April 2008 Tour Narrative
Note that the 2009 tour will be run six weeks later, May 30 - June 8.
In Brief: “Don’t you ever stop smiling?” Well, no, not when I’m in southern France, where the birding is as good as the food, and life just seems easier in the bright and scented air of Provence. This inaugural edition of the new WINGS tour “Nature and Culture in Provence” delighted in every possible way, from avian wonders like Red-rumped Swallow and Woodchat Shrike to culinary adventures like oursins (very nice) and pieds et paquets (less so, but traditional!). Visits to historic and artistic sites from the Roman period, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance topped off an experience that most agreed would remain unbeatable—until the next time, that is.
In Detail: Hopes were high and spirits eager, and the pleasures of seeing old friends and making new ones over our first evening’s fine dinner at our Arles hotel only increased our anticipation as we prepared for the next morning’s excursion to Mont Ventoux. We headed north after breakfast, taking advantage of the 2-hour drive to enjoy abundant European Magpies and Western Jackdaws; roadside raptors included Black Kite and Common Kestrel. A happy bonus was a flock of 23 Mediterranean Gulls.
Ventoux had had fresh snow, but our first birding stop was low enough that we had only wind and mist to deal with as we encountered our first Great Tits, and Cirl Bunting and Woodlark played hide-and-seek. At our second stop, the warmth and strong coffee of the welcoming chalet proved irresistible to some, but the rest of us took a magical walk through snow-clad conifers to be rewarded with Fieldfare and Crested Tit.
A 12:00 lunch by the lodge’s wood stove was followed by our 4:00 pm return to Arles and an excursion to the Alyscamps, whose sarcophagus-lined boulevard hosted European Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Blackcaps, and Jackdaws. A Black Redstart welcomed us to the Romanesque ruins of St. Honorat before we went on to dinner along the same sidewalks once walked by van Gogh.
The next morning took us to the reedbeds of the Petite Camargue for stunning views of Purple Heron and Little Egret; a dozen Red-crested Pochards were the standouts among the waterfowl. A nice assortment of shorebirds included Black-winged Stilt, Common and Little Ringed Plovers, Common Greenshank, and impressive numbers of Wood Sandpipers; our commonest tern was the lovely little Whiskered. Among the large numbers of swallows we found a single Red-rumped Swallow. Our first Eurasian Hoopoes were on the roadsides. Hopes were high, but Great Bittern remained just a voice in the reeds. We followed our 1:00 pm lunch in St-Gilles with a discussion of the iconography and style of the 12th-century sculptures that ornament the famous church’s west face, then took in another site in the Petite Camargue, where a pair of Bearded Reedlings gave brief views, before arriving in Arles at 5:15 pm.
Wind and rain dampened the next morning’s departure, but Mas d’Agon still produced the traditional Squacco Heron, and not far from there we saw our first Greater Flamingos. By slowly driving the along the Mediterranean causeway at Stes-Maries, and setting up scopes in the lee of the vehicles, we were able to locate specialties including 6 Slender-billed Gulls, Mediterranean Gulls, and Little, Black, Whiskered, Common, Sandwich, and Gull-billed Terns. Western Yellow Wagtails and Linnets were being pursued by a surprising Woodchat Shrike. After lunch in Stes-Maries, we added Spotted Redshank and Pied Avocet to our rapidly growing list. A routine stop to check an empty stork nest revealed a White Stork plus two rather late European Spoonbills. We celebrated with a short stop at a roadside stand selling a wild abundance of Provençal delights, then returned to Arles at 4:35 pm.
We left the following day at 8:00 am for the short drive to Les Baux. Wandering up the hill for Alpine Swift, European Crag Martin, and Blue Rock Thrush, we also stopped to admire the colorful textiles and delicious foods in the many shops. Just below the ruined castle, we watched a newly fledged European Serin being fed, while a pair of Sardinian Warblers was building a nest. After our 12:30 lunch at the Porte-Mage, we strolled along a closed road at La Caume for wildflowers and common woodland birds, then returned to Arles at 4:40 pm.
The next morning’s start was the earliest of the trip. On the steppes of Peau de Meau, Black Kites were constantly overhead, and Eurasian Hoopoes and Turtle Doves perched on dead twigs. A Woodchat Shrike hunted the open flats, while a Southern Gray Shrike perched in front of us. Greater Short-toed Larks were seen and heard. We also enjoyed fine views of Red-legged Partridge; a single male Little Bustard was more distant. From the warm blind above the historic sheep barn, a pair of Eurasian Stone-curlews was seen very well. After a typically magnificent lunch in St. Martin, we returned to our hotel at 2:50 pm, and after a break set out on the five-minute walk to St. Trophime. In the cloister we enjoyed the juxtaposition of Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles and technologies and admired the richly ornamented capitals of the columns supporting the elegant arcades. Dinner followed, in a fine restaurant across from Arles’s beautifully preserved Roman colosseum.
The following day was devoted entirely to experiencing one of Europe’s great historic cities, Avignon. Leaving the hotel at 9:00 am, we arrived to a beautiful sunny day. After wandering the fourteenth-century papal palace, we enjoyed a 1:30 pm lunch at an outdoor café, then split into two parties to visit the park above the palace or the Musée du Petit Palais, which houses sculpture and painting of the 14th and 15th centuries, including an early Botticelli Virgin and Child. We returned to our Arles hotel at 6:00 pm.
The next day in the eastern Camargue was our most species-rich. Our first stop provided a full Camargue experience, from storks on a nest to Little Grebe on the ponds. At least two Short-toed Snake-Eagles joined the common Western Marsh Harriers. From the blinds we had good views of Spotted Redshank and Green Sandpiper, and the patient among us saw a pair of Water Rails. A few Common Cuckoos sang for us, and one even perched in the open for considerable time. At noon we spread our lavish picnic on the shaded tables on the visitor center’s lawn. Common Nightingales sang and even permitted themselves to be glimpsed, and a fine black male Pied Flycatcher worked the shady ditch. At the Salin de Badon, the group divided into a “big sit” in the shade and a small band of walkers. The sitters discovered the trip’s only Common Chiffchaffs (their arrival delayed by the cool spring), while the walkers enjoyed Black-tailed Godwit and Ruff along with a flock of 40 European Spoonbills. Highlights at Grenouillet and Mas d’Agon in the evening included a perched Booted Eagle and a Common Kingfisher, while as many as 4 Squacco Herons emerged to feed.
We’d earned the right to sleep in, and the next morning started with an 8:00 am departure for the Pont du Gard. Large numbers of Common and Alpine Swifts tore in and out of the limestone arches, while White and Gray Wagtails teetered on the rocks. A Common Kingfisher gave wonderful and prolonged views of the continent’s most colorful bird. After a fine lunch in the ancient city of Nîmes, we returned to Arles for the late afternoon’s list session, conducted, as always, over the local wine in the hotel’s sitting room, and followed by a map review. The group assembled for a final time at 6:30 pm for a festive dinner in one Arles’s finest restaurants, and over the excellent food and wine debated vigorously the best birds and the best experiences of a delightful trip to one of Europe’s most fascinating landscapes.
- Rick Wright
Updated: June 2008