a White Stork on the nest with its chick. The only new species was Western Swamphen.
Our main stop was the Parc Ornithologique, a former bird hospital but now a series of man made lagoons with breeding herons, egrets and other water birds and a super place to enjoy point blank views of loafing Great Flamingos. A great place for photography with opportunities for both static and flight shots. Coypu are plentiful and also very photogenic.
The visit started well with four young Tawny Owls sitting quietly in some low trees by the picnic area with local schoolchildren noisily running around totally unaware of the owls a few feet above their heads.
A highlight came in the shape of a Grey Heron tackling a Viperine Water Snake which was doing its best not to get eaten. The Heron eventually won after 15-20 minutes of trying, swallowing the 2-3ft snake whole.
Day 7
This morning walk from the hotel added Stone Curlew for the trip. Meanwhile the moth trap attracted a really smart Puss Moth, Small Elephant Hawkmoth and White-speck.
After breakfast we headed back to Le Crau, but this time to the southern end where we quickly added Lesser Kestrel. A Booted Eagle was a nice addition.
A short ferry crossing took us to an area of coastal lagoons where waders and terns were the main attraction. Avocet, Redshank, Turnstone, Knot, Sanderling, Little Stint, Dunlin, Little Gull, Caspian Tern, Sandwich Tern and White-winged Tern were all seen.
A walk to the sea gave us Gannet, Balearic Shearwater and Scopoli’s/Cory’s Shearwater.
After dinner we headed back towards Le Baux and some limestone cliffs in search of European Eagle Owl. Although that failed to materialise we did enjoy a churring European Nightjar.
Day 8
Our final day and as we weren’t flying until late afternoon we headed back to Le Baux for a wander around the citadel. Neil spotted a Blue Rock Thrush and we enjoyed good views of a family of Black Redstarts, two more Honey Buzzards drifted over.
All too soon it was back to the hotel to collect our bags, say our goodbyes to Christine and Pasqual and head off to the airport.
All in all we clocked up a very respectable bird list of 167 species along with an impressive list of invertebrates and wild flowers.
Checklists - Birds
Checklist - Flora
Checklist - Invertebrates
Our thanks go to Neil McMahon for both organising and leading the trip on our behalf with all the work that involves, including laying on some excellent picnics. Neil leads this trip for Naturetrek and, indeed, we used Naturetrek as our booking agents and I would certainly recommend this tour to any other Bird Club.
Bob Gill
Club Chairman
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