BIODIVERSITY IN THE ARIEGE: ALPINE MEETS ATLANTIC MEETS MEDITERRANEAN

The department of Ariège, in the French Pyrenees, is an unsung hero of the birding world, with a unique variety of habitats within a relatively small area - a large number of sites and habitats can be explored by driving less than an hour from Maison Grillou. Some are very much closer, of course - like our own garden and woodland, where we've recorded over 85 species in 8 years.

If you're looking for a birding holiday in the Pyrenees but off the beaten path, at Maison Grillou we'll provide you with all the information you need to explore a broad range of habitats, all of which are good not just for birds but for butterflies and wild flowers too. If you want to explore the high mountain sites, you'll generally need to be prepared to walk some distance (though we can direct you to certain areas where that's less necessary); medium altitude sites can often be reached with more of a stroll. All paths will be waymarked. Don't, however, expect to be able to come here and observe from your car - the Ariège just ain't like that!

For just a few examples and a small taste of what you might expect, read on ...
 

HIGH MOUNTAIN: THE DOMAIN OF THE BIG RAPTORS

High altitude woodland, steep valleys, gorges, limestone cliff, alpine meadows, bare rock faces ... the high mountain areas of the Ariège Pyrenees offer breathtaking scenery alongside the chance to observe the big raptors: griffon and Egyptian vultures; golden, booted and short-toed eagles (Bonelli has been reported too, but rarely - the nearest nesting site is over the border in the Aude). Everyone's 'most wanted' bird though is the huge lammergeier or bearded vulture, one of the rarest, most threatened and most highly protected raptors in Europe. The Ariège currently houses 7 couples, though more may be seen as they cover very large distances and with a bit of effort you'd be very unlucky not to see at least one during your trip. 

Other species you're likely to find in the high mountain environment include Alpine and red billed chough, Alpine accentor, citril finch, eagle owl, rock thrush and honey buzzard, to name but a few. The elusive wallcreeper and snow finch are both present at the highest altitudes (above 2000 metres), though not easy to spot; it is possible (with great luck, persistence, warm clothing and a following wind!) to see wallcreeper in late autumn and winter at one or two sites at lower and more accessible altitude.

This is one of the best spots in the Ariège to see the big raptors - 
and it's by no means as inaccessible as it looks!

MEDIUM MOUNTAIN: LIMESTONE CLIFFS AND CAVES, DRY GRASSLAND, RIVER

Just 15 minutes from Maison Grillou is a remarkable area where Mediterranean, Atlantic and Alpine habitats collide to produce one of the richest and most diverse ecosystems in the department. A fantastic 15km waymarked walk will take you around the periphery of this Natura 2000 site, or you can just dip in and out of particular parts of it. 

From the rocky areas, expect to see raptors gliding on the thermals: kestrel, sparrowhawk, goshawk, buzzard, honey buzzard, short toed and booted eagle, hobby and hen harrier (we've seen the occasional golden eagle too). It's worth a special search of the cliffs in winter as wallcreeper has been known to winter there. The woodlands shelter numerous species, amongst which are great spotted/lesser spotted/green woodpecker, hoopoe, golden oriole, wryneck, tree pipit, cirl bunting, chiffchaff and Bonelli's warbler, blackbird, robin, song and mistle thrush, various pigeons and doves, and more.

In the open pastureland you could see stonechat, whinchat, corn bunting, red backed shrike and quail; search the more scrubby areas for blackcap, whitethroat, linnet, greenfinch, goldfinch, chaffinch, brambling and nightingale. Down at the river, you'd be unlucky not to catch a glimpse of a kingfisher, along with dipper, grey/pied white wagtail and (occasionally) common and green sandpiper. At dusk, look for crag martin and alpine swift and listen for barn/tawny/scops/little and eagle owl.

Apart from birds, this is an area extraordinarily rich in other flora and fauna. Almost 30 varieties of orchid flower here at exceptional density (10 to 100 plants per m2 in parts) and 20 species of bat have been noted, many of which are area-specific. Also present is the rare Pyrenean desman, which the BBC called 'Europe's weirdest beast'! The number and range of butterflies is also astonishing.

It's easy to spend several days here and not get bored, and it's an area we strongly recommend to anyone interested in birds and nature in general. We'll provide you with maps and point you to the best bits!

BY THE WATER

Apart from the rivers (and there are a lot!), there are a number of lakes in the Ariège with a good variety of bird life through much of the year. Natural mountain lakes are usually reached only on foot, though a few are accessible by car; there are two large artificial (though they don't feel that way) lakes both situated at an altitude of around 400 metres that are excellent for birding, particularly in autumn and winter. 

Early autumn (mid August to mid October) is migration time, and with it the chance to see species otherwise rare in a mountain department like the Ariège: common and green sandpiper, wood sandpiper, greenshank, ringed plover, little ringed plover, little stint, even occasionally whiskered or little tern. Grey herons are numerous, and if you're brave enough to make a dawn visit you might just hear or glimpse the night heron.

Late autumn/early winter is a particularly important time when birds begin to arrive to spend the winter: teal, gadwall, wigeon, pintail and shoveler can be seen, though in small quantity, along with larger numbers of mallard, grey heron, cormorant and great crested and little grebe. Pochard and tufted duck have been observed but not every winter. Red and black throated diver and loon have also been seen. At the end of October/beginning of November, cranes have been observed on a 'stopover' en route south. Rarities turn up from time to time, especially when more northerly areas are experiencing particularly cold weather: merganser, red breasted merganser, smew and great cormorant, have all been reported. Late winter - January onwards - is not so good as food resources diminish rapidly.

To the north of the department, a bit over an hour from Maison Grillou, is a 100 hectare bird reserve created in 2005 from gravel pits left after the creation of the A66 autoroute. 230 species of bird have so far been recorded, of which 54 are nesting. The 30 hectares of water is split over a dozen or so lakes, all fed by two rivers and with carefully controlled water levels. A recent successful project there has seen the reintroduction of storks into the Ariège; the latest, and extraordinarily ambitious, plan that follows the acquisition of a new area of land is to restore a huge wetland area in the form of a 'delta' between three rivers, with the aim of attracting wetland birds that need a large amount of space. (Flamingos in the Ariège? Watch this space!). A centre for birds in distress is also being created. Access is free and there are 7km of marked trails, with hides; weekly observations can be found on their website.