davethebird
Well-known member
We had a mixed birding and general family holiday in France that took in a few good birding areas. This report gives the outline of the part of the holiday in the French Pyrenees. The photos from the trip are on my Flickr site.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davethebird/collections/72157627161084766/
We set off on 22/06/11 on the ferry from Portsmouth to Santander in northern Spain. The crossing was rough on the first afternoon so the only sea watching came the next morning and then only brought 4 Cory’s Shearwaters at about 06:15. From Santander we drove into France with an overnight stop near Pau.
The route we took from Pau ran through Lourdes, Luz-Saint-Sauveur, Barreges and up to the Col du Tourmalet. Our first day birding (24th June) was at the Col du Tourmalet which is probably the easiest place to see Snowfinch in the French Pyrenees.
The route appears to have changed since the map was drawn as the original route followed by the Tour de France is now only open to cyclists (it is blocked just after the Jardin Botanique du Tourmalet) but the former minor route from the very large car park is now a decent road, if slightly lacking in signposts. Park in either car park near the statue of a cyclist that marks the highest point. The Snowfinches gave themselves up very easily near the east car park and posed well for photos.
Having scoured Birdforum for info on Alpine Accentor I knew that we stood a chance up the track from the Col du Tourmalet to the Pic du Midi. We did get some views but they were not as obliging as the Snowfinch.
Walking back to the car park we chanced on an adult Golden Eagle perched fairly close to the track. This bird was obviously used to the crowds of people at the Col and allowed us to approach fairly closely and get some good shots.
We left the Col du Tourmalet for the Parc National des Pyrenees. Here we stayed at the Auberge de la Munia in Heas. As there are only 3 or 4 other buildings in Heas there is great peace and perfect surroundings here. Hurrah for the internet! Patrick was the perfect host and a great cook.
Our first full day (25th June) was spent in the Parc at the Cirque de Troumouse. Arriving early we had good views of Izard (Pyrenean Chamois) and Marmot, both species disappeared quickly as a few other people arrived. We were hoping for Wallcreeper but had underestimated the vast scale of the cliffs here and our search was in vain. A telescope was necessary to spot a Lammergeir and Egyptian Vulture along the ridges. Chough, Alpine Chough and Raven were obvious as were singing Water Pipits. The only bunting we saw was Yellowhammer.
Our second day was spent walking by the Lac des Gloriettes but peak temperatures of 32C curtailed our ambitions somewhat. There were plenty of butterflies and orchids but birds were limited, including Black Redstart, Alpine Chough,and Northern Wheatear. The car park gave us Garden Warbler and a singing male Serin.
The third day was spent walking up to the Cirque de Gavarnie and again it was very hot and the walls of the cirque were huge. The Alpine Chough round the Hotelerie de Cirque were quite confiding but few other birds were of note on the walk. There was a small colony of Crag Martins round a large hotel next to the car park in Gavarnie.
We had hoped to get to the car park above the ski station but were too worn out by the heat and hike.
We described our quest for Wallcreeper to a French couple who described a “bird like a butterfly” directly behind our hotel on a rock face near a waterfall. Unfortunately, we did not have time to investigate further but that just gives us an excuse to return.
We then moved up to the Dordogne where our emphasis was on historical and archaeological sites.
We finished up in and around la Brenne. It was a bit late in the season for passerines but was still a good chance to catch up with old friends and some regular species such as Purple Heron, Whiskered Tern, Black-winged Stilt and Bee-eater.
The back through the tunnel and home.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davethebird/collections/72157627161084766/
We set off on 22/06/11 on the ferry from Portsmouth to Santander in northern Spain. The crossing was rough on the first afternoon so the only sea watching came the next morning and then only brought 4 Cory’s Shearwaters at about 06:15. From Santander we drove into France with an overnight stop near Pau.
The route we took from Pau ran through Lourdes, Luz-Saint-Sauveur, Barreges and up to the Col du Tourmalet. Our first day birding (24th June) was at the Col du Tourmalet which is probably the easiest place to see Snowfinch in the French Pyrenees.
The route appears to have changed since the map was drawn as the original route followed by the Tour de France is now only open to cyclists (it is blocked just after the Jardin Botanique du Tourmalet) but the former minor route from the very large car park is now a decent road, if slightly lacking in signposts. Park in either car park near the statue of a cyclist that marks the highest point. The Snowfinches gave themselves up very easily near the east car park and posed well for photos.
Having scoured Birdforum for info on Alpine Accentor I knew that we stood a chance up the track from the Col du Tourmalet to the Pic du Midi. We did get some views but they were not as obliging as the Snowfinch.
Walking back to the car park we chanced on an adult Golden Eagle perched fairly close to the track. This bird was obviously used to the crowds of people at the Col and allowed us to approach fairly closely and get some good shots.
We left the Col du Tourmalet for the Parc National des Pyrenees. Here we stayed at the Auberge de la Munia in Heas. As there are only 3 or 4 other buildings in Heas there is great peace and perfect surroundings here. Hurrah for the internet! Patrick was the perfect host and a great cook.
Our first full day (25th June) was spent in the Parc at the Cirque de Troumouse. Arriving early we had good views of Izard (Pyrenean Chamois) and Marmot, both species disappeared quickly as a few other people arrived. We were hoping for Wallcreeper but had underestimated the vast scale of the cliffs here and our search was in vain. A telescope was necessary to spot a Lammergeir and Egyptian Vulture along the ridges. Chough, Alpine Chough and Raven were obvious as were singing Water Pipits. The only bunting we saw was Yellowhammer.
Our second day was spent walking by the Lac des Gloriettes but peak temperatures of 32C curtailed our ambitions somewhat. There were plenty of butterflies and orchids but birds were limited, including Black Redstart, Alpine Chough,and Northern Wheatear. The car park gave us Garden Warbler and a singing male Serin.
The third day was spent walking up to the Cirque de Gavarnie and again it was very hot and the walls of the cirque were huge. The Alpine Chough round the Hotelerie de Cirque were quite confiding but few other birds were of note on the walk. There was a small colony of Crag Martins round a large hotel next to the car park in Gavarnie.
We had hoped to get to the car park above the ski station but were too worn out by the heat and hike.
We described our quest for Wallcreeper to a French couple who described a “bird like a butterfly” directly behind our hotel on a rock face near a waterfall. Unfortunately, we did not have time to investigate further but that just gives us an excuse to return.
We then moved up to the Dordogne where our emphasis was on historical and archaeological sites.
We finished up in and around la Brenne. It was a bit late in the season for passerines but was still a good chance to catch up with old friends and some regular species such as Purple Heron, Whiskered Tern, Black-winged Stilt and Bee-eater.
The back through the tunnel and home.
