Tour Report 29 April - 6 May 2012
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Sardinia Naturetrek Tour Report 29 April - 6 May 2012 Beach at Pula Crown Daisy Swallowtail caterpillar View of Dorgali from hotel Report and images compiled by John and Jenny 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 Sardinia Tour Leaders: John and Jenny Willsher Participants: Annette Warrick Helen Hebden Richard Hebden Mary Buck Di Evans Gareth Jones Avriel Reader Bruce Campbell John Wickham Margaret Wickham Joan Lancaster Colin Hall Elaine Gillingham Brenda Harold Dawn Pitts Glenda Bougourd Summary An interesting and varied week was spent on this lovely island, exploring diverse habitats and experiencing the warm hospitality of the Sardinian people. The island had lush greenery and abundant flora, with the endemic Crocus minimus and some alpine flora on the heights of Bruncu Spina, endemic orchids in the lovely wooded valleys of the Forest of Margani, and the colourful roadside flora of Crown Daisies, Galactites, Mallow-leaved Bindweed and the statuesque umbellifers of Giant Fennel, Thapsia garganica and Magydaris pastinacea. The varied habitats of saltpans, rocky and sandy coastlines, mountain, scrub, farmland and Holm/Cork oak woodland provided a good variety of birds. We also explored Nurhagic and Roman sites getting a feel of life in ancient times. As always the enthusiasm of the group added enormously to the trip and we had a great week of good company, birds and flowers! Good humour was also needed as the weather rather limited our exploration in the mountains! Day 1 Sunday 29th April Arrive at Cagliari, drive across the island to our hotel in Dorgali Our flight arrived on time and despite a hitch with the hired vehicles we were soon loaded up and on our way heading north from the airport (with grateful thanks to Colin). Once away from the environs of Cagliari we could appreciate the lush greenness of this part of the island. Initially there were extensive road works going on but the roadsides were bright with yellow Crown Daisies (Glebionis coronarium), Giant Fennel (Ferula communis), deep red Italian Sainfoin (Hedysarum coronarium), the pale yellow dandelion Urospermum dalechampii and Purple Vipers Bugloss (Echium plantagineum) and in places planted with False Acacia and Mimosa. © Naturetrek May 12 1 Sardinia Tour Report Further north we saw handsome spikes of Verbascum cretica with its bright green foliage. We made good time to Oristano before heading northeast to Dorgali. Birds en route so far had included many Common Swifts just north of Cagliari and a few Buzzards and Common Kestrels. As we got further the scenery changed and we drove through hillsides covered with dense maquis scrub – this is a typical Mediterranean habitat composed of evergreen shrubs such as Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo), Tree Heath (Erica arborea), Wild Olive, Evergreen Oak (Quercus ilex), Myrtle (Myrtus communis) and Lentisk (Pistacio lentiscus). We had a short leg stretch once off the main highway with some botanising to the sound of Bee-eaters and a Woodlark, arriving at our hotel in good time. Our first Hawfinch was seen in the cork oaks beside the hotel. Day 2 Monday 30th April Visit to Nuraghic site of Serra Orrios. Afternoon walk on cliff path above Cala Gonone Our first bird on a pre-breakfast walk down the lane beside the hotel was a singing Blackcap, followed by Blackbirds and a repetitive call down the valley which was a Barbary Partridge. This remained out of sight despite much searching. Jays were active amongst the cork oaks and later at breakfast a Wood Warbler was outside the window. A Hawfinch in a cork oak above the hotel car-park sat very obligingly before we set off for the Nuraghic site at Serra Orrios, just north of Dorgali. This well preserved village site illustrated how a typical community operated here in approximately 1,000BC. Anna, the local guide gave us a brief history of the site and it proved to be fascinating on many levels. The ruins were surrounded by lush vegetation which was spiked with Common Asphodel (A. aestivus) and the bright green Round-leaved Alexanders (Smyrnium rotundifolium). We found Bellardia trixago, Yellow Bartsia, the diminutive pink, Petrorhagia velutina, Star Hawkbit, a few spikes of Pink Butterfly Orchid (Orchis papillionacea), Tassel Hyacinth (Muscari commosum) with its tassel of bright blue sterile flowers and some of the many vetches with their fascinating seeds. On the walls of the ruins we found Polypodium cambricum, Navelwort (Umbilicus rupestris) and Friars Cowl (Arisarum vulgare). Sardinian Warblers were busy in the scrub, a Woodlark sang and distant Bee-eaters were heard. Later some of us were lucky to see three Golden Orioles fly out of a tree and away. After coffee in the well-placed café, we headed for Grotto Ispinioli where the gravelly garrigue is good for a variety of plants including orchids. There were many large groups of the intriguing Mirror Ophrys (O. speculum), one spike of Ophrys morisii and a lovely clump of Illyrian Sea Lily (Pancratium illycrum). Overhead was Common Buzzard and a croaking Raven. We then made our way down to sea and the picturesque beach at Calla Osalla. This was a good opportunity to explore the diverse and fascinating flora in the sand at the back of the beach. Typical plants included Rock Samphire, Sea Holly, the tiny umbellifer Pseudorlaya pumila, Sea Stock, various spurges including Euphorbia characias, E. cupanii, E. helioscopa and E. paralias, Yellow Horned Poppy and its tiny relative Hypercoum procumbens with its asymmetrical yellow flowers. Also large clumps of leaves of the autumn flowering Sea Daffodil (Pancratium maritimum) and Sea Squill (Urginia maritima), and a mass of the debris from the sea grass Posidonia, which forms matted balls of fibre which resemble kiwi fruit! 2 © Naturetrek May 12 Sardinia Tour Report After our picnic (and a swim for some!) we moved on taking the narrow mountain road to Cala Ganone. Parking above the town we headed for a walk northwards on a track overlooking the sea enjoying views along the coast. Some Barn Swallows were also heading northwards and Sardinian Warblers rattled in the scrub beside the path. Out to sea a few distant Scopoli’s Shearwaters were skimming low over the water. In places along the track were more Tassle Hyacinth, a few spikes of Branched Broomrape, (Orobanche ramosa), Small Bugloss (Echium parviflorum) and Tree Euphorbia, Mastic Tree and Juniper. On the rocky track side we also found the pungent endemic shrub Stachys glutinosa. We then stopped in Cala Gonone for hot drinks or one of the many flavours of ice creams on offer at the gelateria before another walk above Cala Ganone, south to the dramatically sited Nurhagi Mannu. Day 3 Tuesday 1st May Drive to Bruncu Spina through the mountain villages of Orgosolo and Fonni, with walk and picnic in the Gennargentu Park After breakfast we headed inland, to one of the highest points on the sprawling Gennargentu National Park, which has some of the wildest and most mountainous landscapes in Sardinia. We bypassed Oliena, famous for its wine and on through Orgosolo, old bandit capital of Sardinia, where disputes between the roving sheep farmers and the more settled crop farmers made for much sheep rustling and bloody vendettas, and we had a glimpse of its famous murals. Later in a grove of Holm Oaks we admired two handsome free range pigs rooting under the trees We stopped for a bank of the purple Orchis longicornu, Pink Butterfly and Provence Orchids (O. provincialis), which is dotted with Meadow Saxifrage (S granulata), but it is cold and wet and not good for photography. So we stop in Fonni for coffee and facilities and can see more wall murals. Then we headed for Bruncu Spina, the second highest peak in the park. Unfortunately the low cloud was thick and it was cold. However we did see a Grey Wagtail and a Skylark sang from somewhere up the mountain through the fog. At the roadsides were a few of the endemic Crocus minimus, Rock Cinquefoil (Potentilla rupestris ssp corsica) and spiky plants of the endemic Astragalus gennargenteus – yet to flower. It really was not good walking conditions so we drove back down the mountain, stopping in a small oak wood to look for the endemic Peony (Paeonia mascula ssp russii). There were some wonderful plants of this beautiful flower alongside some bright green clumps of Euphorbia hyberna, the tiny yellow Gagea fistulosa and the bright white Ornithogallum collinum. Also Viola corsica, V. riviana and V. canina. We had a slightly damp picnic on very convenient tables and benches. As we ate a pair of Hawfinches settled in the tree above. The weather was now clearing and sunshine slowly moved across the landscape towards us. So we enjoyed the sunshine with a post picnic wander, listening to singing Blackcaps, Wrens and Woodlarks before retracing our steps. The roadsides were rich in orchids with many drifts of Dactylorhiza insularis, Orchis provincialis and Orchis longicornu. We stopped to photograph good patches of Ophrys incubacea with its chocolate brown lip, and some pigs and piglets grazing on common land underneath huge Downy Oaks. The pigs were a bit shy but the dung beetles proved very entertaining! We stopped in Orgosolo for a closer look at the murals. The tradition of these murals only started in the 1960’s, in the south, but has spread around the island. Here many of them have political, satirical or social themes with dramatic effect. © Naturetrek May 12 3 Sardinia Tour Report Day 4 Wednesday 2nd May Transfer to our base in Pula, travelling via the Sinis Peninsular Today we transferred to our base in Pula.