Guided nature walks in the Touraine du Sud.
Discover the remarkable, but little known habitat formed by the system of river valleys and limestone spurs between Bossay-sur-Claise and le Grand Pressigny.
Escorted by Australian-born field taxonomist, Susan Walter, visit privately owned sites and see orchids, butterflies and dragonflies. It is not unusual to see 12 species of orchids in 2 hours, breeding populations of Glanville Fritillary and Provencal Short-tailed Blue butterflies, or dragonflies such as the elusive Western Spectre.
These are "follow my leader" tours where you use your own car to follow her to two sites. These two hour tours are bargain priced at €50 per outing (minimum 2 people, maximum 6). The most popular of these tours are the orchid walks during May and June, but later in the season the focus shifts to dragonflies.
For an extra €30 there is the possibility of an additional 1 hour workshop using yellow pan traps to catch and identify flying insects, viewing the insects under magnification and consulting field guides and keys. This is a relaxed and informal introduction to a more professional approach to species identification, for those who are particularly interested in the study of natural history and want to take it further than the more 'mainstream' groups.
Whole day workshops can be arranged for groups of 2-6 people which include a variety of trap, identify and release techniques suitable for anyone wishing to monitor 'their patch'. As well as yellow pan traps, you can try pitfall traps, netting and pooting. The total cost for the day is €200. Bring a sandwich lunch. Note there is no toilet on site (nearest is 600m away).
The management of sites for wild orchids and / or butterfly surveying will also be covered for those who are interested.
All activities can be booked from (April) May to August (September) by telephoning Susan on +33 (0)2 47 94 20 53 a minimum of 48 hours before.
You can read about one of my orchid walks on Martin Smith's Birding Blog and in a trip report by Mary Braddock (that's Mary and her companions in the photo above).
The management of sites for wild orchids and / or butterfly surveying will also be covered for those who are interested.
All activities can be booked from (April) May to August (September) by telephoning Susan on +33 (0)2 47 94 20 53 a minimum of 48 hours before.
You can read about one of my orchid walks on Martin Smith's Birding Blog and in a trip report by Mary Braddock (that's Mary and her companions in the photo above).
