France - Provence in Spring Naturetrek Tour Report 23 – 30 April 2015 Greater Flamingos by Tony Daniels Aethionema saxatile by Elizabeth Cooke Common Blue butterfly by Brian West Viperine Snake by Richard Bashford Report compiled by Richard Bashford & Elizabeth Cooke Images courtesy of Richard Bashford, Elizabeth Cooke Brain West and Tony Daniels Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ England T: +44 (0)1962 733051 F: +44 (0)1962 736426 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk France - Provence in Spring Tour Report Tour Participants: Richard Bashford ornithologist Elizabeth Cooke botanist 12 clients Day 1 Thursday 23rd April Drive from Marseilles to Sault via Marais du Vigueiran. After a ‘prompt’ morning start at London Heathrow airport we were in the air by 8am and had landed in a sunny Marseilles by 10.30am. We organised the hire vehicles, got some provisions and hit the road. Our aim today was to reach the eastern side of the Camargue National Park for lunch and then have a walk before continuing towards our hotel. We did this despite a traffic jam thanks to a broken down car, even if lunch was nearer 2pm! We ate to the sound of a Melodious Warbler singing and a few butterflies nearby. We enjoyed an hour and a half on the boardwalk trails where we saw flyover Bee-eater, Short-toed Eagle, Purple Heron and Black Kite, and we had the constant accompaniment of Nightingale and Cetti's Warbler song. We admired the Aristolochia rotunda and an abundance of Spring Snowflake (Leucojum aestivum). Here too we had a very close view of a juvenile and then an adult Coypu about two metres away, munching reeds. By 4.20pm we were back in the buses and on our way; stopping for photographs of the white horses of course! Heading north, our journey took us into increasingly rugged, rural and amazingly scenic landscapes. The little villages, fields dotted with poppies, and the rolling hills were all beautiful; it promised to be a great week! By 6.30pm we had arrived in Sault and met our hosts. After freshening up, we were outside in the square being offered a glass or two of wine with chestnuts while Antoine welcomed us and provided a variety of canapés. Elizabeth and Richard explained a little about our plans for the coming days and then it was time for dinner and what promised to be the first of many excellent meals. Day 2 Friday 24th April Gorge du Nesque After breakfast we drove the short distance west to the Gorge du Nesque. The weather was perfect, encouraging out an array of butterflies. Our morning walk through box scrub was certainly a wildlife-filled leisurely affair with Bonelli's Warblers singing, Raven and Crag Martin overhead, Dingy Skipper, Baton Blue, Scarce Swallowtail and Moroccan Orange Tip butterflies, an Acer monspessulanum covered in golden flowers, and a Red Squirrel trying to hide in a nearby tree. As the scrub gave way to woodland we found Anemone hepatica in flower and a juvenile Fire Salamander in a small pond by the track. At this age it was very well camouflaged; only developing its striking orange and black coloration when mature. Our aim was to reach a small meadow area with several orchids including Ophrys araneola, Orchis purpurea and O. mascula, which we did, just, but we were certainly in no rush. The way back was just as leisurely but there was another driver - a picnic lunch! After a short delay photographing a Viperine Snake, we returned to the buses and the shade to enjoy our first picnic of fresh bread, cheese, salad and fruit including some delicious strawberries. By 2pm we were off again, first stopping at the Rocher du Circe viewpoint where there were impressive views of the towering cliff face and the gorge below. There we saw Juniperus phoenicea, Centranthus angustifolius and admired © Naturetrek January 16 1 France - Provence in Spring Tour Report the tiny striped petals of Aethionema saxatile. We then proceeded to drive along the windy road on the north side of the gorge to Combe de l’ermitage where we saw Vicia hybrid, Lathyrus cicero, Euphorbia serratula, and Euphorbia characias which was familiar to the gardeners amongst the group. Norma’s keen eyes also spotted an individual of Himantoglossum robertianun further up the track. A couple of impromptu roadside stop proved particularly fruitful; first finding Ophris fuciflora and a large stand of Orchis purpurea, and then Iris lutescens and Tulipa australis, both in peak flower. At the final stop of the day near St Hubert, when heading off into the bushes to answer a call of nature, Georgina spotted a single flower of the delicate Narcissus assoanus. Further investigation revealed a fair sized population nearby, growing with Potentila cinerea and Euphorbia cyparissias. It proved to be an excellent end to the day and we returned to the hotel by 6.20pm for another fantastic meal. Day 3 Saturday 25th April Aurel and Chalet Reynard The forecast had suggested it could be wet today and sure enough, we woke to low cloud and spots of rain. This rain increased through breakfast but fortunately by the time we left and drove to our first stop it was very light, and by 10am it had stopped, allowing us to have an excellent walk through some meadows, enjoying the Nightingale song. In a meadow with sandy infertile soil, plus an abundance of Rhinanthus minor to keep the vigour of the grasses down, we found various colour forms of Orchis morio including some white ones. Other plants we saw along the way included Armeria arenaria, Lathrus panonicus and the leaves of Neottia ovata. We also marvelled at the two different leaf types of Genista hispanica and saw lots of Ophrys araneola, the flowers of which exhibited quite a bit of morphological variation including forms with white sepals. We had great views of Crested Tit, Woodlark and Skylark singing overhead, Bonelli's Warbler, and a few enjoyed a Firecrest. We proceeded through some of the Lavender fields for which the area is so famous, noting a few arable weeds that are rare in the UK including Scandix pectin-veneris and Ajuga chamaepitys. We ate our picnic near the buses rather than risk the low cloud at our original higher altitude picnic stop. It was a good move: another lovely lunchtime location with Salvia pratensis and fine food before heading up the road. Visibility deteriorated as we continued up and by the time we reached Chalet Reynard we were split between the cafe or a walk in the mist! Half of the group decided to go for a walk and were rewarded with a few notable alpine plants including Androsace vitaliana, Iberis nana, Viola rupestris and Draba azoides, the flower of which looked a little worse for wear from the damp weather. There were also rather stressed looking, but still flourishing Helleborus foetidus growing at this altitude. The walkers returned to the cafe for a warm drink with the rest of the group before we headed back to the hotel for a couple of hours relaxing before the evening meal. Tonight our evening meal was a little different. Our hosts had invited us to a ‘From farm to farm’ event where we joined about 150 locals at a goat cheese farm to enjoy some fascinating food: cheese balls covered in herbs and spices, homemade pesto, breads and even pizza with wine, thyme or chestnut drinks alongside. And this was for starters! There was also a hog roast, salads, potatoes and more wine. After some live music, we sat down and waited for the pork. It was quite an evening for us Brits, and no doubt, if it hadn’t been so bitterly cold, we may have stayed a little longer. But after a full day outside and our fill of the pork, we decided to leave Antoine and Myriam to it and headed back to the hotel to warm up! 2 © Naturetrek France - Provence in Spring Tour Report Day 4 Sunday 26th April St May vulture reintroduction site; route via Bédoin to Mont Ventoux With a changeable weather forecast, but marginally better for today, we opted for the vulture viewpoint on the Plateau de Saint-Laurent, above St May. We arrived at 10.40am after a scenic drive during which the weather seemed to close in, but then brighten up on arrival. Our walk, in typical Naturetrek style, was fairly short but took a long time. Here we found a rather attractive White-wooly Buttercup (Ranunculus monspeliacus), a clump of Man Orchids (Orchis anthropophora) including a pale form, Vincetoxicum hirundinaria, admired the Helianthemum apenninum in full flower, and saw a few new birds for the trip including Stonechat, Wheatear, Subalpine Warbler and even a Rock Bunting. But it was eyes to the skies as the immense Griffon Vultures soared along the hillside and overhead. Nearer the cliff we saw many more, and two or three Cinereous (Black) Vultures. Above them were chattering groups of Alpine Swifts. Needless to say, the view was pretty spectacular too. Looking back at another summit, we counted around fifty Griffon Vultures enjoying the good flying weather. Returning to the bus, we found a picnic spot and enjoyed the best of the day's weather and a patch of Scrophularia canina, before heading on towards Mont Ventoux. Unfortunately the road from Malaucène was closed for a motor rally, so Elizabeth’s satnav came into its own as we took another route to Chalet Reynard via Bédoin where we saw a heard of sheep and a Marrema sheepdog.