La Brenne

This region of central France lies south of the Loire valley, in the Indre department. It is a large expanse of lakes, reed beds and forests popular with breeding birds. The lakes were created in the Middle Ages to provide a constant supply of fish, and today many of the lakes are managed for fish farming. They provide a rich habitat for Purple Heron, Black-necked Grebe, Little Bittern, a variety of Ducks and nesting sites for Whiskered Tern.

Often described as 'the land of a thousand lakes', La Brenne is not only rich in bird life, it has an abundance of butterflies, dragonflies and interesting orchids.

Outline Programme

This will be adapted according to the weather, but we shall follow this general pattern:

Day 1	We catch an early morning ferry from Dover, then drive to La Brenne, arriving in the late afternoon. We settle in to our hotel and explore the immediate area.
Day 2	Exploring local lakes we discover just how important this area is for breeding birds, especially Black-necked Grebe and Whiskered Tern. The area is also noted for birds of prey. In one year in a single walk we observed ten species of raptor, including Montagu's Harrier, Honey Buzzard, Goshawk and Short-toed Eagle.
Day 3	An early morning visit to a reed bed hide, followed by breakfast. Then a morning spent in woodland where we are likely to find Hawfinch, Middle-spotted Woodpecker, Bonelli's Warbler and Firecrest. Open country in the afternoon allows us the chance of Golden Oriole, Red-backed Shrike and Hoopoe. Butterflies are abundant here, so expect to find a variety of Fritillaries, Scarce Swallowtail, Pale Clouded Yellow and even a European Map if we are very lucky. After dinner, if conditions are right, we will go out in search of Owls and Nightjars.
Day 4	Looking out for Black Redstart and Serin on the rooftops, we set out for near by lakes to look for waders. Singing Nightingales will become a commonplace sound, but we will also be listening for Melodious Warbler, Cirl Bunting and Woodlark, all of which breed here.
Day 5	Tony Williams, who has lived and worked in La Brenne for over twenty years will join us. We are fortunate in being able to take advantage of his extensive local knowledge.
Day 6	We leave for Calais this morning, stopping for lunch and birding en route. Our ferry leaves in the late afternoon.

Cherin Reserve		Sunset		Lady Orchid

Prices and details

Cost	£720 per person
Deposit	£100
Single Supplement	£120

Included Transport during the holiday, accommodation, breakfast, dinner
Excluded Lunches, personal insurance, drinks and personal items
Group size Maximum 8

Banded Demoiselle

Whiskered Tern

Common Tree Frog

Man Orchid