Corsican Gen Request (1 Viewer)

[Paul Chapman]

I am heading to Corsica for a short break next weekend. We are staying in the centre of the island at Venaco. Currently researching the best sites to maximise our chances for:-
Corsican Nuthatch
Corsican Citril Finch
Moltoni's Warbler

Also anything for Marmora's Warbler would be excellent.

All contributions very gratefully received. I have found a useful historic thread on here.

I am assuming that the recently split Mediterranean Flycatcher and Italian Sparrow are ubiquitous?

For those of the bizarre WP listing persuasion, and please don't feel the need to tell us that we are crazy, anything on the Category C California Quail population also gratefully received.

Thank you very much indeed in advance

Paul

 

[Jos Stratford]

Was primarily a butterfly trip, but found both the finch and nuthatch at Col de Sorba a couple of years ago without much effort (I have been to Corsica three times and have seen both there each time, always within 100 metres of the pin below).

Dropped pin
42°08'35.1"N 9°11'34.7"E · 20227 Ghisoni, France

This last trip, the nuthatch was exactly on this hairpin, finches just down the road.

Saw the finches elsewhere too, eg Haut Asco.

Warblers didn't prove difficult either, but don't have my notes with me, so can't give exact locations

 

[Val35]

Sorba is my fav spot for the nuthatch too. Also, coming from Venaco and before turning to the col de Sorba, you have a car park on your right.
From there you can walk to a ruin called Fort (or fortin) de Pasciolo.

Maquis around there is very good for warblers. Marmora's in the lower vegetation and Moltoni's in the higher maquis.
This place can also be good for the finch.

Sparrow and flycatcher are a possibility in pretty much every village yes.

For California quail you'll have to go down on the eastern coast of Corsica around Aleria/Linguizetta.

Feel free to pm or ask me for any details, I live there

 

[Paul Chapman]

Cheers Jos & Val35. Very much appreciated.

Any other contributions gladly accepted.

Val35 - I will be in touch in next day or so. Just wrapping up Cyprus.

 

[foresttwitcher]

Paul, I can only echo the recommendations for Col de Sorba for the Nuthatch (where I had good sightings on two separate visits) and I also saw them well at the Col de Bavella.

I had Italian Sparrow around the area of my accommodation at Favone.

Can't help with the Finch as I failed miserably to find any in a week! Although this was October so no singing to help - that's my excuse anyway.

Enjoy your visit, the scenery is spectacular.

 

[Steve Babbs]

I saw quite a few citril finches. generally I don't have many precise sites but I did see 4 at Refuge de Petra Piana. I only saw the nuthatch at Foret de Cervello.

 

[Val35]

Paul, I can only echo the recommendations for Col de Sorba for the Nuthatch (where I had good sightings on two separate visits) and I also saw them well at the Col de Bavella.

I had Italian Sparrow around the area of my accommodation at Favone.

Can't help with the Finch as I failed miserably to find any in a week! Although this was October so no singing to help - that's my excuse anyway.

Enjoy your visit, the scenery is spectacular.

I'm at Bavella today and heard a nuthatch just below the col. The col itself is good for the finch too.

Favone might be a bit far from Venaco on a short trip, I'm confident that some are present in Venaco itself (or in Corte)

They are vocal year round (I mean the finches), calling all the time while moving in small flocks. But it's true that sometimes they're a no show without any explanation...

I saw quite a few citril finches. generally I don't have many precise sites but I did see 4 at Refuge de Petra Piana. I only saw the nuthatch at Foret de Cervello.

Sadly, good nuthatch habitat has been degraded lately at Cervello, some old pines have been cut down...
There are still nuthatches around though.

 

[Diedert]

No real contributions, just feeling the need to say you are crazy.

Reading with interest as I am planning a short Corsica trip as well later this year with the non-birding partner. (since it features good scuba diving sites too).

 

[James Lowther]

Sorba is my fav spot for the nuthatch too. Also, coming from Venaco and before turning to the col de Sorba, you have a car park on your right.
From there you can walk to a ruin called Fort (or fortin) de Pasciolo.

Maquis around there is very good for warblers. Marmora's in the lower vegetation and Moltoni's in the higher maquis.
This place can also be good for the finch.

Sparrow and flycatcher are a possibility in pretty much every village yes.

For California quail you'll have to go down on the eastern coast of Corsica around Aleria/Linguizetta.

Feel free to pm or ask me for any details, I live there

Agree with fort de pasciolo for the warblers but in my very distant experience (2012), marmora’s were on the higher slopes in the maquis, moltoni’s in moister vegetation in little valley to the left side of the path towards the ruin
James

 

[opisska]

Good thread, updated Corsica info is surprisingly hard to find and we will probably go there soon, maybe this or next year, as the bizzare persuasion of WP listing is strong with us

edit: I literally can't help myself to write the island with the second "k" as I have written that word thousands of times

 

[Val35]

Agree with fort de pasciolo for the warblers but in my very distant experience (2012), marmora’s were on the higher slopes in the maquis, moltoni’s in moister vegetation in little valley to the left side of the path towards the ruin
James

Yes when I said "higher maquis" I meant in terms of vegetation, not elevation

Good thread, updated Corsica info is surprisingly hard to find and we will probably go there soon, maybe this or next year, as the bizzare persuasion of WP listing is strong with us

edit: I literally can't help myself to write the island with the second "k" as I have written that word thousands of times

Yes, and it's too bad because in recent years local and visiting birders made several interesting discoveries. The most interesting is probably the migration site at the Dunes de Prunete, north of Aléria.
In 2014, a guy started a migration survey there and it appeared that it was an amazing spot with many pallid harriers seen, and thousands of swallows.
Now the survey is yearly (starts in early March and ends around the 15th of May I think). This year so far they recorded : 3215 marsh harriers, 49 pallids, 78 Montagu's, 9658 bee eaters, 115 red footed falcons, 272 763 barn swallows...And a few surprises : a dotterel, a saker falcon, several skuas...

 

[Diedert]

Corsican Nuthatch
Eurasian Wren ssp koenigi
Eurasian Treecreeper ssp corsa
Red Crossbill ssp corsicana
Northern Goshawk ssp arrigonii
Great Spotted Woodpecker ssp parroti
Eurasian Jay ssp corsicanus
Great Tit ssp corsus
Long-tailed Tit ssp irbi

So, I made my targetlist for a visit this summer in lage August. Is the area for Nuthatch (Col de Sorba) also good for the other forest species, particularly the Crossbill and the Treecreeper are somewhat more important 'potential splits' (although I've heard this talk about crossbills for years now, bloody hate them...)?

 

[foresttwitcher]

Is the area for Nuthatch (Col de Sorba) also good for the other forest species?

I saw Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Jay & Crossbill at Col de Sorba; Treecreeper & Crossbill at Col de Bavella.

 

[Val35]

Corsican Nuthatch
Eurasian Wren ssp koenigi
Eurasian Treecreeper ssp corsa
Red Crossbill ssp corsicana
Northern Goshawk ssp arrigonii
Great Spotted Woodpecker ssp parroti
Eurasian Jay ssp corsicanus
Great Tit ssp corsus
Long-tailed Tit ssp irbi

So, I made my targetlist for a visit this summer in lage August. Is the area for Nuthatch (Col de Sorba) also good for the other forest species, particularly the Crossbill and the Treecreeper are somewhat more important 'potential splits' (although I've heard this talk about crossbills for years now, bloody hate them...)?

All these are possible at Sorba indeed !
I find crossbills to be more numerous at Bavella though.

Actually I don't think I ever saw a goshawk at Sorba... Places where I saw them are : Restonica and Asco Valley, Cap Corse near Santa Severa but it was a juvenile in this case so probably erratic.
But there's good habitat for them at Sorba so why not.

All other species are rather common (the wren might be the most difficult in August as they probably won't sing).

 

[dalat]

Nothing really to add, plenty of good advice already. I saw the nuthatch at Bavella and Col de Vergio / Aitone. The warblers I saw mostly in Macquis close to the coast, same for the Finch.

Feel free to pm or ask me for any details, I live there

Nice place to live and bird I'm just back from a family holiday at Cap Corse. Only casual birding, but plenty of migrating passerines there, was a lot of fun.

 

[dalat]

Dunes de Prunete, north of Alé

Where excatly is this area?

 

[Paul Chapman]

Where excatly is this area?

Checklist from the area here that is mouthwatering...

https://ebird.org/checklist/S108920671

Location is given as here:-

42°18'28.7"N 9°33'02.4"E

42°18'28.7"N 9°33'02.4"E

goo.gl

All the best

Paul

 

[Val35]

Nothing really to add, plenty of good advice already. I saw the nuthatch at Bavella and Col de Vergio / Aitone. The warblers I saw mostly in Macquis close to the coast, same for the Finch.



Nice place to live and bird I'm just back from a family holiday at Cap Corse. Only casual birding, but plenty of migrating passerines there, was a lot of fun.

We might have seen each other without knowing then, my father's family originates from Cap Corse and I spend most of my weekends there, especially in the spring

Checklist from the area here that is mouthwatering...

https://ebird.org/checklist/S108920671

Location is given as here:-

42°18'28.7"N 9°33'02.4"E

42°18'28.7"N 9°33'02.4"E

goo.gl

All the best

Paul

Dunes de Prunete - Corse

2022/5/5, 05:52-20:47 - Totals: 37 individuals, 10 species, 14:55 hours

www.trektellen.nl

Here you can follow the daily counts for the migration survey at Prunete or see the season's totals.

Be aware that some days are very quiet there as with all vis mig spots.

The river along the trail to get the migration viewing point is also interesting for passerines and crakes (so far "only" little and spotted but I'd expect a Baillon's is found there one day).

 

[Paul Chapman]

Sitting by a pool having landed about 7 hours ago and spent the afternoon doing some initial pottering in the mountains.

Bastia Airport Car Rental Pick Up
Italian Sparrow

Col de Sorba
Corsican Nuthatch - 4
Corsican Finch - 1
Marmora's Warbler - 1
Subspecies of Common Crossbill, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Jay & Great Tit

Meadow between Col de Sorba & Fort de Pasciola
Corsican Finch - 10

Fort de Pasciola
Marmora's Warbler - 1
Moltoni's Warbler - 1

So continuing targets for next two & a bit days in addition to some good birding:-
California Quail
Mediterranean Flycatcher
Subspecies of Wren, Treecreeper, Goshawk & Long-tailed Tit

Here's hoping.

Cheers all

Paul

 

[Owene]

That’s a great start. Look forward to photos.