Hoeger@zoology.uni-frankfurt.de
From April 29th to May 4th I spent 6 days of birdwatching in southern France. The Carmargue and vicinity was the destination of my trip. The Carmargue is part of the Rhone-delta, and therefore rich in freshwater swamps in its center and salt marshes and dunes in its south. Partly a national park, the other part is used for extensive cattle farming (famous white horses and black bulls of the Carmargue) and rice culture.
Only a few kilometers away from the swamps of the Carmargue the ancient bed of the Rhone river formed a rock-desert, once only good for sheep and goats, today almost destroyed for fruit cultures and other business. Only a small rest is left in the old shape, partly private property and partly a small nature reserve, home of Stone Curlew, Large Pintail Sandgrouse and Little Bustard (information and visiting permission in the Ecomuseum at St. Martin de Crau). North of the Carmargue the Alpilles form a mountainous landscape, breeding place for Bonneli's Eagle, Alpine Swift and Egyptian Vulture.
The weather conditions during my stay were almost perfect. All the days it was warm (20-25°C) and a bright blue sky. The first 2 days the Mistral was very strong and smaller birds were not visible.
Below I list the visited points, followed by the species list (numbers behind the species refer to the observation places. The date of observation is not mentioned, if you like more details don't hesitate to mail me directly.
(only species 100% surely identified by eye)
Podiceps cristatus Great Crested Grebe 1,2 Ardea cinerea Heron 1-8,10 Ardea purpurea Purple Heron 2 Casmerodius albus Great White Heron 2,9,10 Egretta garzetta Little Egret 1-8,10 Bubulcus ibis Cattle Egret 2,3,5,10 Ardeola ralloides Squacco Heron 2,3 Phoenicopterus ruber Flamingo 1-8 Tadorna tadorna Sheld Duck 1 Milvus migrans Black Kite 1-5,8,9,10 Circaetus gallicus Short-toed Eagle 5 Accipiter nisus Sparrow Hawk 3 Hieraetus fasiatus Bonnelli's Eagle 11 Neophron percnopterus Egyptian Vulture 11 Circus aeruginosus Marsh Harrier 1-5,8,10 Falco peregrinus Peregrine Falcon 6 Falco tinnunculus Kestrel 4,9,13 Falco naumanni Lesser Kestrel 4,9 Alcetoris rufa Red-legged Partridge 9,10 Phasianus colchicus Pheasant 1,2,3,10 Gallinula chloropus Moorhen 1-4,8 Fulica atra Coot 1-4,8 Haematropus ostralegus Oystercatcher 1,7 Himantopus himantopus Black-winged Stilt 1-4,8 Recurvirostra avosetta Avocet 3,8 Charadrius hiaticula Ringed Plover 1,8 Charadrius dubius Little ringed Plover 1,8 Charadrius alexandrinus Kentish Plover 1,8 Vanellus vanellus Lapwing 3 Calidris minuta Little Stint 6,7 Tringa totanus Redshank 3,6,8 Tringa erytropus Spotted Redshank 8 Tringa hypoleucos Common Sandpiper 8 Philomachus pugnax Ruff 8 Numenius arquata Curlew 3 Burhinus oedicnemus Stone Curlew 9 Larus ridibundus Black-headed Gull 1-8,10 Larus genei Slender-billed Gull 7 Larus argentatus Herring Gull 1-8,10 Larus melanocephalus Mediterranean Gull 7 Gelochelidon nilotica Gull-billed Tern 1,2,3 Sterna hirundo Common Tern 2,3 Sterna albifrons Little Tern 2,3,4 Chlidonias hybrida Whiskered Tern 1,2,3,4 Chlidonias niger Black Tern 2 Cuculus canorus Cuckoo 4,10 Apus apus Swift 2,3,4,8 Apus melba Alpine Swift 11 Merops apiaster European Bee-eater 2 Coracias garrulus European Roller 10 Upupa epops Hoopoe 8 Alauda arvensis Sky Lark 9 Galerida cristata Crested Lark 9 Hirundo rustica Swallow 2,8 Delichon urbica House Martin 2,8 Hirundo rupestris Crag Martin 11 Motacilla flava Yellow Wagtail 2,3,7,8 Lanius excubitor Great grey Shrike 1 Lanius collurio Red-backed Shrike 9 Acrocephalus arundinaceus Great Reet Warbler 4 Acrocephalus scirpaceus Reed Warbler 4 Acrocephalus palustris Marsh Warbler 4 Sylvia atricapilla Blackcap 4 Sylvia conspicillata Spectacled Warbler 7 Ficedula hypoleuca Pied Flycatcher 4 Saxicola rubetra Whinchat 9 Saxicola torquata Stonechat 9 Oenanthe oenanthe Wheatear 8,9,10 Oenanthe hispanica Black-eared Wheatear 8 Luscinia megarhynchos Nightingale 1,2,4,10 Pica pica Magpie 1-11 Corvus monedula Jackdaw 1-4,7,8,10,11 Corvus corone Carrion Crow 3,9,10not to forget all the common tits, doves, sparrows etc. etc.