Bird Watching at the Chateau
Early spring is an excellent time for birding in Paris – late wintering species are still present, while early migrants are arriving. Leafless trees mean the birds are easy to see and the weather can be very comfortable. We search for coastal and wetland birds as well as early passerine migrants in addition to many resident birds. And, on the right cliffs and chateaux, wallcreepers are fairly easy to find. Woodpeckers and raptors, plus farmland and riverine species add further interest.
Riverside cliffs harbor wintering wallcreeper, which can sometimes be seen at close range. Peregrines, ravens and crag martins should also be about whilst the elusive eagle owl may be present.
The Loire is rich in woodpeckers. We’ll visit a variety of key forest areas, searching for black and middle spotted woodpeckers amongst other woodland birds, including crested tit and firecrest.
The farmland areas, have corn bunting, crested lark, rock sparrow, black shouldered kite and hen harrier, also look out for early spring migrants. The Nature Reserves around Orleans have herons, egrets, spoonbill, ducks, waders and various passerine migrants.
Increasingly large numbers of visitors are starting to take notice of the incredible bird life in the region.This is due to the diversity of habitats found here, despite being a landlocked region.
The forests are extensive and varied in The Loire and harbor another of those “wish-list” species as mentioned: the black woodpecker, amongst the other four found here: lesser spotted, middle spotted, great spotted and green woodpeckers. Some other exciting woodland species to keep an eye out for are the crested tit, firecrest, Dartford warbler, hawfinch, dipper and goshawk.
307 species have been recorded in the The Loire area as follows:
Black
Swan |
Mute
Swan |
Tundra
Swan |
Ruddy
Shelduck |
Brent
Goose |
Greater
White-fronted Goose |
Eurasian
Wigeon |
Barnacle
Goose |
Canada Goose |
Bar-headed Goose |
Red-crested Pochard |
Greylag Goose |
Long-tailed Duck |
Mallard |
Bean
Goose |
Velvet Scoter |
Common Goldeneye |
Common Pochard |
Smew |
Common Eider |
Northern Pintail |
Goosander |
Red-breasted Merganser |
Egyptian Goose |
Ferruginous Duck |
Common Shelduck |
Common Shelduck |
Common Teal |
Tufted
Duck |
Greater Scaup |
Garganey |
Northern Shoveler |
Gadwall |
Ruddy Shelduck |
Mandarin Duck |
Little
Grebe |
Red-necked Grebe |
Great Crested Grebe |
Slavonian Grebe |
Common Coot |
Marbled Teal |
Common Moorhen |
Western
Water Rail |
Corncrake |
Spotted Crake |
Baillon's Crake |
Little
Crake |
Purple Swamphen |
Ring-necked
Duck |
Solitary
Sandpiper |
Pectoral Sandpiper |
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
|
Baird's Sandpiper |
Eurasian Dotterel |
American Golden Ploverr |
Black-crowned Night
Heron |
Black
Stork |
European White Stork |
Common Crane |
Little Bustard |
Great Bustard |
American
Wigeon |
Purple Heron |
Squacco
Heron |
Eurasian Bittern |
Little Bittern |
Cattle Egret |
Grey Heron |
Great Cormorant |
Eurasian Oystercatcher |
Great
Egret |
Little Egret |
Eurasian Spoonbill |
Glossy Ibis |
European Shag |
Pied
Avocet |
Black-winged Stilt |
Eurasian
Thick-knee |
Red-throated Diver |
Black-throated Diver |
Great Northern Diver |
Northern Lapwing |
Sociable
Lapwing |
Bar-tailed Godwit |
Little
Ringed Plover |
Grey Plover |
Eurasian Golden Plover |
Common Ringed Plover |
Whimbrel |
Eurasian
Curlew |
Ruddy Turnstone |
Red Knot |
Ruff |
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper |
Curlew Sandpiper |
Black-tailed Godwit |
Greater
Flamingo |
American Woodcock |
Temminck's
Stint |
Sanderling |
Dunlin |
Little Stint |
Least Sandpiper |
Eurasian Woodcock |
Common Redshank |
Common
Snipe |
Jack Snipe |
Great Snipe |
Green Sandpiper |
Spotted Redshank |
Common
Sandpiper |
Common Greenshank |
Wood Sandpiper |
Marsh Sandpiper |
Lesser Yellowlegs |
Collared Pratincole |
Black-legged Kittiwake |
Red-necked Phalarope |
Grey Phalarope |
Wilson's Phalarope |
Lesser Black-backed
Gull |
Yellow-legged
Gull |
Ross's Gull |
Caspian Gull |
Herring
Gull |
Great Black-backed
Gull |
Black-headed
Gull |
Little Gull |
Mediterranean Gull |
Mew Gull |
Arctic Tern |
White-winged
Tern |
Caspian
Tern |
Little Tern |
Whiskered Tern |
Rock
Ptarmiga |
Black Tern |
Roseate
Tern |
Common
Tern |
White-winged
Tern |
Elegant
Tern |
Grey
Partridge |
Red-legged
Partridge |
Northern
Hazel Grouse |
Common
Pheasant |
Reeves's
Pheasant |
Common
Quail |
Rock Dove |
European Turtle Dove |
Eurasian Collared
Dove |
Stock Dove |
Wood Pigeon |
Great Spotted Cuckoo |
Common Cuckoo |
European
Nightjar |
Alpine Swift |
Pallid Swift |
Common Swift |
Cinereous
Vulture |
Griffon
Vulture |
Golden
Eagle |
Osprey |
Black-winged Kite |
European Honey Buzzard |
Egyptian Vulture |
Short-toed
Eagle |
Greater
Spotted Eagle |
White-tailed
Sea Eagle |
Booted
Eagle |
Northern
Goshawk |
Western
Marsh Harrier |
Hen
Harrier |
Montagu's
Harrier |
Pallid
Harrier |
Eurasian
Sparrowhawk |
Red
Kite |
Black
Kite |
Eurasian
Buzzard |
Rough-legged
Buzzard |
Peregrine
Falcon |
Red-footed
Falcon |
Merlin
Falcon |
Common
Kestrel |
Lesser
Kestrel |
Eurasian
Hobby |
Tengmalm's
Owl |
Tawny
Owl |
Eurasian
Pygmy Owl |
Common
Barn Owl |
Little
Owl |
Eurasian
Scops Owl |
Northern
Long-eared Owl |
Short-eared
Owl |
Eurasian
Eagle Owl |
Common
Hoopoe |
Northern
Wryneck |
Middle
Spotted Woodpecker |
White-backed
Woodpecker |
Great
Spotted Woodpecker |
Green
Woodpecker |
Black
Woodpecker |
Grey-headed
Woodpecker |
Lesser
Spotted Woodpecker |
Common
Raven |
Carrion
Crow |
Rook |
Eurasian
Magpie |
Red-billed
Chough |
Alpine
Chough |
European
Roller |
Eurasian
Jackdaw |
Red-backed
Shrike |
Lesser
Grey Shrike |
Great
Grey Shrike |
Iberian
Grey Shrike |
Woodchat
Shrike |
Eurasian
Jay |
Eurasian
Golden Oriole |
Eurasian
Nutcracker |
Dunnock |
Alpine
Accentor |
Rose-ringed
Parakeet |
Common
Kingfisher |
European
Bee-eater |
Eurasian
Tree Sparrow |
Eurasian
Rock Sparrow |
House
Sparrow |
Pechora
Pipit |
Tree
Pipit |
Red-throated
Pipit |
Meadow
Pipit |
Water
Pipit |
Rock
Pipit |
Tawny
Pipit |
Richard's
Pipit |
Grey
Wagtail |
White
Wagtail |
Yellow
Wagtail |
Common
Chaffinch |
Brambling |
Hawfinch |
Eurasian
Bullfinch |
European
Greenfinch |
White-winged
Snowfinch |
Common
Linnet |
Common
Redpoll |
Red
Crossbill |
European
Goldfinch |
Trumpeter
Finch |
Citril
Finch |
European
Serin |
Eurasian
Siskin |
Corn
Bunting |
Rock
Bunting |
Ortolan
Bunting |
Cirl
Bunting |
Snow
Bunting |
Yellowhammer |
Common Redpoll
|
Little
Bunting |
Eurasian
Reed Bunting |
Crested
Tit |
Marsh
Tit |
Willow
Tit |
Coal
Tit |
Blue
Tit |
Great
Tit |
European
Penduline Tit |
Long-tailed
Tit |
Horned
Lark |
Wood
Lark |
Crested
Lark |
Eurasian
Sky Lark |
Greater
Short-toed Lark |
White-winged Crossbill
|
Zitting
Cisticola |
Grasshopper
Warbler |
Melodious
Warbler |
Icterine
Warbler |
Western
Bonelli's Warbler |
Sedge
Warbler |
Blyth's
Reed Warbler |
Marsh
Warbler |
Common
Reed Warbler |
Great
Reed Warbler |
Aquatic
Warbler |
Wood
Warbler |
Yellow-browed
Warbler |
Willow
Warbler |
Savi's
Warbler |
Cetti's
Warbler |
Garden
Warbler |
Western
Orphean Warbler |
Eastern
Subalpine Warbler |
Western
Bonelli's Warbler |
Dartford
Warbler |
Spectacled Warbler |
Sardinian
Warbler |
Brown-headed
Cowbird |
Iberian
Chiffchaff |
Common
Chiffchaff |
Barn
Swallow |
Red-rumped
Swallow |
Northern
House Martin |
Eurasian Crag
Martin |
Sand Martin |
Eurasian
Blackcap |
Common
Nightingale |
Bohemian
Waxwing |
Red-billed
Leiothrix |
Goldcrest |
Eurasian
Firecrest |
Short-toed
Treecreeper |
Wallcreeper |
Eurasian
Treecreeper |
Eurasian
Nuthatch |
European
Robin |
Bluethroat |
Eurasian
Wren |
Rosy
Starling |
Common
Starling |
White-throated
Dipper |
Mistle
Thrush |
Song
Thrush |
Lesser
Whitethroat |
Common
Whitethroat |
Red-breasted
Flycatcher |
Spotted
Flycatcher |
European
Pied Flycatcher |
Common
Redstart |
Black
Redstart |
Blue
Rock Thrush |
Common Rock
Thrush |
European
Stonechat |
Whinchat |
Northern
Wheatear |
Black-eared
Wheatear |
Pied
Wheatear |
Redwing |
European
Stonechat |
Eurasian
Blackbird |
Fieldfare |
Ring
Ouzel |
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