Corsica in Autumn

Corsica in Autumn Naturetrek Tour Report 23 - 30 September 2018 Berberis aetnensis Calanches de Piana Corte Report & images by David Tattersfield Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report Corsica in Autumn Tour participants: David Tattersfield (leader) with four Naturetrek clients Day 1 Sunday 23rd September After an early departure from Gatwick, we were on the road from Bastia by mid-morning, with the rest of the day to explore the north of the island, en route to our hotel in Evisa. Leaving the low-lying agricultural land behind us, we drove west, along the Golu River, beneath maquis-covered hills, here and there scarred by past fires. We stopped beside the delightful model village at Pont Nuovo and were pleasantly surprised by the number of butterflies, enjoying the late summer sun, a good omen for the week ahead. After a coffee break beside the Genoese bridge, at Ponte Leccia, we drove north to the coast, with regular views of acrobatic Red Kites, overhead. At Isle Rousse, we enjoyed shopping for fresh produce from a farmer’s market, before continuing to Calvi and a brief exploration of the town and its busy marina. We had our picnic lunch by a rocky inlet, a little way down the coast, near Galeria and an opportunity to get to grips with the flora and more butterflies. Special plants here included three of the island’s endemics, namely Corsican Stork’s-bill Erodium corsicum, a Sea Lavender Limonium corsicum and the Knotgrass Polygonum scoparium. Butterflies included Long-tailed Blue, Lang’s Short-tailed Blue and a Plain Tiger, attracted to the flowers of its caterpillar food-plant, Bristly-fruited Silkweed Gomphocarpus fruticosus, a naturalised South African weed with dramatic inflated fruits. To the south, the long sinuous road afforded us splendid views of the coastline and we lingered a while among the stunning cliffs of pink granite. After reaching Porto, we climbed steeply inland, on the tortuous road to Evisa, where we dined on a delicious wild-boar stew before retiring to bed for some much-needed sleep. Day 2 Monday 24th September An early-morning amble gave some of us brief views of Cirl Bunting and Corsican Nuthatch, only a short distance from the hotel. After breakfast, we drove up into the cool air of the Foret d’Aitone, where we walked to the ruins of an old chestnut mill and a series of pools and cascades, along the river. The tall straight trunks of Corsican Pine Pinus nigra subsp. laricio stood, in timeless fashion, all around us, right down to the water’s edge, where their roots mingled with Royal Fern Osmunda regalis and Willow Gentian Gentiana asclepiadea. Tree Heather and Holly formed a conspicuous understorey and there were scattered plants of Corsican Hellebore Helleborus lividus subsp. corsicus and Cyclamen hederifolium. Birds were mostly high in the trees, but we had good views of Long-tailed Tits, Firecrest and Eurasian Treecreeper. Further on, we visited a wet area of forest, where there were large stands of Willow Gentian and carpets of the aromatic Corcican Mint Mentha requienii. Exposed granite forms a unique habitat and it was here we encountered two of the island’s endemic lizards, the common Tyrrhenian Wall Lizard and the larger Bedriaga’s Rock Lizard. We had lunch, before driving to the Col de Sevi, where we found numbers of pink Colchicum neapolitanum, pushing through the bare earth. Scanning the hillside, we spotted a number of the endemic Corsican Finch, in the Hawthorn trees, and then suddenly more and more appeared, giving everyone an opportunity to see them in the scope. We continued south to the coast at Sagone and a little further south to the Liamone estuary. There was little bird activity, except for Little Grebe, on the water and passing flocks of Spotless Starlings. However, there were lots of insects. Butterflies included Lang’s Short-tailed Blue, Baton Blue, and Southern Grayling and we found the large Egyptian Grasshopper, the strange-looking Nosed Grasshopper and the common Red Band- © Naturetrek May 19 1 Corsica in Autumn Tour Report winged Grasshopper. Down by the water’s edge, we noted Scarlet Darter, the distinctive and endemic Island Bluetail, a Black-tailed Skimmer and a large, fast-moving Dragonfly, which we took to be a Vagrant Emperor. The sandy beach was littered with the remains of Neptune Grass, a marine flowering plant, common around the Mediterranean and aptly named Posidonia oceanica. After an opportunity for a paddle, we returned to Evisa, stopping en route to watch large numbers of Red Kite and Raven over the local landfill site. Day 3 Tuesday 25th September After breakfast, we walked down through Evisa to the start of the footpath that leads down the Spelunca Gorge. Before the road was built, this ancient mule trail provided a vital link between Evisa and the harbour in Porto. We ventured a little way down to appreciate the nature of mature maquis. Its main components, Tree Heather Erica arborea, Strawberry Tree Arbutus unedo and Holm Oak Quercus ilex grow tall and form a high dense canopy, through which little light penetrates. Maritime Pine Pinus pinaster and Corsican Pine protrude beyond these and are easily distinguishable by their bark, needles and cones. Returning to the road, we drove down to the bottom of the gorge, with stops at intervals to take in the magnificent scenery. We followed the trail, above the river, as far as the elegant Zaglia Bridge, that spans a tributary. Huge, elegant plants of Royal Fern lined the banks and the ubiquitous yellow Stink Aster Dittrichia viscosa was providing a magnet for late-season butterflies, including Swallowtail, Silver-washed Fritillary and a rather tattered Cardinal, all providing great entertainment over lunch. Regularly, through the day, and indeed every day, we saw the colourful Two-tailed Pasha, always near its larval food-plant, Strawberry Tree, but hardly ever staying still for long. We returned to the road and drove up to the south-facing village of Ota, where we relaxed over drinks on the cafe terrace. We continued down to Porto and then a little way south to the Calanche de Piana. Here we walked among the pink granite cliffs that have, over time, been eroded into fantastic shapes and pinnacles, looking their best in the late-afternoon sun. We found the delicate blooms of the endemic Pink Snowflake Acis rosea and drifts of pink Cyclamen hederifolium lined the shady roadside verges. We still had the long drive back to Evisa, but the diversion had been well worth it. Day 4 Wednesday 26th September We left Evisa, this morning, and drove up to the Col de Vergio. Now, above the treeline, we were in an open landscape with a few stunted trees and a prickly carpet of prostrate Juniper and the low-growing spiny Broom Genista salzmannii var. lobelioides. Here and there were the glowing red berries of the Barberry Berberis aetnensis, the shiny, red hips of Rosa serafinii and the aromatic, endemic Thyme Thymus herba-barona. Birds were disappointingly few, but Woodlark was a new record. Down the eastern side of the pass, we had a long descent through the forest. We stopped by a damp ditch, where there were a few plants of the insectivorous Corsican Butterwort Pinguicula corsica and the brilliant red foliage of Norway Maple Acer platanoides, but the hoped-for Corsican Nuthatch were nowhere to be seen. After leaving the forest, we passed through a more varied range of habitats. Our butterfly tally rose gradually, with additional species including Red Admiral, Wood White, Holly Blue and Queen of Spain Fritillary. We stopped for lunch in the village of Calacuccia, before descending into the spectacular rocky defile of the Santa 2 © Naturetrek May 19 Corsica in Autumn Tour Report Regina Gorge. We walked along a section of the beautifully engineered road, finding plants that reflected the hot dry conditions, such as Large Mediterranean Spurge Euphorbia characias, French Lavender Lavandula stoechas, prostrate forms of Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis and the two of Corsica’s aromatic endemics the Sticky Woundwort Stachys glutinosa and the pungent Germander Teucrium marum. We saw Dippers on the river and a curtain of Ivy was attracting Queen of Spain Fritillary and a large number of Cardinal. After leaving the mountains, we stopped in an area of maquis, close to the railway, hoping to find some sign of the resident Sylvia Warblers. On this occasion, they remained well-hidden and we had to content ourselves with a few emerging spikes of Autumn Lady’s-tresses Spiranthes spiralis. Moving on, we spent an hour or so exploring Corte, the ancient capital of Corsica, and enjoying the views from the Citadel. From here, it was a short drive south to our hotel, set in the maquis, below Venaco, where we had time for a little exploration before dinner. Day 5 Thursday 27th September Leaving at 9am, we drove up to Venaco, for shopping. In the village, a sheltered and sunny gully was attracting many butterflies, which included Red Admiral, Great Banded Grayling and Purple Hairstreak. A short distance south we reached Gustav Eiffel’s dramatic railway bridge, spanning the Verghello Valley, alongside the elegant modern road bridge. Crag Martins flew around under the bridge and along the quiet road were many Corsican Wall Brown and Southern Grayling, enjoying the warm sunshine. We stopped for lunch, at the end of the road where we enjoyed magnificent views of the mountains and glimpses of Corsican Nuthatch, in the trees.

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