Holiday Birding in the Loire Valley, France - June 2007
The site has a closed main gate which has to be opened and closed by the driver/passenger, or if this is a problem a member of Stu's family is around to open and shut, especially after their friendly dog Bracken lets you know someone is waiting. Goldfinch gite is just a few yards on the left and the car can be parked close to the accommodation as is shown in the picture of the gite. The only door to the gite is wide enough for most wheelchairs with only a very small lip into the main living area. The living area includes a large double bed (not a separate bedroom), a dining area, a leisure space which includes a settee and satellite television (with DVD player), and finally a fully fitted kitchen, including a microwave cooker, and a washing machine. The room was large with plenty of space to manoeuvre a wheelchair. There was, of course, a spacious bathroom that included a bath (with shower attachment), a bidet, a wash basin, toilet and radiator. The site owners have a bath chair that can be loaned, if necessary. The wash basin was of a suitable height for a wheelchair user, as I was able wash my hair comfortably. It also had a wall mirror at the right height for shaving etc. The bath was quite deep, but with the use of the bath aid this would not be a problem. Access in wheelchair terms was a little difficult because the bidet got in the way. The owners have agreed with me that this could be removed to allow better access. I have also had the owners promise that shelving for toiletries etc. would benefit the area around the wash basin; and that more hand rails should be provided around the toilet. Despite these minor improvements I was able to manage everything from the chair, and felt comfortable with the accommodation. Access to the rest of the site is over mown grass with some gravel driveways areas. There are showers and toilets available for users of the site and one of the showers is accessible to a wheelchair user. There is also an area for clothes drying and an ironing board is available. Outside the site is a very quiet, and flat, country road that is good for gentle walking and good for birding. The countryside is a mixture of open farmland and forestry with a small river a few hundred yards form the gites.
Just behind the site is a footpath to the river and a nearby wood that is the property of the owners, except that the wood is not accessible to a wheelchair. The path is o.k. and I was allowed to drive the car along it. The bird list attached gives details of the 79 species seen, most of which were seen around the site. A number of the species I saw around Lac de Rille which is about 15 kilometres to the east of Mouliherne e.g. Common Tern, Pied Flycatcher, and Skylark In and around the site produced buzzards, Hoopoe, Cirl Bunting, Woodlark, nesting Black redstarts, nesting Tawny Owl, nesting Goldfinches in the ivy attached to Goldfinch and we even had a brief visit from Golden Oriole in the poplars outside our gite. In a small village towards Mouliherne (Lâ Oisellerie) I came across a family party of Hoopoe, with an adult bird feeding a chick, which was an unexpected treat. In the field behind the site I had my first ever Middle-spotted Woodpecker, and also saw Red-back Shrike, and Hobby. There were also breeding kestrels in that field area. We also saw a few deer, lizards (on our window sill, and bats flying away from the front door lintel where there was a gap for them able to roost. All in all Le Chant d'Oiseau was a very nice place for a holiday with some great birding. Brian Anderson Treasurer Birding For All Registered Charity: 109517 Email: BAnderson1550539@aol.com
Brief Notes On Birds Identified Whilst staying At Le Chant d'Oiseau Between 1-10th June 1993 The following is a list of birds identified during a holiday at Le Chant d'Oiseau between 1st & 10th June 1993 by Peter & Phyl Montgomery, and by Brian & Joanna Anderson - between the 9th and 30th June 2007 All of the birds recorded were identified from either the car or wheelchair Unless otherwise stated, birds were seen either from the campsite or within a few minute's drive from site:
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