birds
78
Birds The best sites for aquatic birds are route 3 (Sologne), 7 (Loire valley) and routes 12, 13 and 14 (Brenne). For raptors go to the Orléans forest (routes 1 and 2) and Sologne (3 and 4). Forest birds, including woodpeckers, are best on routes 3 and 4 (Sologne) and Lancosme forest (page 174). Route 10 offers the best birding of dry agricultural land, including chances of finding Little Bustard. Montsoreau (page 148) offers the best views of terns, gulls and waders. The entire Brenne (routes 12-16) offers excellent birding of small scale agriculture land. See page 183 for an exact listing of sites for each species.
Little Grebe (top), Tufted Duck (bottom) and Common Pochard (facing page) are frequent breeding birds of the wellvegetated lakes of the Brenne and Sologne.
A well-known British conservationist once stated that “coming from northern Europe and planning your first birdwatching trip abroad, you need to look no further than the Brenne”. And he was right. The presence of some excellent bird habitat just within range of many Mediterranean species means that this region supports a rich cast of southern species within reasonable distance of the ‘north’. The interesting birdlife concentrates on the unspoilt areas with low intensity, traditional land use, such as the Brenne, Sologne, and Loire Valley. All these areas are on the list of internationally important bird areas (IBA). There is a reasonable amount of overlap in the species that occur in these three areas, with the famous Brenne supporting the largest diversity and number of birds. However, the Loire, Sologne and Forêt d’Orléans (which together form a large belt north of the Brenne) support a fair number of birds that you won’t find in the Brenne (e.g. Osprey, Booted Eagle, Mediterranean Gull, Little Bustard, Rock Sparrow). So our advice is not to simply blast through them on your way down to the Brenne, but to spend time in these other regions as well.
crossbill guides
•
loire valley