Beauty and spectacle – Naturally

But too much time marvelling at things man-made is to ignore the richness of flora and fauna that bless the region - birds especially. David Simpson, who runs all-day guided wildlife trips around the region from HPB's Constant base, makes the case for nature...

The pretty, ancient hamlet of Constant sits atop the rolling hills of the Dordogne in southwest France, among the traditional mixed farms and verdure of the forest. Hardly surprising, therefore, that there is a wonderfully rich selection of birdlife living here full-time, alongside visiting guests.

The Faux plateau, south-west of Bergerac, is always interesting for bird species. Hen and Montagu’s harriers cruise over the arable fields which also harbour stone curlew, tawny pipit, rock sparrow, quail and crested lark amongst others. At dusk, scops owls call eerily from hilltop woods. Until recently little bustards nested here and occasionally calling males turn up in the spring. Later in the summer and during the autumn there are reservoirs to visit with wading birds and the fields contain migrant birds such as whinchats and wheatears with occasional Ortolan buntings.

The woods, fields and hillsides along the Dordogne Valley can also produce surprises. Both black and middle-spotted woodpeckers plus wryneck are widespread alongside the commoner UK species. Honey buzzards nest but are easier to see flying high overhead on migration. Nightingale, wood lark, tree pipit, turtle dove, golden oriole and cuckoo are common in summer, giving a lovely soundscape to the valleys and hills. Melodious and Bonelli’s warblers are also easy to find.

To the east lies the Vézère valley with the famous cave paintings, centred around Les Eyzies. The cliffs here and on the adjacent Dordogne are particularly noteworthy for birdlife with crag martin, alpine swift, peregrine, raven and eagle owl. In winter wallcreeper and alpine accentor are present.

Westward lies sandy ground and an extension of the great pine forest of Les Landes. In amongst the pines are areas of heathland, deciduous forest, mixed farms, ponds and hidden streams. Hen harrier, goshawk, short-toed eagle and hobby are the most notable nesting birds of prey. Red-backed shrikes are quite common in scrubby patches – as they are elsewhere in the Dordogne – and if you are lucky there may be a woodchat shrike about. A few pairs of Dartford warbler nest on the heathlands.

All in all the Dordogne is a great venue for the amateur birdwatcher with lots of familiar UK species but also a selection of scarcer and more exotic species to add spice to trips out!

Constant is the perfect base for a voyage of Dordogne discovery.