Camargue, Les Alpilles and the Crau with Bebbi Babbler Birding

13 April 2022 – 18 April 2022

Valentin Moser, Stefan Häring, Sylvain Eichhorn, Livio Fabbro, Jonas Kraft and Michel Kilcher

Participants: Jaro Schacht, Samuel Büttler, Ennio Fabbro, Antonia Kellner, Anne-Cathérine Gutzwiller, Leo Amrein, Milan Pestalozzi

The Bebbi Babbler, an ornithological youth group went to a trip to the Camargue. The trip report is written by Michel, Livio and Jonas, three of the young birders participating, with the support of Valentin.

Visited Sites

Vallon des Opies

Vallon des Opies till Tour des Opies. Rocky coastal range, lot's of interesting birds and other wildlife, as well as interesting arthropods. Residents include Bonelli’s Eagle and Egyptian Vulture.

On the last morning, we were south of the valley, starting from Aureille.

RN des Coussouls de Crau

Remnants of the former Rhone delta, steppe-like habitat. Residents include Little Bustard, Calandra Lark and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse.

We visited two areas, Peau de Meau and Mas Chauvet

Beauduc area

Beach and dune habitat with migrants. The "gate" is good birding area as well.

Route du Mas d'Agon

Flooded field with a range of resident and migrant waterbirds.

PNR de Camargue

Listed here are observations we did while in the Camargue, but not specifically at one of the mentioned hotspots.

Piémanson area

Beach and salines - Slender-billed Gull is quite common here.

Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer area

If one escapes the crowds of the city, the first bushes provide habitat for tired migrants, the étanges behind hold many waterbirds.

Domaine de Méjanes – Cacharel road

The "Safari Road" has some classical Camargue habitat and specialities like Purple Swamphen and Moustached Warbler.

Diary

13 April 2022: Arrival in the Camargue region

We arrived late in the evening. A dream landscape with its own vegetation awaited us. The slopes are covered with yellow broom and purple rock roses. Next to the car park, the last Sardinian warbler of the day was singing and in the olive grove, we could enjoy the song of a nightingale, giving us a taste of what was to come! When it was completely dark, we heard an Eagle-owl and far away also a Scops-owl. With our thermal we searched for mammals in the undergrowth and the moth light was running. No biodiversity was safe from our cameras!

14 April 2022: Vallon des Opies, Les Alpilles/ RN des Coussouls de Crau

In the morning we walked up the Vallon des Opies. The low scrubland is a paradise for warblers. We heard and saw several Sardinian and Dartford Warblers. Some Subalpine Warblers were also heard. Enjoying the singing Warblers, we spotted an Iberian grey shrike and two very shy Red-legged Partridge. Under a stone, we found a special centipede species that looks very cool (Scolopendra cingulate). The sun was shining and made the whole landscape appear in full bloom. The low vegetation offers little shade and with the rising warmth, the insects come out, we could observe many butterflies. A common species is Gonepteryx cleopatra, the southern related species of the Brimstone butterfly. As a big highlight, we spotted a Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina).

Also the fauna is very rewarding to see. Besides various bush vegetation such as broom, rock roses and rock pear, we also found two orchids and found a rare Mediterranean flax with a generally small distribution area (Linum campanulatum).

Now back to the birds. Not only the insects benefited from the sunshine, but also the birds of prey took to the air. We spotted a Bonelli's Eagle on the ridge north of the Vallon des Opies. He was sitting on a rock and could be observed through the telescope. In the higher altitudes of the valley we saw several Blue Rock-thrush and Rufous-tailed Rock-thrush, two species typical for this habitat. The ascent to the Tour des Opies is steep and it requires climbing over rocks. When you have made the strenuous ascent, a breathtaking view awaits you. You are at the highest point in the area, and you can see in all directions. In the South the land becomes flatter towards the sea and in the North the mainland stretches out. In a westerly direction, the Alpilles extends. From up here we saw a lot of raptors like a Hobby, an Osprey, some Black Kites, Common Buzzards, Sparrowhawks and also one Short-toed Snake-Eagle. And suddenly, far away, we spotted an Egyptian Vulture who was coming straight toward us. He flew past us to the north and gave us the opportunity to gaze at him. What an impressive observation! It made the steep climb worthwhile. Also, the Bonelli’s Eagle made a visit to the Tour des Opies and flew close over our heads. After a short break, we set about the descent. On the way back we were able to see some Spanish sand racer (Psammodromus edwarsianus) which has a small range of distribution from eastern Iberia to southern France.

Further down we were visited by four Eurasian Griffons Vulture which flew very far over Aureille. Almost back by the cars another Short-toed Snake-Eagle passed very near over us. A beautiful finish of this morning.

Crau

In the afternoon we drove to the Crau. To be more precise, we went to the Réserve Naturelle des Coussouls de Crau. The Crau is a large steppe-like plain, the former riverbed of the river Durance. We parked our cars at the parking Peau de Meau (43°34'17.6"N 4°49'54.8"E). Dozens of Skylarks and some Crested Larks were signing. We could also see some Tawny Pipits. At a crossroad, we decided to split our group to scan more areas for Sandgrouse and Bustards. We had walkie-talkies and stood in contact. Of course, when we were really distant from each other, looking at a few pairs of Stone-curlews, the other group discovered a Little Bustard in the opposite direction. That’s why at 07:15 pm a group of young ornithologists ran through the Crau! Luckily, they arrived in time and were able to see the great Little Bustard in wonderful evening light before it disappeared into the steppe. The final species of the day were a pair of Lesser Kestrels at a small shepherd's house, settling for the night. Back at the cars, we drove to our sleeping area. We were welcomed by a singing Nightingale and had a late dinner. We heard many Mediterranean tree frogs on a flooded meadow nearby. 

15 April 2022: RN des Coussouls de Crau/ Camarque

We were accompanied by singing Corn Buntings and started early. The morning was foggy and a bit cool. Just when we arrived in the steppe (43.573741, 4.885414), we spotted a flock of Corn Buntings which is very nice to see if you are from Switzerland (where “efficient” agricultural practices have driven this species close to extinction). Next to the path we could see a Crested Lark. We were still accompanied by many singing Skylarks. Further in the steppe, we spotted several Little Bustards because here is the vegetation lower than at the spot we were yesterday. We were even lucky enough to see a flying Bustard. This looks somehow weird but very special. Its flight is incomparable to that of any other bird. We also spotted a Merlin which was hunting over the steppe.

As we continued walking, we first heard and then saw a Hoopoe. Then we were surprised by an unusual guest, a Caspian Tern flew over our heads.

With the time, the fog disappeared, and it was getting warm. We discovered a singing Calandra Lark in the Sky. Further forward we saw sever others. There is obviously a bigger colony. We counted at all about 15 singing Calandra Larks. They were singing from the Sky and around us in the steppe. Now and then they set down on wooden posts or single bushes. It was a unique concert. A part of our group set off on her way back and the others stayed to enjoy the Calandra Larks a little longer. When we caught up to the others, they had already found a new sensation. They had seen two Richard’s Pipit which flew above them! We searched the area together and were successful. The rare birds came back. By walking back to the cars, we have seen some Iberian Grey Shrikes, a Woodchat Shrike, and several Corn Buntings. Back by the car, we ate lunch. Next to the parking place was a Western Subalpine Warbler singing. While eating, we spotted a raptor and we identified it as a Bonelli’s Eagle. We saw a Common Kestrel which landed on a tree right in front of us. He had prey in his claws. When we looked more closely, we saw, that it was a reptile. More precisely a Western three-toed skink which was still wriggling, so it was probably still alive (and countable!).

On the gravel road back to the main street, we saw about 15 Cattle Egret. As everybody was a bit dusty, we decided to head towards the beach! 

On the way to the Camargue we saw the first water birds like Glossy Ibis, Black-winged Stilt, Gull-billed Tern, Kentish Plover and -of course- also the first Greater Flamingo. By chance we discovered in a bush at the roadside a few small Mediterranean tree frogs. We could observe them very well! Driving towards Beauduc beach, there were thousands of wading birds on both sides of the road, most of them Little Stint and Dunlin. In the late afternoon we finally reached the sea and had a swim, followed by a little race (won by Milan Usain Bolt) on the beach.

In the evening we came back to prepare dinner and to look for birds in the dunes, finding two Red-legged partridges and Woodchat shrike. Later we ate a delicious dinner in the dark, couscous with vegetables, before people headed off again to search for some nocturnal marine life and moths.

16 April 2022: Camargue

The next morning, after the delicious (again!) morning meal, we made our way back into the bushes and the dunes, looking and finding some warblers. Behind the dunes was a lagoon where we spotted a few waterbirds like Grey Plovers and Oystercatchers.

A flock of Little Ringed Plover kept flying and landing again, which looked extremely cool. But upon closer inspection, we realized that one of the oystercatchers was an albino oystercatcher! When we returned, someone suddenly said over the walkie talkies that they had seen a Great Spotted Cuckoo. Immediately we all ran! When we finally arrived, the Cuckoo had flown into a forest. After an hour searching, we had to admit defeat and headed back. We set off again and drove to Salin-de-Giraud. But to our disappointment, the stores were closed – midday... That did not help the general mood. To help wait for the food (the “food car” was stuck in Easter traffic trying to catch the ferry back) we went to the beach where we jumped into the sea. A bit of sea watching produced a Gannet. Then in the late afternoon finally came the relief, the food was there. On the way to our sleeping place we saw many Slender-billed Gulls, Spoonbills and Flamingos. At the lagoon, we enjoyed the beautiful sunset before we went to our sleeping place. At the sleeping place, we put up our tents in the strong wind and went on a little frog excursion. We heard loud frogs everywhere but could only find one. Nevertheless, we returned happily and cooked dinner on the gas stove. After the delicious dinner (which included a couple of chilies too spicy for some) we lay down in our tents. Well not for long, we were awakened a few minutes later by the leaders, who had discovered two snakes, a Ladder Snake and a Viperine Snake. We admired these beauties!

17 April 2022: Camargue

Up at dawn as usual, those who wanted to could go on a short morning excursion. Accompanied by the song of the Corn Bunting, we could observe Common Snipe and Wood Sandpiper. After a short morning meal, we continued by car through the Camargue. During a drive with many ornithological stops we could admire a Merlin, followed by Hen Harrier and Montagu's Harrier shortly after each other. In the lagoons, there were waders everywhere! We had a first longer stop in the Marais de Carachel aka "Safari Road". Here we could see the first Purple Swamphen of the camp. The stop was also worthwhile in other respects. Spoonbills, Spotted Redshank and a Crested lark were easy to observe. A European pond Turtle was also seen basking at the edge of the ditch. After an intense morning, it was now time to take a lunch break for both us and the birds. In the nearby town of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, the younger participants were able to go on a short shopping spree while others bought the food for the next two days. Unfortunately during lunch, not just vegetables were cut, Leo's hand had to suffer too. However, this did not stop him from extensive birding! Before that, however, there was probably the rarest species we saw here. An Eastern Subalpine Warbler! It was hanging out in a bush with Western Subalpine Warblers, allowing nice comparisons of looks and calls. While there, some of our group searched for crabs and other small animals on the rocky shore. More successful was a round of beach football with almost all the Bebbis and some locals and other tourists. Besides that, there were also some birds to admire. Among others, 13 turnstones and a Slender-billed Gull paid a visit. At 5 pm we went back to observing birds and the next few hours were perhaps the best we had in the Camargue from an ornithological point of view. First, we saw Ruddy Turnstone again, also from very close. Other waders here along the sea were Sanderling and Little Stint. We were also very happy to see a Little Tern. However, with the density of birds, the density of mosquitoes had also risen sharply. When we started to think about the way back, we had a short break, during which we saw Spectacled Warbler and Montagu's Harrier. On the way back, a veritable wader party began. We saw no less than 1500 Dunlin, 300 Little Stint, 17 Curlew Sandpiper, 30 Little Ringed Plover and 100 Little Ringed Plover from and near the Digue à la Mer. At the very end, some rats appeared in the twilight. After a short dinner on the dark beach, it was time to leave. We drove back to the Alpilles, very close to the place where our journey began. Here we saw the first Scops Owl, after we had only heard it before.

18 April 2022: Back in les Alpilles!

The next day was our last here. It started a bit chaotic, as everyone started walking at different times. Somewhat split up, we saw some Red-legged Partridges and Iberian Grey Shrike again. A Wood Lark was also singing and further up, some saw an Eagle Owl. The plentiful rabbits had to be careful! Being back in Les Alpilles, we also observed more butterflies again, including a Southern White Admiral. On the way back we saw our last new species for the camp, one that we had expected a long time before: the Turtle Dove. After this extended morning excursion around Aureille, we had lunch for the last time. For the younger ones, we had an Easter egg hunt. Then it was time to say goodbye! What a trip :)

Species List

Order: systematic | alphabetic | highlights first
Published: 15 August 2022
Last updated: 15 August 2022
Camargue, Les Alpilles and the Crau with Bebbi Babbler Birding - Orniverse