Naturetrek Tour Itinerary Natural history walks and excursions in the north of the Normandy peninsula

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1 Naturetrek Tour Itinerary 2012 Outline itinerary Day 1 Day 2 Day 3/4 Day 5 Sail Poole-Cherbourg; transfer to Bricquebec Natural history walks and excursions in the north of the Normandy peninsula Natural history walks and excursions in the south of the Normandy peninsula, based at Avranches Drive Cherbourg; sail Poole Dates Thursday 26th September Sunday 30th September 2012 Cost 795 (Land Only price: 745) Single room supplement 95 Grading Grade A. Easy day walks only Black Redstart Images by Tom Brereton Focus Birds (in particular autumn bird migration), plus a little history and culture Mont St Michel Naturetrek Cheriton Mill Cheriton Alresford Hampshire SO24 0NG England T: +44 (0) F: +44 (0) E: info@naturetrek.co.uk W:

2 Tour Itinerary NB. Please note that the itinerary below offers our planned programme of excursions. However, adverse weather and other local considerations can necessitate some re-ordering of the programme during the course of the tour, though this will always be done to maximise best use of the time and weather conditions available. In 2012 we may reverse the itinerary below (Avranches followed by Bricquebec) to make best use of our time in France, according to the ferry timetable. Introduction Our destination for this holiday will be the headlands, estuaries, marshes and forests of west Normandy. This is a peaceful and beautiful area, easily accessible from the continental ferry ports of southern England yet scarcely visited by British birdwatchers. We will be based at two hotels, our first is the charming Hostellerie du Château in Bricquebec after which we move south to the hotel Croix d Or in Avranches, which lies in the south-west corner of the Cotentin Peninsula close to the shores of the vast Mont St. Michel Bay, one of Europe s most important coastal areas for wildfowl and waders. Depending on the weather, we will divide our time between seawatching, witnessing the often spectacular visible migration of land birds and searching for local resident bird specialities, a number of which are rare or absent from the UK. This is an area famed for seafood, fruit, dairy and other locally farmed products. As with all Naturetrek trips to this part of France, dining well at picnics and from the restaurant s Menu du Terroir menu in the evening, will be an important part of the itinerary! Day 1 Wednesday Poole and Bricquebec We depart from the continental ferry port of Poole for our 2 ½ hour crossing to Cherbourg (expected departure time is 0700). Depending on the weather, there may be wildlife interest visible from the ferry. With so many birds on the move at this time of year, drizzly and overcast weather can force warblers, chats and finches to take shelter on the ship, sometimes in large numbers. Oddities on recent crossings have included Black Redstart and Firecrest. If it is windy, seawatching may be productive with the chance of gulls, auks, skuas and shearwaters passing either side of the ship. Warm, calm, sunny weather may help us to spot Red Admirals and other butterflies heading south on migration! After arriving in Cherbourg we will have lunch at a suitable spot on the route south to our hotel in Bricquebec. Day 2 Thursday North Cotentin Peninsula (Cap de la Hague/Gatteville) Our precise movements today (as with all days on this trip), will be strongly influenced by the prevailing weather conditions, especially the wind direction. If the weather forecast predicts wind from the west our objective today will be to head north to carry out seawatching at the top of the Cotentin Peninsula. We will either visit Gatteville (northerly element) or Cap de la Hague (southerly element). Gatteville is located in the north-east corner of the Cotentin (Cherbourg) Peninsula. It is one of the best seawatching localities in northern Europe, not just for the diversity of species which can be observed, but because many pass through close in shore, in stark contrast to many British watch points! If the weather is suitable, we will Naturetrek April 12 1

3 Tour Itinerary Normandy in Autumn spend some time seawatching for target species such as Little, Sabine s and other gulls, skuas (four species), terns (including Black), Sooty, Mediterranean and other shearwaters, Grey Phalarope, petrels, divers and auks. Seawatching can be spectacular in the right weather conditions at this time of year, for example day counts in recent years have included 550 Great Skua, 200 Sooty Shearwater, 100 Mediterranean Shearwater and 500 Little Gull. Cap de la Hague forms the north-west limit of the Cotentin Peninsula, the beautiful scenery being reminiscent of west Cornwall. To the south of the Cap lie rugged headlands, whilst to the east there are small, cultivated fields and Bracken-covered rough grasslands which sweep down to the sea. The range of seabirds likely to be seen is similar to Gatteville, although there is an increased chance of Bay of Biscay/mid-Atlantic species such Great Shearwater and Cory s Shearwater. As with Gatteville expect seabirds such as Sooty Shearwater to pass much closer in than you would expect compared to many British seawatching headlands. The geographical position of Cap de la Hague (like west Cornwall) makes it a good all-round birdwatching locality, especially in terms of searching for migrants. Depending on the seawatching we may have time to search the surrounding marshes, woods and farmland around Cap de la Hague for migrant land-birds, and check the pools and coastline for waders, wildfowl, divers and grebes. In doing this, we should have a very good chance of seeing Fan-tailed Warbler, Cirl Bunting and Black Redstart, but little chance of seeing any other birdwatchers! Day 3 Friday St.-Vaast-la-Hague and Mont St Michel bay Today we will bid farwell to Bricquebec and head south to Avranches. Before we leave the north we will visit St Vaast on the east coast, we will search the surrounding marshes, ponds and coastline for wildfowl, waders (including regular Kentish Plover), grounded migrant passerines (recent rarities have included Pallas s Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Richard s Pipit, Wryneck, and Icterine Warbler) and resident specialities including Marsh Harrier, Cirl Bunting, Fan-tailed Warbler and Mediterranean Gull. If we can arrange access, a local warden may show us around the Cotentin Marshes Regional Nature Park. This is a vast (25,000 hectares) area of freshwater marshes, flower-rich hay meadows, polders and estuaries, supporting a superb variety of breeding birds including Bluethroat, Montague s Harrier, Corncrake and 25 pairs of White Stork. The area is also excellent in the autumn as large numbers of terns, waders and wildfowl pass through. We will hope to see a good variety of these and other species including White Stork, Marsh Harrier, and Spotted Crake. The latter are annual visitors and can at times be easy to see. Later we ll head for our second hotel in Avranches, a couple hours to the southwest. If time allows, after dropping off our bags at the hotel, we may visit the magnificent cathedral at Mont St Michel, one of Europe s great cultural highlights, either looking for birds in the bay or perhaps taking a brief walk around its cobble streets. Day 4 Saturday Carolles and Mont St Michel bay If the winds are from the south, we will head north-west early morning a short distance to Carolles cliffs. The cliffs reach a height of 80m above the south-east corner of Mont St Michel Bay and are one of the best places in Europe to witness huge numbers of land birds on diurnal migration. 2 Naturetrek April 12

4 Tour Itinerary The first three hours after dawn (from 0800 at this time of year) are most productive, when several hundred thousand birds have been seen in a day at this time of year! The birds often pass through at eye level and when conditions are right, the constant stream of large numbers of birds can make for some of the most exciting birdwatching Europe has to offer. An average late September/early October might yield monthly totals of 75,000 Starling, 300,000 Chaffinch, tens of thousands of Meadow Pipit, several thousand Siskin, Linnet, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Brambling, Swallow, and House Martin, and hundreds of Woodlark, Serin, Crossbill, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, Corn Bunting, Turtle Dove, Chiffchaff, Great Tit, and Reed Bunting. Other regular species at this time of year include Hawfinch, Lapland Bunting, Richard s Pipit, various waders and birds of prey such as Shorteared Owl, Hobby and Marsh Harrier all heading south. This is also a good place to witness insect migration and we may see hundreds of Red Admiral butterflies and Common Darter dragonflies heading south. At Carolles, we will watch from a favoured cliff-top position, which commands a good view over the sea and is thus a good place for watching coastal birds. There are usually hundreds/thousands of common Scoters out to sea, and there is a very good chance of spotting Mediterranean Shearwater, which are regular at this time of year. Mediterranean Gulls and Little Egrets often fly past, whilst there is a good chance of watching an Arctic Skua or two worrying the feeding groups of Sandwich and other Terns. The area also supports one of the largest coastal Bottlenose Dolphin populations in north-west Europe, and we stand a good chance of seeing them. Our return to the minibus will be leisurely, as we will check the copses, hedges and fields for migrant warblers and residents such as Cirl Bunting, Firecrest and Dartford Warbler. Later in the day, we will check a number of favoured localities along the edge of Mont St Michel bay, for migrant raptors (including Hen and Marsh Harrier), wildfowl, waders, skuas, terns, larks, pipit (including Richard s), chats, warblers and buntings. Day 5 Sunday Cherbourg/Poole After one final early morning in Normandy we will head back north to Cherbourg for the sailing at 1130, arriving Poole at Grading This tour is graded A and will consist of day walks only and as such is suitable for any age and level of fitness. It is based at one hotel from where we will be taking day trips by minibus visiting the various sites looking for birds, flowers and insects and taking a picnic lunch with us. There will be some gentle walking involved at most of the sites. Weather Naturetrek April 12 3

5 Tour Itinerary Normandy in Autumn Late September in Normandy has a very similar climate to southern England, and in general it should be mild. However, we will have some early starts and at times may be birdwatching in cold, windy weather, so winter birdwatching clothing (woolly hats and waterproofs) is strongly advised. Accommodation & meals Accommodation for all four nights will be in rooms with private facilities. All meals from breakfast on Day 2 to lunch (possibly dinner too) on Day 5 are included, i.e. meals en route are on your own. How to book your place In order to book a place on this holiday, you will need to read our main Naturetrek brochure and complete and return the enclosed booking form together with a deposit of 20% of the holiday cost. If you do not have a copy of this brochure, please call us now on or info@naturetrek.co.uk. 4 Naturetrek April 12