sjg@uts.amdahl.com (Stephen J. Ginsky) (03/18/91)
My wife and I will be travelling to France in early April, visiting Paris, Lyon, Burgundy and Provence. The highlight of our trip may be the Camargue, a marshy region west of Marseille on the Mediterannean, with plenty of birds, wild horses and bulls. Can anyone relate birding experiences or recommend bird books for this part of the world? E-mail or net postings would be appreciated.. sjg
misan@ra.abo.fi (Annika Forsten DC) (03/20/91)
In article <d6XJ015242c600@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com> sjg@uts.amdahl.com (Stephen J. Ginsky) writes: > My wife and I will be travelling to France in early April, visiting Paris, > Lyon, Burgundy and Provence. The highlight of our trip may be the Camargue, > a marshy region west of Marseille on the Mediterannean, with plenty of birds, > wild horses and bulls. > Can anyone relate birding experiences or recommend bird books for this part > of the world? Since you are going so soon, you won't be able to order anything. There is a site guide for France (in French), hopefully it is available in the bookshops. The name is 'Ou voir les Oiseaux en France' by Philippe J. Dubois. It was published in 1989. There is also a book called 'Guide des oiseaux de Camargue' (Blondel & Isenmann) 1981. Even though the books are in French they should be easy to use even if you don't speak French. For identification use the newest edition of Bruun, SInger, Delin & Svensson: 'Hamlyn Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe'. I haven't birded in France myself, so I can't say anything about that. Annika Forsten, Finland
wwf@oz.plymouth.edu (Dr. Wavell Fogleman) (03/21/91)
You might try finding a copy of Peter Alden and John Gooder's book, Finding Birds Around the World [may not be exact title, mines at home], which deals with birds that can be found near major travel centers all over the world. I remember that it does have info on the Camargue, especially a list of birds which might be expected. You do have to watch Alden though, he tends to use his own preferred English names for birds which don't always match those in field guides. Good luck and good birding!
misan@ra.abo.fi (Annika Forsten DC) (03/22/91)
In article <1991Mar21.140845.16702@oz.plymouth.edu> wwf@oz.plymouth.edu (Dr. Wavell Fogleman) writes: > You might try finding a copy of Peter Alden and John Gooder's book, > Finding Birds Around the World [may not be exact title, mines at home], > which deals with birds that can be found near major travel centers all > over the world. I remember that it does have info on the Camargue, > especially a list of birds which might be expected. You do have to watch > Alden though, he tends to use his own preferred English names for birds > which don't always match those in field guides. Gooders has also written a book on European sites, 'Birdwatching in Europe' I think the title is, or maybe 'Finding Birds in Europe'. It could give you some idea of where the best sites are, but in general it is not nearly enough. There are also rather a lot of mistakes in it. A revised edition was published recently. The World book mentioned above is probably already a little outdated, I think I bought my copy almost ten years ago. Annika Forsten
deby@cs.utwente.nl (Rolf de By) (03/22/91)
In addition to what Annika Forsten mentions, if you have the time, you should try to obtain a recent birders trip report on the Camargue. No doubt, you will be meeting many birders in the area, as it is the right time of year. I was there in the summer of 1980 (I believe) and recall the following good sites: 1. Bords of Etang du Vaccares (a lake), good for pratincole, egrets, flamingo and larks; 2. La Crau, the only stone desert of France (tiny to American standards), lying along the main route from Arles to the SE (E of that road actually). You shouldn't miss this area as it holds Little Bustard, Sandgrouse, Stone Curlew larks again, Montague's Harrier and lots of Hoopoe 3. there is also a small road from Arles to la Crau (lying west of the main road) which is very productive: egrets, Roller, Moustached and Cetti's Warbler, Golden Oriole, and many more like the ubiquitous Fan-tailed Warbler, and a few species of Sylvia warblers 4. Along the road from Arles to Ste. Marie-de-la-Mer (about a third from Arles) there is a nice heronry that holds all herons of the area (especially good to get Squacco and Purple Heron). I forgot the name of the nearby village but it may have been Albaron (it's 11 years ago, you see) 5. Straight to the south from site 4 (about 4 miles) there are some old pastures that held pratincole in the past, may still be good. 6. To the NE of Arles (at a bikable distance, so approx. 15 miles) there is a hilly range called les Alpilles, with a village that I donot remember the name of. The gorges around the vilage hold one or two pairs of Eagle Owl. Your best bet used to be a hairpin just north of the village (about a mile). Look up at the cliffs just when its getting dark. You may hear them also. 7. There is also a television station on top of one of the Alpilles, that's called la Caume (again if my memory serves me well) There used to be a pair of Egyptian Vultures in its immediate vicinity. There have also been reports of Bonelli's Eagle. The hillsides are the typical Mediterranean `maquis' that holds lots of the southern Sylvia warblers. They are somewhat difficult to see, but found rather easily by their nervous `teck-teck' calls. Be patient and sit down. Wear long trousers because maquis hurts. This is not complete, but the best I can do for you at the moment. Rolf -- Rolf A. de By Vakgroep Informatiesystemen Tel : (0)53--893753 Faculteit der Informatica b.g.g.: (0)53--893690 Universiteit Twente Fax : (0)53--339605 Postbus 217, 7500 AE Enschede Email : deby@cs.utwente.nl The Netherlands deby@henut5.bitnet