France - The Cevennes Naturetrek Tour Report 15 - 22 May 2014 Common Club-tail by John Willsher Griffon Vulture by Pete Bangs Wryneck by Pete Bangs La Cardabelle by John Willsher Report compiled by John and Jenny Willsher Images by Pete Bangs and John Willsher Naturetrek Cheriton Mill Cheriton Alresford Hampshire SO24 0NG England T: +44 (0)1962 733051 F: +44 (0)1962 736426 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report France - The Cevennes Tour Leaders: John and Jenny Willsher Participants: Mike Willars Ann Parker Pete Bangs Jen Bangs Sue Myers George Backshall Paul Laumans Diane Gee Bruce Robertson Summary After what seemed an inauspicious start, (our Montpellier flight cancelled due to French strike action!) a later flight to Toulouse meant a prompt rearrangement by NT office staff of rental vehicles and a moonlit onward journey to Florac. We arrived at Cocures in the early hours to be welcomed warmly and sympathetically by Pierrette Agulhon the owner of La Lozerette, our base for the next week. As if in compensation the next three days gave us brilliant sunshine, bright blue skies, stunning scenery some good butterflies, including two Camberwell Beauty's, and a wealth of flowers including masses of orchids. A local Pied Flycatcher sang daily in the hotel garden, as well as the usual Black Redstart, Nightingales, Blackcap, Bonelli's Warbler and Serin. Vultures were seen daily and one day a young Lammergeier was seen performing its bone dropping act, not a bird seen on previous trips. We later learnt that a re-introduction programme began two years ago. This particular individual identifiable in our photos by colour dyed feathers, named Layrou, was released last year. The weather during the final days did not dampen the enthusiasm of the group in exploring the diverse habitats and wildlife of this lovely area. Many birds and butterflies were seen and the abundant plant life included 29 species of orchid. As always the enthusiasm and good humour of the group made for a good week and the warm hospitality and excellent food at La Lozerette added much to our enjoyment. Day 1 Thursday 15th May Arrive Toulouse, moonlit drive to Cocures! The group and leaders met at Gatwick in eager anticipation of a good week ahead. At first we were disappointed to be informed of a 90 min delay of our flight, but then having checked in and settled to wait, we found that our flight was cancelled due to service workers strike in France! We were rebooked on a flight to Toulouse, with rapid response from Naturetrek office to re-arrange our hire vehicles and to inform the hotel of our delay. By the time we were out of Toulouse the light had faded so we were not able to appreciate the passing landscape, except in the moonlight, noting banks of cowslips in places and some night-time wildlife eg. Hare and Nightjar. We arrived at Cocures in the early hours and were swiftly settled in our rooms. © Naturetrek June 14 1 France - The Cevennes Tour Report Day 2 Friday 16th May St Laurent-de-Treves, Col de Rey, Col de Faisses Some of the group were up and out at 9am although we were planning breakfast at 10am. It was a stunning sunny day and from the knoll opposite the hotel lovely views were had of the village, the Tarn below and across to the rocky edge of the Causse Mejean. A handsome Pied Flycatcher was singing in an apple tree and the usual locals - Black Redstart, Collared Dove, Serin and Cirl Bunting - were also heard. After breakfast and a brief stop in Florac for our picnic provisions, and to spot the local Griffon Vultures take to the wing from the cliffs above the town, we headed south along the valley of Le Tarnon. Our first stop at a roadside bank near the Quarry, gave us the first of the many orchids we would see this week including Pyramidal (in bud), Sword -leaved Helleborine, Small Spider and Woodcock Orchids (Ophrys araneola, O. scolopax), Early Purple, Military and Burnt-tip Orchids (Orchis mascula, O. militaris, O ustulata), and the unusual Onosma fastigiata (a local variant of Golden Drops). Ascalaphids, Green-underside Blues and Crag Martens were active in the warm sunshine. Then we went on to the hamlet of St-Laurent-de-Treves, where dinosaur footprints can be seen on a rocky limestone knoll. The roadsides were colourful with flowering trees such as Hawthorn, Elder, Laburnum and False Acacia. Also Mountain Dog Daisy (Anthemis cretica), Nottingham Catchfly (Silene otites), and many flushes of Early Purple Orchids (Orchis mascula) were seen. The weather was fine and from the knoll we got stunning views, west across to the Causse Mejean, south towards Mont Aigoul and northeast to Mont Lozere in the haze. Flowers included Common and Hoary Rockrose (Helianthemum nummularium, H. canum) Cyprus Spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias), Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor) and Prostrate Speedwell (Veronica prostrata). On the large rocks by the footpath were Maidenhair Spleenwort, Wall Rue, Rusty Back Fern, Meadow and Rue-leaved Saxifrage (Saxifraga granulata, S. tridactylites) and Ivy-leaved Toadflax. A Black Redstart sang from the rooftop and a Bonelli's Warbler was seen singing from Ash trees which at this altitude were only just coming into leaf. Numerous Common Swifts hawked for insects above us and a croaking Raven flew over. We drove a little further south to the Col de Rey, where we explored a grassy bank dotted with Box bushes and found many Lady, Military and Monkey Orchids (Orchis purpurea, O. militaris, O. simia) and some interesting hybrid forms. The photographers were spoilt for choice! Also Early Purple, Burnt-tip and Greater Butterfly Orchid, Mountain Kidney Vetch, False Vetch, Mountain Clover, Pyrenean Flax, Hepatica and the amazing dinner plate- sized leaves and seed heads of Acanthus-leaved Carline Thistle. The French name for this plant is La Cardabelle and the seed heads are traditionally nailed to doors as a barometer - the leaves close over the seedhead when it is damp - or maybe for good luck or to ward off evil spirits! A chattering songster in the bushes here was a Melodious Warbler, and drifting overhead a Black Kite and Common Buzzard. A Chiffchaff, more Bonelli's Warblers and a Robin were heard plus Yellowhammer seen. Crested Tit darted amongst the tops of the pines. We enjoyed our first picnic in a lay-by which provided huge stone tables and seats, and we relished the beautiful weather and scenery, which offered some compensation for our dramatic start to the trip! It was still sunny but there was a cool breeze. Further south we stopped next to photograph fields of Poet’s Narcissi before having a short walk through the colourful and fragrant landscape. 2 © Naturetrek June 14 France - The Cevennes Tour Report The air was full of the scent of Pyrennean, Piorno and Spanish brooms. In the low turf beside the road we found dense drifts of Early Purple Orchids, many spikes of the Cevennes Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla rubra ssp rubra), Tuberous Valerian, Heath Dog Violet with its pale spur, Heart's-ease, the local cream-coloured variant of Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneria ssp praepropera), Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum) and more of the diminutive Burnt-tip Orchid. Skylarks sang, Cuckoos called and we had good views of a Red-backed Shrike. On the grassy verge we found the pale yellow Dragon’s Teeth (Tetragonolobus maritimus) and Sulphur Clover (Trifolium ochroleucon). Our last stop before returning to Cocures was to look at an attractive bridge over the Tarnon. Clinging to the stonework was the attractive Creeping Snapdragon (Asarina procumbens), Ivy-leaved Toadflax, and French Figwort. A Dipper headed upstream and a few striped saplings in the river below betrayed the presence of Beaver also somewhere upstream. Then back to the hotel for a lovely meal. Day 3 Saturday 17th May Mont Aigoual With the weather forecast suggesting a change later in the week we decide to head for Mont Aigoual, the wettest and windiest place in the area, if not the whole of France! The area can have 2 metres of rain a year! But the day promised to be bright and sunny. Our first roadside stop was to look for orchids on a grassy bank below the dramatic southern rocky edge of the Causse Mejean. However before we could start an immature Lammergeier was spotted gliding around the cliffs above us. This was a Naturetrek first for the Cevennes (we later learnt this bird, which in our photos was seen to have colour dyed flight feathers, was named Layrou and released a year ago as part of a new re-introduction programme for the Cevennes) We also saw it fly up a couple of times and drop bones onto the rocks below in order to break them. The flowers included a few spikes of Woodcock Orchid (Ophrys scolopax), Man, Military, Monkey, Lady, Pyramidal and Bug Orchids and higher up the bank White Asphodel. Also many spikes of the delicate St Bernard's Lily (Anthericum liliago) and Fly Honeysuckle were seen. We stopped again to explore a damp meadow at the Col de Perjuret, hoping to find Frog Orchid but found Twayblade and Small Spider Orchid and many spikes of the unusual ferns, Adder’s Tongue and Moonwort. As well as Blackcap and Whitethroat in the Box bushes at the top of the slope a singing Orphean Warbler was watched. Further on we stopped to photograph the swathes of Elder-flowered Orchid in its two colour forms, and also found many tulips (Tulipa sylvestris ssp australis), Wild Daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) and Carinthian Buttercup with its pretty glossy leaves.