France’s Dordogne region is great for birding, butterfly watching and for wildflowers. It is a perfect ‘stepping-stone’ between the UK fauna and flora and those of more exotic regions further south.
Traditional land use has left many wildlife habitats intact, meaning almost any location is of natural history interest. Many birds that are either rare breeders or vagrants in the UK are common here and we’ll explore woodland, scrub and fields for species such as crested tit and golden oriole. Around 120 butterfly species have been recorded in the Dordogne, twice the number seen in the United Kingdom, while June is the peak flowering time for many species and the flora is outstanding.
Fly to Bergerac where we meet our local guide. From here, it is around a 30-minute drive to our riverside hotel in Lalinde. We should have time to explore around the hotel to see our first birds, butterflies and flowers.
Accommodation: Les Magnolias, 7-nights
We start high above the Dordogne River at a viewpoint looking out over a valley cut through Cretaceous limestone hills. We’ll keep an eye on the skies for peregrine, black kite and raven, all of which nest here. The morning is a good time to hear birdsong of species such as western Bonelli’s warbler, firecrest, woodlark and cirl bunting.
The local sunny slopes are typically covered in wildflowers at this time of year and support a range of warmth-loving species. We should find white rockrose, curry plant, swallow-wort, sprawling needle sun-rose and Carthusian pink. As the day warms up, we hope to see a variety of butterflies such as Adonis blue, marbled white and Berger’s clouded yellow.
After lunch we visit Sainte Foy de Longas. We’ll search near the ruined château, amongst the scrubby limestone grassland and truffle orchards for butterflies and wildflowers. Here we’ll look out for spotted fritillary and great banded grayling, plus wildflowers such as red helleborine and bedstraw broomrape.
We spend today exploring this fascinating sandy forest where management creates a range of habitats for wildlife. Forest birds may include hen harrier, Dartford warbler, crested tit, golden oriole, turtle dove and wood warbler.
Butterflies here are very varied. Damp acid grassland supports false ringlet, small pearl-bordered fritillary and large chequered skipper. In hidden meadows along streams we may find lesser purple emperor, high brown fritillary and heath fritillary.
Among the many wildflowers possible here are lesser butterfly orchid, marsh helleborine, sweet spurge, hastate-leaved self-heal, heath lobelia and Kerry lily.
Our route takes us through the dramatic lower Vézère Valley where we will look for peregrine, raven, crag martin, golden oriole, western Bonelli’s warbler, short-toed treecreeper, kingfisher and white wagtail.
We visit a number of fascinating sites along the river, both wet and dry. In dry areas the map butterfly is found, along with white and southern white admirals. Flowers here include bastard balm, yellow foxglove and rampion bellflower.
Some of the best sites for butterflies are the rocky limestone causses. The Causse de Daglan lies on ancient Jurassic limestone and supports an exceptional flora and fauna. Broad-leaved lavender and the strange-smelling pitch trefoil are characteristic here.
The area is very rich in butterflies. We might see great banded grayling, ilex and blue-spot hairstreaks, and safflower, red-underwing and Lulworth skippers among some 30 species of butterfly.
High on a plateau above the beautiful Ceou Valley we look for wildflowers including Etruscan honeysuckle, bird’s-nest orchid, wild candytuft, slender bedstraw and barren strawberry.
In the morning we make a short walk near the stream in Caudeau Valley amongst a variety of habitats including small ponds and marshes. A pleasant variety of wildflowers, insects and typical rural birds can be found here.
Orchids might include Lax-flowered, and there are interesting horsetails to be observed. Butterflies include sooty copper and pearly heath, while hobbies – attracted by the abundant dragonfly populations – nest in the valley. Honey buzzard and short-toed eagle both nest locally and we will listen out for their whistling calls.
After lunch we continue further downstream where the limestone meets sandy ground, providing a striking contrast to the other habitats that we will have seen today.
This area of dry farmland is rich in wildlife, especially birds. In the mosaic of fields, hedges and farms here we may see black-winged kite, red-backed shrike, rock sparrow, crested lark and turtle dove.
In wilder meadows the limestone flora includes needle-sunroses, ground pine, field gladiolus, lizard orchid and the beautiful meadow clary. Among the butterflies, various blues, skippers and fritillaries are found.
At a reservoir in the Dropt Valley we look for dragonflies including white-tailed and black-tailed skimmers and the lovely violet dropwing. Nearby along the Couze stream we may see dippers.
After a last look at the wonderful birds, butterflies and wildflowers of the Dordogne, we take our flight home from Bergerac.
An experienced botanist, Corine has lived in the Dordogne since 2003 and has an extensive knowledge of wild flowers in the area.
Corine loves to discover new sites and species and is involved with a range of conservation projects in France. You will find her always willing to share her passion for the Dordogne’s wild flora and fauna!
David Simpson has lived in France for over 15 years, and now lives and works in the Dordogne region where he leads guided wildlife tours.
Previously he worked for over 20 years as a warden on various sites of the coastline of northern England, and more recently he was a warden in Mauritius for the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation at Ile aux Aigrettes.
He has published several articles in British Wildlife, Birding Dordogne in the popular BirdGuide series and most recently a complete wildlife guide to Dordogne in the Crossbill Guides collection. David is also the Butterfly Conservation’s European Interest Group contact in Dordogne. An excellent all-round naturalist, he leads several tours to the area and is instrumental in the design of the itineraries as well.
Find out more about the day-to-day sightings and wildlife activities on our group tours from our expert naturalist leaders.
The Dordogne in south-west France is an excellent destination for birding, butterfly-watching and for wildflowers. It represents a ‘stepping-stone’ between the UK’s fauna and flora and that of more exotic regions. With a high diversity of species on offer, it is a wonderful region for the naturalist to explore. Find Out More about {acc:title}
Located in the town of Lalinde east of Bergerac, the wonderful Les Magnolias is a recently renovated mansion situated on the banks of the Dordogne River. The mansion and adjacent warehouse building date back to the 18th century and have been converted to offer comfortable, boutique accommodation. Find Out More about Les Magnolias
