Auvergne Holiday Cottages Self Catering Gites

ww.AuvergneHolidayCottages.com - Visitor Information - Birds

Alpine accentor	Accenteur alpin	Mallard	Canard colvert
Barn owl *	Chouette effraie	Marsh tit *	Mésange nonette
Black kite *	Milan noir	Meadow pipit	Pipit farlouse
Black redstart *	Rougequeue noir	Melodious warbler	Hypolaïs polyglotte
Black woodpecker *	Pic noir	Middle spotted woodpecker	Pic mar
Blackbird *	Merle noir	Mistle thrush *	Grive draine
Blackcap *	Fauvette à tête noire	Montagu’s harrier	Busard cendré
Blue tit *	Mésange bleue	Moorhen	Poule d’eau
Bonelli’s warbler	Pouillot de Bonelli	Nightingale *	Rossignol philoméle
Booted eagle	Aigle botté	Nightjar	Engoulevent d’Europe
Brambling *	Pinson du nord	Nuthatch *	Sittelle torchepot
Bullfinch *	Bouvreuil pivoine	Peregrine falcon	Faucon pèlerin
Buzzard *	Buse variable	Pheasant *	Faisan de chasse
Carrion crow *	Corneille noire	Pied flycatcher *	Gobe-mouche noir
Chaffinch *	Pinson des arbres	Pochard	Fuligule milouin
Chiffchaff *	Pouillot veloce	Quail	Caille des blés
Cirl bunting	Bruant zizi	Raven *	Corbeau grand
Citron finch	Venturon montagnard	Red kite *	Milan royal
Coal tit *	Mésange noire	Red legged partridge	Perdrix rouge
Common sandpiper	Chevalier guignette	Red-backed shrike *	Pie-grièche écorcheur
Coot	Foulque macroule	Redpoll	Sizerin flammé
Corn bunting	Bruant proyer	Redstart	Rougequeue à front blanc
Crag martin	Hirondelle de rochers	Redwing *	Grive maivis
Crested tit *	Mésange huppée	Reed bunting	Bruantdes roseaux
Crossbill	Beccroisé des sapins	Ring ouzel	Merle à plastron
Cuckoo *	Coucou gris	Robin *	Rouge-gorge
Curlew	Courlis cendré	Rock bunting	Bruant fou
Dipper *	Cercle plongeur	Rock thrush	Merle de roche
Dunnock/hedge sparrow *	Accenteur mouchet	Rook *	Corbeau freux
Eagle owl	Hibou grand-duc	Serin *	Serin cini
Fieldfare *	Grive litorne	Short toed eagle	Circaète Jean le blanc
Firecrest *	Roitelet triple-bandeau	Short toed tree creeper	Grimpereau des jardins
Garden warbler	Fauvette des jardins	Short-eared owl	Hibou des marais
Garganey	Sarcelle d’été	Shoveler	Canard souchet
Goldcrest	Roitelet huppé	Siskin *	Tarin des aulnes
Goldfinch *	Chardonneret élégant	Skylark	Alouette des champs
Goshawk *	Autour des palombes	Snipe	Bécassine des marais
Grasshopper warbler	Locustelle tachetée	Song thrush	Greve musicienne
Great crested grebe	Grèbe huppé	Sparrow hawk *	Epervier d’Europe
Great grey shrike	Pie-grièche grise	Spotted flycatcher	Gobe-mouche gris
Great spotted woodpecker *	Pic épeiche	Starling *	Etourneau sansonnet
Great tit *	Mésange charbonnière	Stock dove	Pigeon colombin
Green sandpiper	Chevalier culblanc	Stonechat	Traquet pâtre
Green woodpecker *	Pic vert	Swallow *	Hirondelle de cheminée
Greenfinch *	Verdurier	Swift *	Martinet noir
Grey heron *	Heron cendré	Tawny owl *	Chouette hulotte
Grey partridge	Perdrix grise	Teal	Sarcelle d’hiver
Grey wagtail *	Bergeronette des ruisseaux	Tengmalm’s owl	Chouette de Tengmalm
Grey-headed woodpecker	Pic cendré	Tree creeper *	Grimpereau des bois
Hawfinch *	Gros-bec	Tree sparrow	Moineau friquet
Hazelhen	Gelinotte des bois	Tufted duck	Fuligule morillon
Hen harrier	Busard St Martin	Turtle dove	Tourterelle des bois
Hobby	Faucon hobereau	Wall creeper	Tichodrome échelette
Honey buzzard *	Bondrée apivore	Water pipit	Pipit spioncelle
Hoopoe *	Huppe d’Europe	Water rail	Râle d’eau
House martin *	Hirondelle de fenêtre	Wheatear *	Traquet motteux
House sparrow *	Moineau domestique	Whinchat	Traquet tarier
Jackdaw *	Choucas des tours	White wagtail	Bergeronnette grise
Jay *	Geai des chênes	Whitethroat *	Fauvette grisette
Kestrel *	Faucon crécerelle	Willow tit	Mésange boréale
Kingfisher *	Martin-pecheur	Willow warbler	Pouillot fitis
Lapwing	Vanneau huppé	Wood pigeon *	Pigeon ramier
Lesser spotted woodpecker *	Pic épeichette	Wood warbler	Pouillot siffleur
Linnet	Linotte mélodieuse	Woodchat shrike	Pie-grièche à tête rousse
Little grebe	Grèbe castagneux	Woodcock	Bécasse des bois
Little owl	Chouette chevêche	Woodlark	Alouette lulu
Long tailed tit *	Mésange à longue queue	Wren *	Trodlogyte
Long-eared owl	Hibou moyen-duc	Wryneck	Torcol formillier
Magpie *	Pie bavarde	Yellow hammer *	Bruant jaune

The following have also been seen: unidentified gulls/ terns, Collared dove, Black stork, Crane, Sand Martin, Griffon vulture! (presumably a vagrant from the Tarn Gorges), Redshank (in breeding plumage, Lac Crégut, 13.6.02)

Mr C Bouchardy, naturalist and author, writes that on the Massif du Sancy...
from the month of April, the craters and cliffs come alive with returning birds, including some of the rarest and most beautiful species. The Sancy is one of the last bastions of the rock thrush, a small, shy member of the genus, with blue head, red tail and vent and a white rump. At least ten pairs have been counted there on rocky escarpments and scree close to grassland.
The ring ouzel, another total migrant, black with a large white crescent on its breast, nests at over 1,000 metres in pine woods bordering pasture. The alpine dunnock, citron finch or rare wall creeper are more difficult to spot than commoner species such as chats, siskins, pipits and larks. The linnet, black redstart and wheatear are found on the high plateaux, wet land shelters meadow pipit, curlew and snipe.
The diversity of birds of prey deserves special mention, with sparrow hawk, goshawk, red kite, black kite, honey buzzard, buzzard, booted eagle, Montagu's harrier and short toed eagle (Circaetus gallicus, largest bird of prey in the region, a snake eater with a 170 cm wingspan). The black woodpecker has spread slowly and you can hear its powerful call among the hundred year old beeches.

He does not mention hen harriers which in spring and summer can be watched from the car near La Godivelle where one June evening in 1995 the Joneses saw more than 30 at the same time. As a comparison, according to The Field, only eight pairs bred in England that year.
Black kites, now extinct in Britain though common scavengers in medieval towns, are slowly regaining numbers in Auvergne. I cannot verify this personally, but apparently, a good place to see them is on the refuse tip at Issoire, although the Truyère gorges may prove pleasanter.

Montagne de la Serre, SW of Clermont, run by LPO (like the RSPB), 1 August to 15 November. On one of the main lines of passage for migrating birds; bird observation, audio visuals, exhibits, information.

The bird Observation point at the Col de Prat de Bouc near Murat/Plomb du Cantal operates in late summer/autumn.