Les Coussoules is a low-lying dune area near La Franqui and a much favoured spot for birds stopping over on migration – with most seasons bringing up a crake… A short sea-watching session, checking out the salt pans at La Palme and a quarry finale!
Read or download the trip report here.
The spectacular village of Minerve offers the perfect habitat for overwintering Wallcreeper and Alpine accentor, together with resident Crag martin. But finding a small grey bird creeping around on a grey rock face in a vast gorge is like finding a needle in a haystack! Read the trip report to see if we found this elusive bird…
Read or download the trip report here.
We had a fun weekend at the end of February visiting the spectacular sites that offer the perfect habitat for overwintering Wallcreeper. No matter how much preparation we do, we are always in the lap of the bird and weather gods, but they were all kind to us this year! And what can beat a great group of birders, great weather, delightful accommodation, delicious food and wine, and some really excellent birding!
See and/or download the 2022 trip report and bird list here.
If you are interested in joining the 2023 Wallcreeper trip, please contact us here.
We may extend the 2023 trip and make it a Monday to Friday trip…
Join us for a fun weekend at the end of February visiting some truly spectacular sites to search for Wallcreeper. No promises, but we have a good track record on this trip and recent records are encouraging! There are plenty of other interesting species to see too, such as Iberian grey shrike and Great spotted cuckoo, Little bustard, Stone curlew and many more…
See full details on the trip page here.
So if you are itching to travel and see some exotic birds, but want to stay fairly close to home and keep your carbon footprint down – come by train and join us for a fun weekend of #lowcarbonbirding !
French name: Cochevis de Thékla
Scientific name: Galerida theklae
This species is very similar to the Crested lark. To distinguish them, the Thekla’s lark has a shorter beak with pectoral stripes that are more distinct than the Crested lark. In its strongholds, identification is simplified by knowing where one is found without the other!
The song is very close to that of the Crested lark, but the Thekla’s song is more fluted and with shorter sentences.
If the Crested lark can be found in garrigue habitat as well as in agricultural plain, the Thekla’s lark will prefer more wild scrubland and dry steppes. It requires very open landscape with dry grassland where it will make its nest on the ground. The nest is well camouflaged in the Brachypodium retusum or bunch grass. This species is strictly Mediterranean with populations confined to the Aude and the Pyrénées-Orientales. The population strongholds are very localised in the limestone hills of the coastal Corbières, Villesèque-des-Corbières, Port-la-Nouvelle, Salses and Rivesaltes.
Breeding birds Atlas – Languedoc Roussillon (2012-2021) – source: faune-lr.org
Conservation status and population trends
The French population is estimated at 270 to 430 pairs. But numbers are declining across the species’ distribution. For example, in the Corbieres hills, there was a 26% decrease in the number of pairs between 1996 and 2009. With this decline and low numbers, the Thekla’s lark is now considered to be in danger on both the national and regional red lists.
The Thekla’s lark is visible all year round. Like most sedentary breeders, it is more demonstrative in spring. The graph below shows the average numbers of Thekla’s lark seen in the Languedoc by month.
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