Cranes and Champagne, March 2010 (4): North to Épernay

Nogent-sur-Seine

From Troyes, we headed north-west along the Seine Valley, enjoying the rolling countryside and fine weather. Stopping in Nogent-sur-Seine, we strolled along the banks and bridges of Ile Olive, the island at the town's centre.

The pretty town of

Villenauxe-le-Grande,

looking SW from the D951

A hunting male Hen Harrier

gave great views from the car,

on D933 near Loisy-en-Brie

Arriving at the southern end of the Côte des Blancs, one of the three parts of the Champagne region, the Mondeo just about made it up Mont Aimé so we could take in the view north across this famous wine-growing area towards Vertus and Oger.

Being March, the vines were not in leaf, perhaps not giving the full effect of just how much they dominated the landscape. This picture (left) gives a better impression, from a visit to the region in August 2005.

After driving up through the vineyards, we arrived into Épernay - home to many of the most famous champagne houses - for our last night and as much fizz as we could take! Despite having booked, we found Möet unexpectedly shut, but fell on our feet at C-comme, a shop and tasting bar for over 300 local champagnes...after trying glasses of their six picks of the week, each of a different grape mix, we had a couple more to be sure and settled on a case of rosé and a blend to take away. Whilst the caves of the major champagne houses are worth seeing, this is where I'll be heading for tasting on my next trip. We finished the night with dinner at the well regarded Champnoise restaurant La Cave à Champagne, just a few doors down from C-comme and another definite for next time.

Dom Perignon champagne, under Creative Commons licence

Cranes and Champagne, March 2010 (3): Troyes

Rue Emile Zola, Troyes Old Town

We stayed in the Ibis in Troyes on Saturday and Sunday night on this trip. Saturday night was buzzing, we beat some friendly locals 5-0 at pool in La Tricasse, a great French 'pub', and moved on to a Morrocan feast at La Kasbah, a definite port of call next time - great food, great service and I can recommend the varied sharing platter to start! Sunday night was very quiet with few places open - another note for next time...

Monday saw a beautiful day rise over Troyes so we explored the old town, one of the places in France most like 16th century Europe, with Gothic churches, and medieval and Renaissance half-timbered buildings.

Rue de la Monnaie, Troyes

The Hôtel de Ville (left), Place Alexandre Israël, is a fantastic building that looks out onto the town's main sqaure - a common meeting place for local people.

The 13th century Gothic Saint-Urbain Basilica opens out onto a newly refurbished, modern square.

Seeing us both with our cameras on Rue des Chats, an alley so narrow that the buildings touch at the top, a local man motioned us through a wooden door into a private courtyard, where the timbered buildings with two landings had been lovingly restored (left).

Le chat, Rue des Chats, Troyes

Cranes and Champagne, March 2010 (2): Forêt d'Orient

Lac d'Orient, from the south-east shore, La Promenade

After the short drive down from Lac du Der, early Saturday afternoon, we had a quick stop at Lac Amance near Dienville - where there was little except some Bewick's Swans and a pair of Pintail - and there was just enough time with the deteriorating weather to take a look from the layby on the D43, just north-east of Mesnil-Saint-Père. Whilst birds were scarce, with just a few Shoveler offshore, a dozen or more Common Frogs were in the pond on the woodland-side of the road and the same number on the lake-side.

The frogs gave great practice with the 105mm macro lens. Judging by the focus, I need a bit more practice... A Coypu also appeared from the lake and foraged in the woodland edge, giving views down to a few metres.

After an overnighter in Troyes - see next post - we got to the birding part of the trip I'd been looking forward to most, a return to La Route Forestière du Temple. Although this vast area can seeem pretty empty, patience and fieldcraft do pay off!

We had great views of a pair of Middle-Spotted Woodpeckers to the south-west of the car park, and further west we startled a Wild Boar in the undergrowth, allowing Dave to capture it blurrily leaving us at speed! This is not that picture...

Photo by minds-eye, Creative Commons licence

Woods north of La Maison du Parc, 6km south-east of Géraudot

Cranes and Champagne, March 2010 (1): Lac du Der-Chantecoq

Place d'Armes, Vitry-le-François

Mid-March 2010 saw a return to the Champagne region, this time with Dave Thomas, for a mixture of birding and photography. With the idea of a guide to the area in mind - giving the excuse to revisit this fabulous spot a few more times in different seasons - this trip gave chance to revisit some of the spots looked at in winter 2009 for photos and key birds. A trip report of last year's visit can be found here; no written report this year, as it was just a follow-up.

After the drive from Calais, we toured Lac du Der. The first spring migrants were around and other highlights were a very confiding Black Redstart at Presque 'Île de Champaubert (left) and a group of Tree Sparrows in a Hawthorn on the dyke at La Brèche.

After staying overnight at Au Bon Sejour in Vitry-le-François, and taking in a great little bar and pizzeria on the east side of Place d'Armes, we headed back to Der and then on to La Ferme aux Grues near Isson (left) where about 700 Common Cranes were on the fields.

There were lots of farm and woodland birds around at La Ferme, with Greenfinches (left), Goldfinches and Chaffinches, Brambling, Blackbird, House and Tree Sparrows and Great and Marsh Tits all constantly around, most visiting the feeders, and a Song Thrush sang non-stop for a couple of hours. Further away, a Skylark was in good voice, a pair of Jays provided colour and a Red Kite flew over.

Satiated of cranes, we headed off to Forêt d'Orient and Troyes.

Common Cranes come in to land at La Ferme aux Grues

(photo by David Thomas)

The Call of the Crane: Champagne Lakes and Forests, March 2009

Lac du Der from the northern Route de Digue, March 2009

The vast Champagne lakes and forests region in northern France, 75 miles south-east of Reims, is one of my favourite places. Lac du Der-Chantecoq is the largest artificial lake in Europe and a stopping off point for tens of thousands of Common Cranes on migration between wintering grounds to the south and breeding areas in northern Europe. Foret d'Orient Regional Nature Park is a rolling landscape of reservoirs and lakes nestled in dense forest and a particularly good site for three woodpecker species not found in the UK, including the Black Woodpecker, the largest woodpecker found north of the equator from the Atlantic to the Bering Sea.

Common Cranes at La Ferme aux Grues (photo by Heather)

Heather and I spent a few days exploring both in March 2009, and the sight of the cranes coming in to roost in their thousands whilst their trumpeting calls echo across Lac du Der is truly memorable. A group of Wild Boar could distantly be seen swimming between the islands. Managed to get great views of Black and Middle-spotted Woodpecker and a trip report can be found on Travelling Birder. Troyes, the prefecture capital, is a great place to stay - the old town of half-timbered houses and narrow streets is reckoned to be the best place to experience what Europe would have looked like in the 16th century. It has some great restaurants and mellow nightlife. We also stayed at a great little gite, L'Embarc, in Arrigny.

 Presque 'Île de Champaubert on Lac du Der,

church of the flooded village Champaubert-aux-Bois

The Sologne, June 2008

With the weather deteriorating again, we headed south and west through the Sologne. This intimate but large area of hundreds of small, man-made lakes, reedbeds, wet heath and grassland, scrub and woodland is broadly little visited apart from honeypot sites such as Chambord (more on this later). Unfortunately, it is also not an easy place to explore as much of the land is private with few footpaths, and viewing and tends to be restricted to the roadside. Having said that, it remains one of my favourite areas in France due to its tranquility - the Sologne's quiet back roads are ideal for cycling.

Classic Sologne habitats: reed-fringed lake enclosed by scrubby

woodland at Ciran (photo by phileole via Creative Commons)

As we threaded our way the region, we stopped regularly on the side of the road - often in the drizzling rain -  to check out areas of pasture, farmland and open water. With no more effort than this, we picked up Whiskered Tern (a personal favourite), Little Tern, Turtle Dove, Cuckoo, Grey Partridge and two Coypu.

Heading towards the brighter skies in the west, we hit upon a great campsite just south of Cheverny, Camping les Saules,with great facilities including table tennis and bike hire and found a great pitch overlooking a small lake. We took advantage straight away of the bike hire for a late afternoon ride around the deserted roads and tracks out towards nearby Pöely (see photos below). Despite ominous clouds, we enjoyed a leisurely ride and some great birdwatching, with Stonechat, Linnet, Yellowhammer, Cuckoo, a pair of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers at their nest and a white-rumped Harrier species at long distance.

It stayed dry for the rest of the evening and we managed to sit out by the tent for dinner, overlooking the lake,  and later got out the bat detector although there wasn't much around. We did see some wildlife, however, with a Hedgehog snuffling its way right up to us after dusk!

The following morning we retraced some of our bike ride in the car, keen to get a look at the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nest with the telescope. We had fantastic views of the visiting parents and at least one chick near the edge of the hole. A Cirl Bunting was nearby and a Little Owl perched on a house roof allowed us to approach quite close.

Chambord château and a herd of Wild Boar on the hunting estate

(photos by Steph0987 and Frédérique Voisin-Demery via Creative Commons)

We stopped in Cheverny for a bakery breakfast and a peer through the gates at the charming château before heading off to an even more beautiful one: the royal château at Chambord, the largest in the Loire valley and one of the most recognisable buildings in the world, built by François I as a hunting lodge! Whilst the house itself is most impressive, Heather and I had visited before and today was about exploring the estate a little and (for Heather) visiting the stables and taking in their horse show. The estate itself - still a hunting reserve and home to deer, boar and much other wildlife - is very large at 54 square kilometres; the western part is crossed by four trails, bike hire is available and there are three observation towers from which to watch the animals and birdlife between dawn and dusk. Chambord is truly an all-day visit and was a great way to spend our last day in France.

Eastern Loire Valley, June 2008

Islands, sandbanks and fortified bridge over the Loire at La Charité-sur-Loire

We reached the Loire at La Charité-sur-Loire. I'm sure the Loire Valley needs no introduction: 170 miles long, bordered with historic towns, vineyards and chateaux and known as the "Garden of France" due to to the abundance of fruit orchards, asparagus, artichoke and cherry fields, the valley offers a combination of lovely scenery, fascinating history, great architecture and diverse wildlife. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

The river is also regarded as Europe's last wild river. The riverine landscape is highly dynamic, with erosion taking place, new channels and oxbow lakes forming, and islands and sand banks shifting. Wildlife interest is high, with migrating salmon and birds, a wealth of plantlife and even European Beavers, reintroduced here in 1974. We planned to take a couple of days exploring along the river to my favourite part of the valley - the Sologne, near Blois.

Little Tern (photo by Andy Li via Creative Commons)

Heading north from La Charité-sur-Loire, we were straight away into the Val-de-Loire Nature Reserve. From the D7, we explored two viewpoints on dead-end roads in La Chapelle-Montilard, the first in the village of Passy and the second on Vauvrette road. The first revealed little but the river and farmland at Vauvrette proved far more interesting. A stroll along the tarmac riverside track, the lève de Loire, brought us Sand Martins, Marsh Harrier and a steady stream of feeding Little Terns up and down the river. The wooded fringes of the farmland had Red-backed Shrike, Cuckoo, Kestrel and Buzzard.

Heading north, we stayed as close to the river as possible, mostly using smaller roads. We stopped at a few other viewpoints - I liked the areas near Saint-Satur (great views from the bridge on the D2) and Cosne Cours-sur-Loire. At one of the viewpoints, we found a very large, very run-over snake; it was difficult to tell, but I'm guessing it was a non-venomous Aesculapian Snake.
Photo by Anabis via Creative Commons

We didn't have an overnight stay planned but we chanced upon a fantastic campsite at Saint-Père-sur-Loire. The Hortus group site, Le Jardin de Sully, was a lovely family site with good facilities - including a small pool and table tennis - but most importantly for us it had a grassy riverside tent section with a stunning view of the river towards the town of Sully-sur-Loire on the opposite bank. Heather and I spent the evening cooking and relaxing with the binoculars close at hand to watch the birds along the river: a Serin sang in a nearby tree, a Hoopoe flew along the bank and a Little Egret flapped lazily upstream. Even better, we awoke the following morning to the high-speed babbling song of the Melodious Warbler in the tree next to our tent!

View from Le Jardin de Sully campsite towards Sully-sur-loire

From Saint-Père-sur-Loire, we headed slightly north and away from the river itself towards the Forêt d'Orléans. This vast wooded area - including the largest state forest in France - is also extremely flat and, combined with the impermeable soil, this has encouraged creation of an abundance of ponds and other wetlands, although the forest has been significantly drained in parts since the nineteenth century. Mainly oak and Scots Pine, the forest is home to Booted Eagle, Goshawk, Buzzard, Honey Buzzard, Black Woodpecker, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Woodlark, Dartford Warbler, Nightjar, Golden Oriole, Western Bonelli's Warbler and Hawfinch. Wild Boar, Red Deer, Roe Deer, Red Squirrel are also present and Marsh Frogs (the largest frog native to Europe) can often be heard as well as seen in the wetter areas. The extensive forest rides are very attractive to butterflies and Glanville Fritillary, Marsh Fritillary, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Swallowtail and Wood White may be seen.

In addition, after an absence of more than 40 years, Ospreys returned to breed on the lakes in the forest - one of the few places on the French mainland where they do so - and today there are around 22 pairs. We headed to the observatory on Étang de Ravoir. Halfway between the towns of Les Bordes and Ouzouer-sur-Loire on the D952, a gravel forest track heads north into the forest; there are clear Observatoire signs at the entrance. After a couple of kilometres there is a car park and a well-signed route through the woods to the hide which only takes a few minutes.

Osprey at nest (Photo by Shanthanu Bhardwaj via Creative Commons)

When we arrived, the female Osprey was on the nest and we had good views with the binoculars from the hide. A Grey Heron was fishing and Cormorants diving in the lake, otherwise things were relatively quiet. After contentedly watching the Osprey for a little longer, we headed back to the car, enjoying the woods a little more this time, especially the ponds and their dragon and damselflies. We stopped for another walk in the forest near Les Bordes and were rewarded with a singing Nightingale, a flyover Cuckoo and circling Buzzard.

With more camping beckoning in the Sologne, we decided to spend the night in the dry in Orléans, the ancient city that is capital of the Loiret department and the Centre region. Dating back to Gallic and Roman times, Orléans' strategic importance as a crossing point over the river made it, alongside Paris and Rouen, one of the three richest cities in medieval France and it was here in 1429 that Joan of Arc won her first major military victory in the Hundred Year's War between France and England.

We stayed at the charming and well-located Hôtel de l'Ambeille and wandered down to the Gothic cathedral and outstanding Fine Arts Museum. After a stroll down by the riverside, we had an excellent dinner at La Petite Marmite in the old quarter.

Joan of Arc statue, Place du Martroi, Orléans
(photo by Joachim Fenkes via Creative Commons)