Choose from one of these 3 early summer breaks:
4th - 8th June 2018
18th – 22nd June 2018
2nd- 6th July 2018
Includes five days with your guide, Robert Straughan, discovering the birds, landscapes and flavours that this UNESCO world heritage offers. Local snacks and drinks are available throughout the outings. We recommend staying with our partner l’Ancienne Auberge during your stay, a friendly and cosy guest house serving excellent home cooked meals from locally sourced ingredients. Full board accommodation and picnic lunches can be provided by l’Ancienne Auberge.
Day 1: The Larzac plateau: vast open spaces and endless skies - home to Southern Grey Shrike and Dartford Warbler, and a hunting ground haven for raptors, almost anything is possible here. Tawny Pipit can be easily seen on the Larzac. On the exposed limestone areas which often form towers and columns, Rock Thrush can be also encountered.
Day 2: Le Rougier is today’s destination, a rust-red river basin made up of fertile farmland with pockets of oak woodland and poplar plantations. Here a wide range of typical farmland birds can be found such as Hoopoe, Corn Bunting and Montagu’s Harrier. In the arid rocky areas Rock Sparrow can be found. Along the Dourdou river which flows through Le Rougier, Bee-eater and Great White Egret. Many raptors hunt and nest here, Black Kites are abundant nesting in poplars and Hobby sometimes use old crow nests on electricity pylons. In recent years Black-shouldered Kite have bred successfully here.
Day 3: Today we’ll visit The Gorges du Tarn and Gorges de la Jonte, a Natura 2000 Special Protection Area, largely due to the important number of vultures here. Since the 1980’s Griffon Vulture and Black Vulture have been successfully reintroduced to this area and now form stable breeding populations. In recent years some Bearded Vulture have been released here and may also be seen. Egyptian Vulture are present here too. The Gorges make ideal homes for cliff specialists such as Alpine Swift, Red-billed Chough, Raven and Golden Eagle. The wooded slopes above and below the cliffs provide habitat for Honey Buzzard, and on the exposed southern facing slopes Sub-alpine Warbler can be found.
Day 4: The Tarn Valley is formed by an impressive system of deep wooded ravines of confluents joining the River Tarn. The secluded and often inaccessible slopes are ideal places for nesting raptors such as Red Kite, Short-toed Eagle, Hobby and impressive numbers of Black Kite. Booted Eagle often nest in close proximity to the latter and hunt over the valley performing impressive stoops. The woodlands are also to home to five species of woodpecker including Middle-spotted Woodpecker. Lesser-Spotted Woodpecker can be easily heard, and with a little effort, seen in the poplar growing along the riverside; Golden Oriole, Bonelli’s Warbler and Turtle Dove can also be found. Cetti’s Warbler inhabit some of the reed beds.
Day 5 : Off to The Dourbie Gorge today with its sheer cliff faces and unusual rock formations. Here we’ll find Crag Martins a plenty, and in the cliffs one can find Blue Rock Thrush, Peregrine Falcon and Golden Eagle. Up on the Causse Noir woodland specialists such as Black Woodpecker, Crested Tit, Firecrest and Goshawk are relatively common. On the more open ground the song of Orphean Warbler can be heard. In the evening we’ll target Eagle Owl.
Prices per person :
Group size: Minimum = 4, Maximum = 8 (individual bookings possible)
- Guide throughout the trip : €200/person including €40 deposit payable to Hungry Bird Tours.
- 5 nights full board accommodation and picnic lunches with at l’Ancienne Auberge: based on 2/room sharing = €300, payable to l’Ancienne Auberge.
Group size: Minimum = 4, Maximum = 8 (individual bookings possible)
