La Brenne lies in an area of centralFrance south of the Loire, about 80kilometres south-east of Tours and 80 kilometres east of Poitiers. It is knownlocally as 'The Land of a Thousand Lakes' because of the numerous pools,mostly man-made, which dot itslandscapes. Owing to the French appetitefor freshwater fish, these have beenmanaged over the centuries for fishing,and being privately owned by numeroussmallholders, a rich tapestry of habitatshas developed, including marshes,deciduous woods, dry heathland and farmland.La Brenne is both the home andworkplace of our local guide, TonyWilliams. Tony has been warden and sitemanager of La Brenne since 1982 and hasbeen guiding natural history tours to thislittle-known area since 1984. Needless tosay, Tony's knowledge of this area isunsurpassed, and this, together with theaccess he has to private estates, makesour tour to the region so very special.La Brenne has a dense population ofbreeding birds in the spring. Its heronriesare of particular note, with goodpopulations of both Grey and PurpleHerons, Little Egrets, and Cattle Egrets (arecent colonist). Night Herons, Bittern andLittle Bittern may also be seen with a littleluck, whilst a careful search of the lakesreveals breeding Black-necked Grebesand Garganey, and overhead Black andWhiskered Terns - the latter morenumerous here than anywhere else inFrance. No fewer than 16 species ofwarbler have bred in the area, and theseinclude Savi's, Great Reed, Cetti's, Fan-tailed, Melodious, Dartford and Bonelli'sWarblers. The variety of habitats isparticularly appealing to birds of prey.Whilst Black Kites, Short-toed Eagles andHoney Buzzards may be seen over thewoodlands, Marsh, Montagu's and HenHarriers quarter reedbeds, marshes andarable land, and the dashing Hobby maybe seen almost anywhere. In the farmlandthe declining Little Bustard, Quail andStone Curlew may all be found; inorchards and woodland are Wrynecks,Red-backed Shrikes, Black Redstarts,Short-toed Treecreepers, Serins and CirlBuntings. The calls of Hoopoes andGolden Orioles, and liquid songs ofNightingales complete this classiccollection of European birds. Althoughsome of these birds, such as Montagu'sand Marsh Harrier, Honey Buzzard, StoneCurlew and Cirl Bunting occur locally or insmall numbers in southern England, in LaBrenne they are widespread and common.Likewise, a number of butterflies that are rare in England, are common in La Brenne. These include the LargeTortoiseshell, Swallowtail, ScarceSwallowtail, White Admiral and Purple Emperor.Most remarkably, no fewer than 36 speciesof orchid occur in the area! Whilst they arenot all in flower at the same time, specieswe have seen on previous visits at thistime of year include Early Spider (Ophryssphegodes), Fly (Ophrys insectifera),Monkey (Orchis simia), Burnt Tip (Orchisustulata), Lizard (Himantoglossumhiricinum), Tongue (Serapias lingua) andViolet Bird's Nest Orchid (Limodorumabortivum). Other plants of interest that weshould see include Milkweed(Vincetoxicum hirundinaria), WhiteAsphodel (Asphodelus albus), GreaterBroomrape (Orobanche rapum-genistae),Hairy Spurge (Euphorbia villosa), BlueBugle (Ajuga genevensis) and Viper's Grass(Scorzonera humilis).Though rich in interest, La Brenne is notan extensive area and most habitats arewithin short drives of our hotel at Mézières.Thus we can maximise our time spent inthe field, limiting the time spent inminibuses. This, therefore, is an ideal tripfor the all-round naturalist, or the botanist,entomologist or birdwatcher who prefersunhurried outings, with the opportunity tosit for an hour or more by a lake watchinga colony of Whiskered Terns, observingdragonflies, or searching for orchids.France - La BrenneAn 8-day holiday - in search of birds, plants and butterflies - to one of therichest, if less well-known, natural history destinations in France.Saturday 12th May - Saturday 19th May Cost: £1,295Book direct on 01962 733051or see page 280 for Booking InformationSPAIN ITALY SWITZERLAND GERMANY BELGIUM LA BRENNE CALAIS LILLE PARIS POITIERS TOULOUSE BORDEAUX FRENCH ALPS STRASBOURG (FROM LONDON ST. PANCRAS)ENGLISH CHANNEL ATLANTIC OCEAN MEDITERRANEAN SEA FRANCE Outline itineraryDay 1Eurostar train fromLondon St. Pancras toPoitiers, via Lille, anddrive to La Brenne.Day 2/7La Brenne. Day 8Drive Poitiers forEurostar train to LondonSt. Pancras. AccommodationA small, comfortable hotel with ensuite rooms.FoodAll included in the price, except formeals taken in transit.Grading A. Day walks only.FocusBirds, wild flowers (especiallyorchids), and butterflies.LeaderTom McJannet or Simon Tonkin.Single room supplement£150.Web quick search: FRA0957Wetlands, MenetinneMap ButterflyWhiskered Tern

The Lot Valley is a charming region ofrural France that holds abundantattractions for its visitors. There aresome lovely old towns such as Figeac,and Cahors where the meandering RiverLot is spanned by the famous medievalbridge, 'le Pont Valentre'. Quaint riversidesettlements include the spectacular'hanging villages' of St. Cirq-Lapopie andCalvignac, both seeming to defy gravity asthey cling to cliffs above the river. The areaalso boasts some impressive prehistoricsites, amongst them the numerousdolmens scattered about the landscapeand the superb Neolithic paintings ofmammoths and horses to be found in thecaves of Pech Merle. What is often notappreciated, though, is the amazingly richwildlife of this enchanting valley and itssurrounding area. Here, myriads ofbutterflies and other insects may still befound, plus a long list of birds -especially raptors - and a reallyspectacular variety of flowering plants,including many orchid species. There are many reasons for this wonderfuldiversity; they include the preponderanceof limestone bedrock, the practice of old-fashioned subsistence farming withoutthe use of fertilisers and sprays, and thearea's geographical position within France.The latter explains the presence of a finerepresentative selection of Mediterranean,Atlantic and Central European elements toboth the flora and fauna. Additionally, thetime of our visit coincides with the peakseason for wildlife-viewing, with thevegetation still lush and green before the generally hot and dry summer takes its toll. We will be based for the week, close to theriver, in a charming rural hotel servinghearty local food and fine wines. Each daywe will explore the surroundingcountryside on gentle natural historywalks, making use of the many paths,tracks and quiet country lanes - adelicious picnic lunch ensuring we makeample time for a midday break! Amongstthe week's highlights will be excursionsonto both the Cajarc and LimogneCausse, north and south of the riverrespectively. These are plateaux ofJurassic limestone that rise to around 400metres and offer extensive areas of dry,stony grassland - known as karst -interspersed with scrub of juniper, oak andpine. In times past these arid areassupported a huge population of sheep,supplying the local people with meat, wool and cheeses. Today, with the reliance onsuch livestock farming reduced, we shouldfind instead a wide variety of orchids,including Lady, Monkey, Military, Lizard,Bug, Burnt-tip, Pyramidal, Man, Tongue,Bee, Woodcock and Late Spider Orchid,plus both Red and Sword-leavedHelleborines. Many different species ofrockroses, flaxes and clovers also abound,together with numerous British raritiessuch as Narrow Hare's Ear (Bupleurumbaldense), Rough Mallow (Althaea hirsute)and Wild Candytuft (Iberis amara). Thenumber and diversity of butterflies to beseen is quite staggering, and it is notunknown to see nearly 40 species in asingle afternoon. Scarce Swallowtail,Black-veined White, Clouded Apollo,Turquoise Blue, Southern White Admiraland Queen of Spain Fritillary are just a fewof the many that we hope to record, alongwith other interesting insects such aspraying mantis, hawk moths and thestrange, but beautiful, dragonfly-likeAscalaphids. Birds which may be seen orheard include Short-toed Eagle, LittleBustard, Stone Curlew, Crested Lark,Hoopoe, Nightingale and abundant andvarious warbler species.Amongst other habitats we will visit duringthe week are the spectacular cliffsalongside the River Lot, home of suchplants as Round-headed Leek (Alliumsphaerocephalon) and Small YellowFoxglove (Digitalis lutea). Here, the liquidcalls of Golden Orioles fill riverside poplarsand Black Kites and many other birds ofprey choose to breed. Less precipitousparts of the gorge are clothed in extensivewoodlands of oak and Box; HoneyBuzzards and Red Kites breed here, andmany more orchids may be found,together with Dianthusspecies, BastardBalm (Melittis melissophyllum) and CrestedCow-wheat (Melampyrum cristatum)amongst other notable plants. Finally, we will spend a day in the hillsbehind Figeac, in a region called theChâtaigneraie. The area is so named onaccount of its extensive Sweet Chestnutforests, though it also holds many smallcultivated fields which provide a refuge forrare cornfield weeds such as Corn Cockle(Agrostemma githago) and Cornflower(Centaurea cyanus). The underlying rockhere is made up of granites and schists,which erode to form soils of an acidnature, creating a stark contrast invegetation to that we will haveencountered up until now. Heathers arenumerous, while birds like Goshawk, CirlBunting and Firecrest are commoner here.Such further variety complements a weekfilled with rural charms, and a diversity andabundance of natural history long sincelost from the English countryside.France - The Lot Valley An 8-day holiday in search of the plants, birds and butterflies of a region of ruralFrance especially blessed with scenic, cultural and wildlife riches.Saturday 12th May - Saturday 19th May Cost: £1,195Outline itineraryDay 1Fly Toulouse and driveto Lot Valley.Day 2/7A daily programme ofnatural history walksand excursions in theLot Valley and Caussecountry.Day 8Fly London.Accommodation A charming rural hotel withswimming pool and privatefacilities, serving excellent localfood.Food All included in the price.Grading Grade B. Moderate day walks.Focus Plants, birds and butterflies.LeaderMark Galliott or Jason Mitchell.Single room supplement£150.ExtensionsAvailable on request.Web quick search: FRA1558Call now or visit www.naturetrek.co.uk for your free Trip ItinerarySPAINITALYSWITZERLANDGERMANYBELGIUMCALAISPARISLOT VALLEYTOULOUSEBORDEAUXFRENCHALPSMASSIFCENTRALPYRENEESSTRASBOURGENGLISH CHANNELATLANTIC OCEANMEDITERRANEANSEAFRANCE DORDOGNEVALLEYSt. Cirq-LapopieRed KiteTongue Orchid