Haute Savoie, France – August 2006

by Andrew Bluett

Friday 28^th July 2006 - To Dover

At the end of a long week I finally managed to get all of the cases and the family into the car just after 9:30pm. We headed for the motorway and made our way towards Dover via Swindon to the M4, M25, M20 and down to Dover without any mishaps, we reached the docks around 1:30am. 

Saturday 29^th July 2006 - Across the Channel and south to La Clusaz

We checked in, lined up for the ferry and sailed at 3:20am. I took the boys up on deck but there was little to see except the lights. It was cold and windy, but dry and clear. We reached Calais and were driving off the ferry at 6am. It was quite clear, bright and cool in the morning air and looked quite promising as we headed for the A26 motorway. At the toll booths we collected our first ticket and headed south. The traffic was light and the road easy.

When we reached Reims I paid for the first leg of the motorway trip, by passed the main part of the town and collected the next ticket for the second and longer leg. We stopped for breakfast and eventually reached Dijon, then Bourg-en-Bresse and headed east towards Geneva. Just east of Bellegarde sur Valserine we exited the peage (total cost of tolls just less than €60/£42) and followed a winding road down through Frangy towards Annecy, down the east side of the lake and towards Thones. We reached La Clusaz around 4.15pm, a good hour earlier than I had estimated we would. 

The Agency was easy to find, we collected the keys and paid the deposit, then drove up through the village into Les Etages off the Col de la Croix Fry road and found the chalet with very little trouble. Bags and baggage were offloaded and I sat down with a coffee in hand on the balcony to enjoy the view and take in the air. It had been a long day, 195 miles to Dover, 90 minutes on the ferry, then another 575 miles or so down to La Clusaz, and I felt I deserved the break for 10 minutes! 

The weather down to Bourg en Bresse had been bright, mainly clear and warm. As we entered the mountains at Nantua it changed, there was low cloud and we had rain showers. Here in La Clusaz it was not too bad, cooler, but dry and good enough.  

The birds on the trip down were not too plentiful, though we didn’t stop for anything other than comfort breaks and I was more concerned with the road and navigating than birding. We did see Carrion Crows, several Kestrels, Buzzards, House Sparrows, White Wagtails in the services, one Grey Heron by a river and a Short-toed Treecreeper when I stopped for a comfort break near Thones. There were Black-headed Gulls over the lake at Annecy. 

Around the chalet we had Black Redstart with young on the wing, Blackcap singing in the woods, one or two Serins, Coal Tit, Chaffinch, a couple of Carrion Crows, Grey Wagtail in the stream below the chalet and Goldfinches overhead. 

After a rest, a wash and change of clothes we headed down into the village for dinner at “La Cordee” (The Rope). From the car park I immediately heard a Black Redstart singing from a roof top and noted a Hummingbird Hawk Moth around the flower boxes which spilled great swathes of Geraniums down the fronts of the buildings (pic below). 

After dinner we headed back to the chalet, I was tired, full of Entrecote Béarnaise and red wine and ready for bed. I had been on my feet 39 hours and had driven close to 800 miles! The holiday begins here! 

Sunday 30^th July 2006 - Col des Aravis, Thones, Manigod

I was up reasonably early and sat out on the balcony with a coffee. It was bright, clear and sunny and looked set to be a hot day. A Buzzard floated over, a Black Kite rounded the shoulder of the hill and drifted across the valley, the local pair of Carrion Crows were noisy and active, Black Redstarts called and flittered about in the trees around the chalet, and Chaffinches called from the fir trees across the stream. 

I drove down to the market for croissants and other breakfast essentials, then headed back to the chalet. Next door to the market was a toy shop with a wide overhanging roof above the pavement, typical of the snow-roofed and balconied wooden buildings throughout the village, but this one held something special – a pair of Black Redstarts had a nest in the rafters above the shop door which held four young close to being ready to fly. The female came in with a beak full of insects and fed the young who clamoured vigorously, competing for the supply of food. We had a late breakfast and relaxed for a while. 

When all were dressed and ready for a trip out we set off up the hill towards the pass of Col des Aravis, the chalet was above the village at an altitude of 1200 metres (3900 feet), but the pass was higher at 1486 metres, 4830 feet. The road wound upwards through a series of hairpin bends and then levelled out into the pass. A few farms were dotted along the road or up the slopes towards the hillsides and at the head of the pass was a small gathering of restaurants and shops either side of the road. But the most spectacular thing was the view directly along the line of the road straight to Mont Blanc, even at this distance towering and gleaming white in the distance, it was breathtaking. 

We headed over the ridge and down towards the valley beyond. The road switch-backed between the hairpins and seemed to go on forever as we dropped down through La Giettaz towards Flumet, from 1486 metres to the valley bottom at about 600 metres. We turned right and headed down the valley by way of St Nicholas and Hery to Ugine. Ugine proved to be closed for lunch, mainly a modern town and of little interest so we headed west towards St Ferreol then along the D112 to Serraval and Les Clefs, from where we turned east to Manigod and Col de la Croix Fry which would lead us back to the chalet. We stopped at a bar in Manigod and had a quiet drink in the sunshine, it was early afternoon and the day was glorious. 

The countryside in the valley down from Flumet to Ugine was softer, smaller meadows and more fruit trees, almost to the point of being loose orchards. As we headed up towards Serraval we began to rise sharply through a series of hairpins through the woodland of Beeches and Oaks that clothed the valley sides. I found there were dozens of butterflies along the way, stopped to take a look at the view and saw large (Silver-washed?) Fritillaries, we saw the odd Red Admiral, Marbled Whites (pic left) and Green-veined Whites. From Manigod the road wound higher again and over the pass at about 1500 metres through a ski area with open spaces amongst the fir trees, alpine meadows and areas of scrubby shrubs in the clearings between the trees punctuated with hundreds of Rosebay Willowherb painting the landscape deep pink. 

We headed back to the chalet for a respite in the late afternoon. Whilst I was sat on the balcony with a mug of tea in hand I saw a bird overhead that looked like a Mistle Thrush and didn’t take too much notice. I was to see later that it was something more than that.   

In the evening we decided to eat out again and drove down into town to the Pizzeria then back to the chalet afterwards. A few other birds seen during the day; Blackbirds in the villages, Blackcaps singing here and there and Greenfinches and Goldfinches in several places.

Monday 31^st July 2006 - Col de la Colombiere

The weather was varied during the day, generally very warm but with mixed amounts of cloud cover, sometimes clear, sometimes great puffy white pillows of cloud across the whole sky with patches of blue between. 

I was up at 6am, one of the Black Redstarts was in the gutter which overhung the roof. It was too early so after a coffee I went back to bed for another hour or so. At 9:30 am there were Chaffinches and a Blackcap singing from the spruces across the stream. I drove down to the village for bread and croissants and brought them back to the chalet for breakfast. 

By the time the family were up and ready to drive down into the village again, we were too late for the market so drove down to St Jean de Sixt, turned right and headed for le Grand Bournand, then up the very winding road to the pass at Col de la Colombiere. A Black Kite floated overhead and there were a couple of Water Pipits in the meadows by the road. We wandered around the shops and the pass then headed back down the hill. 

As I approached a long sweeping bend above the village of Chinaillon I heard a whistle and immediately recognized it as being from a Marmot so we pulled over and scanned the hillside with the glasses until I finally found him, half submerged in a hollow between the swathes of grass and flat outcrops of limestone below the scree slopes and rock faces along the higher part of the hill. He was a long way off, but easily recognizable, it couldn’t have been anything else. When he moved he looked somewhat like a Badger, but didn’t venture too far from cover. 

I gave the glasses to James and Sam in turn and directed their vision, Sam saw it, James wasn’t sure, and I meanwhile spotted a bird rising in loops from a willow higher up above the road. When I got the glasses back and took a look I found it was a pair of Red-backed Shrike catching insects for their three young on the wing (pic left).

We headed back down into the valley, to St Jean de Sixt and then to La Clusaz where we visited the supermarket for foodstuffs. The boys played mini-golf and I watched the Black Redstarts, Swallows and Carrion Crows overhead. We had seen plenty of White Wagtails, one or two Grey Wagtails close to the streams, Goldfinches everywhere especially where the thistles were going to seed, one or two Yellowhammers in the high passes, (there were none lower down in the valleys), Blackbirds and House Sparrows in the villages and Chaffinches and Greenfinches along the roadsides.  

Most of the landscape between the trees and in the valleys was dominated by the alpine meadows, virgin limestone grassland studded with flowers, Bird's-foot Trefoil, vetches, tiny Wild, Field and Mountain Pansies, Scabious, Sheep's-bit and Harebell, different types of thistles and where the grass was deeper and the soil exposed, Rosebay Willowherb and Mullein. There were Wild Strawberries in places and here and there a bed of wild Raspberry whose fruits were ripening, and though very small, both were sweet and worth picking.   

Back at the Chalet we had a rainstorm after dinner with thunder and lightning. When it had passed over James and I walked some way up the valley by the road, found Yellowhammer in the meadow below the spruce wood and several very large Roman Snails around a limestone rock in the bank above the road. 

Tuesday 1^st August 2006 - La Clusaz Village

I was sat on the balcony at 9am with croissants and coffee and enjoying the fresh morning air and sunshine when I became aware of rattling alarm calls from a Sycamore tree by the stream about 100 metres up the hill. I thought it was a Mistle Thrush and didn’t take too much notice until I realized the alarm calls were going on and on. I grabbed the glasses and walked up to investigate. I soon found the cause; a very wet and bedraggled Sparrowhawk was bathing in the pool between the rocks. He saw me and hopped away, too wet to fly. 

In the tree above me I looked for the thrushes, but found something altogether much more surprising and delightful, a pair of Fieldfares! They continued their rattling, and it dawned on me that they had something to hide. In just a couple of minutes I found the nest, about 8 feet up on a thick branch and with two young just about ready to fly! I walked away and left them to it, but later, when things had settled down, returned with the camera and got a couple of pictures for the record (pic left).

A Song Thrush flew over and dropped into the spruce woodland when I was back on the balcony, and a Robin appeared by the stream, both of them the first I had seen, both species seemed to be very scarce. I walked about in the meadow below the chalet and spent some time photographing the butterflies and grasshoppers in the bright sunshine. The grasshoppers were incredibly numerous wherever we went, and were very noisy from mid-morning through to the evenings until the temperature started to drop, though if it stayed warm, they sang on well after dark. They came in all sizes and colours, from a quarter of an inch to an inch-and-a-half, yellows, greens, striped, dark tans and browns, black with red under-wings and even a bright pink individual (pic left). Every footstep drove a dozen or more to leap away to safety. 

The boys wanted to spend the day using the sports facilities on offer in the village, so we drove down and parked the car. As we walked down to the sports area I noticed small parties of Crag Martins with young perched on several window sills around the square, the church clock tower had a dozen or so House Martin nests under the corbels on each side. Oddly, there were no Common Swifts over the town, though we did see them in the high passes late in the day. Black Redstarts sang from several places, Blackbirds hunted for food close by the stream and amongst the garden shrubs. Three Buzzards circled high overhead and crossed the valley. We all had a go on the Luge D'Ete; an 800 metre long stainless steel bobsled run which involved taking the "telecabine" (cable car) up the hillside above the town, then running back down the track on a trolley like affair with two seats and only a handbrake to control it.  

After a drink at one of the bars in the square we collected some shopping for dinner (local succulent sausages and other goodies) and returned to the chalet for dinner. Afterwards, Sam and I drove up to the Col des Aravis to have a look at Mont Blanc, and also up the mountain track to the viewpoint at la Croix de Fer above the hamlet of La Giettaz. There were White Wagtail around the fish pond in front of the chalet shops and the car park, Swallows with flying young, three Yellowhammers singing in different places and another Water Pipit in the meadows.

Wednesday 2^nd August 2006 - To Meribel

I got everyone up early and we had breakfast. It was a glorious, bright, blue-skied sunny day as we set off at 9am and headed southward. Our route took us over the Col des Aravis, down to Flumet, Albertville (Winter Olympics 1992), Moutiers, towards Courchevel and up the winding valley to Meribel. The choice of Meribel was James’s, he wanted to re-visit where he had skied with the school last April. 

Meribel is a delightful little town but definitely geared towards winter sports, there were few people about, and those that were not wandering the town were either parasailing high above us or taking mountain bikes to the high slopes by cable car or ski-lift, then biking back down. 

The birds were typical of the alpine towns, Crag Martins, Black Redstart, Goldfinch, House Martin and House Sparrow being most numerous and obvious. After a tour of the town and a drink on one of the local bar patios we headed off down the valley again seeing a Serin by the road, then headed north east to Bourg St Maurice and north-west over the Courmet de Roselend. 

This was another long, high, winding road over a mountain pass which took us through some spectacular scenery that changed from wooded valleys to pre-alps, to high limestone grassland and rock faces and finally to the high alpine meadows we were becoming used to. The top of the pass was over 1950 metres high (6000 feet+!).  

Above the woodland the butterflies became more obvious, we had seen Large Whites, Fritillaries and Red Admirals but were now into the Skipper and Blues territory (Chalkhill Blue and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary pics below). I stopped for a while at the top of the Vallee des Chapieux so the boys could use up some energy and so that I could look at the scenery and wildlife. A Marmot whistled from a grass slope between the screes, House Martins and Crag Martins were both nesting on the rock faces above the road, a Black Redstart sang from a boulder by the river and a curious song floated down from a tree several hundred feet up the slope from where I was photographing butterflies. The song was strangely familiar, yet I didn’t recognise it, the bird was difficult to see being amongst the leaves in the topmost branches and seemed to be fairly nondescript with no real distinguishing features. As we drove up the road I was still puzzling over it.

We approached Les Chapieux, a couple of houses, two farms and a youth hostel off the main road. I realized that up the valley we were looking at a glacier on the southern flanks of Mount Tondu, the southern rampart of Mont Blanc. This I had to get closer to, so we drove for about three miles up the dead-end valley until we reached a decent vantage point from which to see the mountain properly. It was stunning, a great overhanging cornice and blanket of snow tumbling into the top of the glacier, fairly short and broken with the great cracks or “serracs” where it rolled down over the rocks to the slope which led down to the valley. As we drove back a Buzzard floated over and another Marmot whistled from the grassy slopes beyond the river and bluish-white waters of the lake below. 

Back down through Les Chapieux we returned to the road and headed up the main valley again, when suddenly from the shrubs below the road I heard the same vaguely familiar song I had heard earlier on. This time I could see the bird, it was below us and the glasses soon fixed on the profile of what looked like a slightly tubby, slightly pink Dunnock – but this was the Alps, and that was an Alpine Accentor! So now I understood why the song sounded so familiar, it was very much like a Dunnock, though perhaps more repetitive and a little more tinkling. 

We headed uphill again and on towards the top of the pass where I was happy to see that there was a little coffee shop/bar/restaurant on the side of the road, so we stopped, grabbed a table on the little patio and I sank two large strong cups of coffee whilst Trish and the boys tucked into soft and fizzy refreshments. We were about 1950 metres or 6000 feet up here, it was breezy, but quite pleasant in the brilliant sunshine. There were lots of fellow travellers traversing the pass, on foot, bicycle, motorcycle, by car and in motor-homes, it was quite a busy spot! 

We drove on and started the long and winding descent, yet another Marmot whistled from the grass slope about 200 yards away across a little gulley so I stopped and got out the glasses. This time everyone saw it even though it didn’t move about much and kept a low profile just above a slab of limestone. Two Redpolls rattled as they flew over, a Kestrel hunted on the hill side above the Marmot and White Wagtails flittered about on the road and grassy banks close by. 

From here the road sloped quite steeply down in places and took many more hairpins down to a lake named Bourge de Roselend (reservoir de R), around its shores and down again into the village of Beaufort where they were famous for a Cheddar-like cheese. We turned right and took another winding mountain pass road to Les Saisies and the Col des Saisies, then over the top and down again into Notre Dame de Bellecombe and Flumet. We stopped in Notre Dame de Bellecombe to take advantage of a little supermarket to lay in supplies for dinner and found there were more Black Redstart and Crag Martins around the streets, and Grey and White Wagtails in the river channel. 

From Flumet we headed up the hill towards La Giettaz and Col des Aravis, a Grey Wagtail flittered down into a stream bed and a Green Woodpecker flew across the hill side. Finally we reached the top of the pass and started the descent down to Les Etages and back to the chalet. The only other bird of note during the day was a Magpie, yet another familiar species which seems to be very scarce around the Alps.

Thursday 3^rd August 2006 - To Annecy

We had heavy rain overnight and into the early morning. From the balcony I saw a few birds, the usual woodland tits, the Sparrowhawk, the pair of Fieldfares, two Woodpigeons and I also became aware that there were young Greenfinches, probably from a nest close by. 

After breakfast we sorted ourselves out and climbed into the car, then headed down the road to and through the village towards St Jean de Sixt on the way to Annecy.  

A Buzzard floated over the road beyond St Jean de Sixt. I drove into the centre of Annecy town and found an underground multi storey car park, rather like a corkscrew going deeper into the bowels of the earth with each rotation down the ramp, under the patio area in front of the Mairie. 

We walked the streets of the old town, taking in the atmosphere and looking in the various shops. The weather was reasonable; in the early afternoon we stopped at a sandwich bar, bought baguettes for lunch and then stood under the arches just in front of it, eating on our feet whilst the rain lashed down again. Eventually it cleared for a while so we walked over to the lake shore and went walkabout towards the marina. In the distance to the north of the town we could see another huge storm approaching, so headed for the shelter of a Plane tree and waited it out. The storm came over with a vengeance, great sheets of dark rain and huge bolts of lightning followed by enormous thunder claps. There were White Wagtails, House Sparrows and House Martins around the town and on the lake side, Mute Swans, Black-headed Gulls and Coots on the lake but little else of note. 

When the sky finally began to clear we headed back to the car and made our way down the west side of the lake towards Faverges, then Serraval and Manigod and finally back to Col de la Croix Fry. It was an uneventful drive, we saw nothing we hadn’t seen before though the weather began to clear somewhat. 

Back at the chalet a Buzzard floated over, the Fieldfares were active again together with the two juveniles, a Mistle Thrush flew overhead and the Grey Wagtail was in the stream again. It rained again in the evening and continued into the night.

Friday 4^th August 2006 - Geneva, Thonon les Bain and Evian

It rained all night; the stream was now a torrent. The Grey Wagtail pair were there and had obviously come downstream to pick over the exposed rocks where the stream was wider. A Red Squirrel made its way through the Spruces from branch to branch then disappeared into the depths of the woodland. 

After breakfast we headed down into the village, then on to St Jean de Sixt but found that the road to Bonneville was closed at Petite Bournand. We turned back, headed down to Annecy and then to Geneva St Julienne and the motorway towards the airport and down into the city centre from there. We crossed the Mont Blanc bridge and parked in the underground multi-storey car park there. 

Outside we walked across the footbridge and into the city centre, the weather was grey but dry for the time being, we window shopped, then headed to Starbuck's for coffee, wandered around some more then down towards the waterfront and found an Italian restaurant where we had lunch. 

By the time we finished it was raining again, but we walked down to the lakeside and the Jet d’Eau, a Black Kite circled high over the lake, the Coots, Great Crested Grebes and Black-headed Gulls were untroubled and the Black Kite drifted away to the north. It was rather pointless doing any more sightseeing in the rain, so we wandered back along the lake front and through the Parc des Anglais to the car park. There was an international food festival going on on the lake front, but we didn’t stop to try the offerings, tempting as they were.  Back in the car we headed east along the lake towards Thonon les Bain and Evian. 

As we left the city the weather cleared up somewhat so it was a pleasant drive though the birds were few, Carrion Crows, a Buzzard, and Woodpigeons but little else. We stopped for an ice cream in Evian and let the boys stretch their legs on the lake front promenade, then headed back to the car and made our way to Thonon les Bain, then south towards Morzine and Cluses. 

The drive was uneventful, the rain came back in with a vengeance but the scenery was glorious as we wound our way through the hills and gorges with the river cascading in full flood alongside in places. By the time we reached Cluses it cleared again and we dropped down into the valley, and with some difficulty made our way across the road, motorway and river, through the town centre to the northern end of the road that snaked through the pass at Col de la Colombiere. We zigzagged up through the hills, past Chartreuse to the pass, then dropped down again through Chinaillon and le Grand Bournand, down to St Jean de Sixt and up the valley back to La Clusaz. 

The birds we saw during the day not already mentioned were three more Buzzards, three Black Kite, a Yellowhammer singing at Col de la Colombiere, Collared Dove near Evian, Grey Wagtails and the ubiquitous White Wagtails.

Saturday 5^th August 2006 - La Clusaz

It was pouring with rain again first thing and had been so pretty well all night. I drove down into La Clusaz to get bread and croissants for breakfast. By mid-morning the rain had stopped and the sun broke through. From the balcony I watched the Black Redstart (pic left) family, the adults searching for food and the young following them around with their constant contact calls. The local Chaffinches were active and the Grey Wagtails were in the stream again. A Dipper appeared briefly and then flew upstream with a ‘Zzz-iiit’ and disappeared. 

In the afternoon we drove down into La Clusaz again, the boys played mini-golf and Trish and I headed for the supermarket. Afterwards we wandered into the village centre and made for a bar, sat outside in the sunshine and enjoyed a couple of relaxed drinks. The Crag Martins were around the square, the House Martins were busily flying around the clock tower, the House Sparrows were noisy, a Buzzard floated high overhead, the local Blackbird foraged in the little park by the stream and Hummingbird Hawk Moths buzzed around the window boxes and planters. 

We drove up to Col des Aravis for another wander around the shops there, mainly for the boys benefit. The local Swallows and their young were flying around, several corvids were gathered on the high peak of Pointe des Aravis which is over 7000 feet high, I got the impression that they could have been Alpine Chough. House Martins hunted for flies over the meadows and the White Wagtail family flittered about the road and car park. 

Back at the chalet we got tidied up and headed out for dinner just down the road at La Ferme, it was very good, cheesy-potato Tartiflette, Diot sausages, salad and crusty bread, a bottle of red and finished off with Genepi (local Schnapps type liqueur). 

It was still early and the light was fairly good so we drove up the valley at the top of the village to the Lac des Confins. The scenery there is stunning, the peaks are the back slopes of the great wall of cliffs that runs northward from Pointe des Aravis and are home to Marmot, Ibex and Chamois. There were a few White Wagtails about and half a dozen Carrion Crows. The evening was coming on, it was chilly and grey cloud gathered again so we headed back to the comfort of the chalet. From the balcony with coffee in hand I watched a pair of Swifts hawking for insects over the woodland.

Sunday 6^th August 2006 - Col des Aravis and La Clusaz

The morning dawned clear, bright and sunny, though with a slight chill in the air. As usual the Black Redstarts and Chaffinch were around the chalet. After breakfast we walked down to the road and caught the ski-bus up to Col des Aravis and then walked down the valley along the marked paths through the meadows and woodland. There were two Buzzards in the pass, a Kestrel on the far slopes, Goldfinches and Meadow Pipits higher up in the meadows, Chaffinches, tits, and Great Spotted Woodpecker in the woods, Silver-washed and Dark Green Fritillaries, Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns, Skippers, Blues and a variety of moths (Scarce Copper pic left). I found at least two pairs of Black Redstarts with young along the path, half-a-dozen Crows and at least one Marmot was whistling from the grassy slopes under the cliff faces high above. 

We made our way down from the slopes above the woodland to the hotel “U-Fredy” and stopped for a drink before walking back across the road and up to the chalet for lunch. 

In the early afternoon, the boys and Trish rested so I drove up to the alpine meadows at Merdassier above the Col de la Croix Fry. This was a purely ski-oriented settlement with chalets to let, apartment blocks, a single hotel and bar and ski-lifts and tows going off in all directions to the slopes above. A pair of Black Redstart fed young newly out of the nest by the car park; there were dozens of Goldfinches on the thistles, Chaffinches, a Yellowhammer singing, and an Alpine Accentor singing from the top of a Rowan between two chalets. 

Late afternoon saw us heading down to the village again. We had promised the boys they could go swimming which they enjoyed, though Trish and I found the water to be well below the advertised 27^oC! We left the pool and headed for the café for hot drinks whilst the boys carried on swimming for another half-hour. Just above the swimming pool a Black Redstart was singing and a Yellowhammer sang from higher up amongst the pines and scree slopes. 

We collected food and goodies from the supermarket and drove back to the chalet again. I wandered over to look at the Fieldfares nest which was now empty and found it contained a single infertile egg, just like a well marked Blackbird's, if a little smaller. The House Martins flew back and forth over the trees and a pair of Swifts were again in the valley. 

It was brilliantly clear night, the star filled sky was only a little obscured by a few thin wisps of cloud that were lit by the unseen moon somewhere to the south. A single shooting star crossed the sky over the high ridge above the woodland as I watched from the balcony.

Monday 7^th August 2006 - Lammergeier! La Clusaz, Manigod, Tournance

The morning was bright and sunny, and comfortably warm. The usual Black Redstarts and House Martins were around the chalet. 

We got up early and headed down into the village to visit the market with stalls groaning with fruit and vegetables, local cheeses, hams and sausages etc. Trish and the Boys went ice skating whilst I watched and afterwards we walked back to the square for a drink at the usual bar, and as before, I watched the House Martins, Crag Martins and Black Redstarts around the square. Yet another Hummingbird Hawk Moth prospected around the flowers spilling out of the flower boxes. 

On the way back to the chalet we drove up the winding road to Cret du Merle, the higher slopes above the village where there is a hotel and restaurant and a different view of the valley. The Spruce and Larch woodland extends high up this slope to meet the alpine meadow and whilst there were very few birds, there was a handful of butterflies. 

The family had a siesta in the afternoon after their exertions on the ice skates so I spent most of the afternoon sat on the balcony scanning the slopes, cliffs and peaks above the Col des Aravis for whatever I could see. It was a rewarding afternoon, the sunshine was creating thermals and the wind direction favoured the raptors that hunted the alpine meadows and grassy slopes above up to the cliffs. There were at least three Kestrels hunting the high slopes, then two other falcons appeared high above Pointe des Aravis, a pair of Peregrines that crossed the valley, soared high up and whilst one dropped away to the south east the other flew back and down the valley towards me, overhead and across the ridge behind.  

James joined me and we watched a group of climbers on the via-Ferrata traversing across the cliff. At that point I caught sight of another large raptor that appeared from behind Pointe des Aravis, crossed the cliff face then circled upwards before heading down the valley towards us. I could see that it was big, much bigger than the Buzzards and Black Kites, my first thought was Eagle, but the shape was wrong, it looked like an Egyptian Vulture but I knew there were none this far north. As it curved slightly away from me I could see the long diamond tail and the wings held slightly backwards from the joint. There was only one thing it could be, a Lammergeier! As it approached I could see the colours and shape more clearly, Sam and Trish came out to see and it flew right overhead to the Pointe de Merdassier, circled over the coll in the cliff face above us, then flipped upwards over the point, across the ridge and disappeared away towards Croix Fry. For a few brief minutes we had seen and watched the legendary "bone-breaker", one of the rarest birds in Europe. 

We drove down to the supermarket in the late afternoon, then over the Col de la Croix Fry and down to Manigod. From there we explored the valley towards Tournance but found little of interest so returned to Manigod and headed for the bar where we could sit on the terrace and have a drink. A huge cricket perched in the flowers above us and rasped out its fizzing song. 

We saw a Buzzard, a Wren and a Robin (neither very common hereabouts), two Woodpigeons, Great Spotted Woodpecker, a few Water Pipits, Blue, Great and Coal Tits  and White Wagtails on the drive back. From the balcony I watched as a flock of 50 Carrion Crows gathered and perched on the cables of the Téléphérique cable car high above. This was remarkable and unprecedented as we had seen very few so far during the holiday. A small bat came out of the end of the gutter box and flittered away towards the trees on the far side of the stream.

Tuesday 8^th August 2006 - Mont Blanc

I got the family up bright and early, it was a very clear, bright morning, though cold, but looking good for the day ahead. We had breakfast and headed away from the chalet at 8.30am, up over the Col des Aravis and down to Flumet where I saw a pair of Jays, to Megeve, St Gervais and eventually to Chamonix. 

The car park was well signposted for Aiguille du Midi, so we pulled in, prepared ourselves for the trip and when all was ready, walked across the road to the Cable Car station. I queued for the tickets and paid the princely sum of €162 (£113) for a family return ticket to Helbronner on the Italian side of the mountain. Armed with tickets we headed for the cable car and waited our turn to be whisked skywards! 

The first stage of the trip was fairly sedate in a large cable car holding perhaps 50 bodies up to the Plan de l’Aiguille at 2317metres where we disembarked and walked through to the other side of the station onto a second cable car. This second leg of the trip took us to the Aiguille du Midi at 3802 metres and for the last couple of hundred metres we were rising almost vertically into the Aiguille station. At this point the car is suspended some 500 metres above ground! Again, we disembarked and walked through and across the bridge into the Panoramic Cableway station where we entered a much smaller car, grouped in threes and no larger than a golf buggy with four of us sitting in it (pic left).

The Panoramic is suspended from a cable and traverses the span from Aiguille to Helbronner, a distance of 5 kilometres across the glacier giving the most stunning and spectacular views across the glacier, rocks and peaks of Mont Blanc and the adjacent mountains. Towards Helbronner the cable passes over a suspended pylon in order to be able to cross the pass to the Italian station. 

At Helbronner we exited the car and were given our timed ticket for the return trip, then walked up the stairs to the platform above. This is a wooden structure the size of two tennis courts with a helipad in the centre. The northern side is in France, the Southern side is Italy. The platform was crowded with a fair number of people, many of whom had come up from the Italian side, most were down to tee-shirts and layering on the sun block, quite a few were eating and all were enjoying the stunning sunshine and views. From the Italian end we could look directly down onto the village of Courmayer, famous for skiing on the Downhill World Cup circuit. 

Before many minutes had passed, James spotted the first of the Alpine Choughs (pic left) on the rocks below us. Almost immediately several birds came up to the platform and were prospecting for scraps of food coming within touching distance. They were quite fascinating, red legs and yellow beaks, quite fearless yet with their funny squeaky calls that seemed quite un-corvid like. It was noticeable this high up that the air was thin and at times one became breathless, also, the very dry cold air had a remarkable drying effect on the mouth and throat so that constant taking of sips of water was necessary. 

Eventually the time came to return so we walked back down to wait for our car back. The trip was a simple reversal of the outward run, the cars stopping every few minutes as the cars at either end reached the stations and loaded or offloaded passengers. Back at Aiguille du Midi we had a short time to wander up to the viewing platform and look at Mont Blanc and Chamonix far below before heading back to the cable car again for the descent. The first step down to Plan de l’Aiguille was quite gentle, but after moving through to the second and final leg, after the car had exited the station it passed over a pylon and then dropped almost vertically for a few seconds and one became semi-weightless. At this point most of the passengers in the car who did not expect the drop let out a scream followed by peals of laughter. As we descended I noted two Ravens above the station restaurant at Plan de l’Aiguille. 

Back down on the ground in Chamonix we headed for the restaurant and had lunch and a drink, then to the souvenir shop. We returned to the car, loaded up and headed for the road and back towards La Clusaz by a direct reversal of the route we had followed out. 

Back at the chalet I spent an hour or so on the balcony watching the birds of prey hunting in the pass at Col des Aravis. The Peregrine showed up again, a Buzzard floated about, four Kestrels hunted over the high grass slopes and a Black Kite appeared briefly. Four pairs of birds appeared over the Pointe des Aravis and again I though they could be more Alpine Chough though they were far too far away to be sure. We had seen a few other birds during the day, the ubiquitous White Wagtails and several Blue Tits, and I heard a snatch of song on the Helbronner station that was probably a Snow Finch. It was unlikely to be anything else at that altitude. In the evening the bat exited the gutter box again and headed for the trees across the stream.

Wednesday 9^th August 2006 - Col des Aravis, Col de la Colombiere and Grande St Bernard

I got out of bed before 7am and drove straight up to Col des Aravis to have a look at the sunrise and what it would do to Mont Blanc. It was actually rather disappointing, I did get a few photos but there was nothing very special about it. It was another very bright and sunny morning though cool again with a definite Autumnal feel about it. Later in the morning the combination of chilled air and warm sun above created a layer of thick mist several hundred feet above us, but below the mountain tops, which then sank a little lower to road level.    

As usual at the Col the White Wagtails and Swallows were up and about, a single croak from a Raven came down from the top of Croix de Fer to the south of the road, a Marmot was whistling from the slopes somewhere below the Raven and a Kestrel flew across from Pointe des Aravis towards the same slopes below Croix de Fer. 

As I drove back down the road I found a Red-backed Shrike on the shrubs and fences just above the reservoir and then noted two flying young close by. A Blackbird appeared and the Coal, Blue and Great Tits were calling from the trees above the road. Down in the village I stopped to buy croissants and bread and saw another Blackbird by the mini-golf and a pair of Carrion Crows overhead. 

After breakfast we drove down to St Jean de Sixt and then up to Col de la Colombiere. On the way up, above the village of Chinaillon we found three Black Kites circling over a chalet and soon saw that they were swooping down and grabbing food of some sort off the lawn in front of the house. 

It was rather crowded at the top of the pass with lots of people preparing for walks on the mountain and traverses of the via-Ferrata, other just trawling around the souvenir shops or setting up picnics. In a pine tree behind the shops I found a bird which looked rather like a large Whitethroat but couldn’t positively identify it with the light behind it. It didn’t stay long enough to get a better look. 

We drove back down to Chinaillon and then to Grande St Bernard where we found a terrace in front of one of the hotels that was very inviting so walked up there and enjoyed a drink in the sunshine. Overhead we had five Buzzards circling around high overhead and sharing the airspace with the paragliders. 

Back at the chalet a Yellowhammer appeared briefly. After lunch James and I walked up the hill towards the Col des Aravis in search of butterflies and birds. We found the Red-backed Shrikes again, a male, female and at least two young. They were close enough to have a decent look at them, but wary enough to stay away from the camera, or hid in the shade which made them difficult to photograph. The butterflies were easier, Common Blue, Marbled White, Small Tortoiseshell, Fritillaries (Silver-washed Fritillary below) and the ubiquitous, and some very large, Grasshoppers were numerous. Further up the hill, above the Pointe des Aravis we saw a Buzzard circling, watched the four Kestrels hunting and caught sight of the Peregrine again. 

We drove down into La Clusaz in the early evening to collect goodies for dinner and had a wander around some of the shops. When we got back to the chalet we found the local Serin wandering about on the gravel parking space picking up grit or seeds. He was very reluctant to move when I parked the car but did fly up into the fir tree in front of the garage door.

Thursday 10^th August 2006 - Col des Aravis and La Clusaz 

It was cool and overcast this morning with a lot of broken cloud. Not the best of days but at least not raining. 

The Goldfinches were around the chalet again, feeding on the Thistle heads in the overgrown patch by the stream, Chaffinches were in the Spruce trees, the Serin was in the Spruce at the end of the balcony and posed for a photo! The Fieldfares were also about and one flew over the chalet and disappeared up into the wood above the road. Blue Tits and Great Tits were amongst the shrubs and in the trees by the stream and a restless Willow Warbler appeared in the trees, flitted from one to the other and then disappeared across the stream into the Spruces. 

A little later the Fieldfares were back in the taller Spruces above the stream and making alarm calls. I couldn’t see what was upsetting them, but got the impression that it was a mammal rather than another bird. 

We drove up to Col des Aravis again for a walk, then headed down into town where the boys were itching to ride the Luge D'Ete again. We walked around the shops and headed for the little café and sandwich bar in the Route du Col des Aravis for lunch and a drink. As usual the Blackbird put in an appearance, the Crag Martins and House Martins were around the church tower and a Black Redstart or two showed up. 

Back at the chalet the Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Serin were still about and the Fieldfares were in the Spruces in front of the balcony with their two young. I watched the raptors in the pass again, four Kestrels were hunting the grassy slopes below Pointe des Aravis, a Buzzard floated about and the Peregrine came down the valley and crossed the high ridge towards Col de la Croix Fry. James was busy building a dam in the stream and came across a frog. 

Friday 11^th August 2006 - Col des Aravis, Col de la Croix Fry and Thones

Friday dawned cool, grey and overcast. The local Chaffinches and tits were busy in the trees as usual, the Serin and Black Redstarts were about and the local pair of Carrion Crows passed over. A probable Firecrest appeared briefly but remained in the cover of the trees so that I couldn’t be sure. Up on the hillside a Woodpecker flew from one tree into the woodland, it looked like a Black, but again was too fleeting to be sure, though it was unlikely to be anything else. 

We drove up to Col des Aravis in the late morning to buy a Cuckoo clock amongst other things. The four Kestrels were around the car park and shops, White Wagtails and the Swallows flitted about and a pair of Crows foraged in the meadow. 

We drove back down the valley and then took the road over Col de la Croix Fry to Manigod. A Buzzard flew along the hill side by the road. Down in the village of Thones we went walkabout and found a nice pizzeria with a terrace to sit on for lunch and a drink. The village was very quiet and there were no birds of note other than the House Sparrows begging for scraps on the pavement. It was brighter and warmer now, but there was an autumnal feel about the day. We drove back up the valley to St Jean de Sixt and back to La Clusaz. 

From the chalet balcony in the late afternoon I watched the Fieldfares which were rattling their alarm calls again. The Adults were on the highest tops of the Spruces and the youngsters were lower down. The Chaffinches were mildly alarmed but the Black Redstarts, Serin and Goldfinches were not in the least upset. The House Martins flew back and fore low over the woodland, the Carrion Crows were moving about but not much else stirred. It started raining again at 4pm. 

By the early evening we had packed and prepared everything for the morning, so after a wash and brush up and a change of clothes we headed down into town for a last dinner out at La Cordee, then headed back to the chalet and our beds.

Saturday 12^th August 2006 - Homeward

I got everyone up reasonably early, we had breakfast and tidied up last bits and pieces, piled everything into the car and headed down into La Clusaz for the last time. At the Agence Immobiliers we handed back the keys, paid the local tax and retrieved the deposit, got croissants from the bakery and set off towards Annecy. 

It was raining again and had been most of the night. The drive down to Annecy was uneventful though the rain got heavier. As we headed around the ring road we saw a Grey Heron rather incongruously stalking along the grass verge by the roadside. 

Heading up towards Frangy and Bellegarde the rain was periodically heavier, then lighter and sometimes it even stopped! By the time we reached the peage and headed west towards Bourg en Bresse, winding through the mountains and tunnels it was almost constantly heavy. We headed north towards Dijon and the weather cleared for some time, it was never very sunny, but was brighter. North of Dijon we ran into a series of thunderstorms, heavy, black and spectacular so that at times we were down to 10mph. 

A few birds showed up along the road, Buzzard and Red Kite, one or two Blackbirds, Yellowhammers and a Corn Bunting and Carrion Crows at various points along the way. The most notable birds were the Common Tern that flew across the road where we crossed a small river just south of Reims and the stunningly beautiful Montagu's Harrier that flew across in front of us further north. 

Late in the afternoon the rain set in again, we were though making very good time and were going to be very early for the ferry so I headed north from the peage at Arras towards Lille, then west to Ypres. It was still raining, though fairly lightly, so I parked the car by the moat and we all walked down to the Menin Gate and I showed Trish and the Boys around. From there we wandered down to the Groote Markt and had a good look at the chocolate shops, then retired to the comfort of a café for hot chocolate and coffee. Back at the car I headed out of town towards Dunquerke. The rain came on again even more heavily, so with a last stop for fuel we hit the motorway and drove south to Calais. 

At the check in we were offered a place on the 10pm ferry for an additional £20 which I happily paid and we drove straight on. Up in the lounge we relaxed and prepared ourselves for a somewhat bumpy ride across the channel. We reached Dover, crawled out of the docks and then headed away up towards the M25. There was trouble on the M20 which I couldn’t avoid, more trouble on the M4 which I did miss by taking the M3 and cutting back north through Bracknell, then just headed west to Swindon, north to Gloucester and we finally reached home about 2am. After unloading the luggage and a cup of coffee, we headed for bed. 

It had been a great trip, good accommodation, great countryside and scenery, very good food and drink and we all enjoyed it. I had done 2,268 miles all told, but was relieved to be home after a tiring drive through lousy weather.

Mountain Ringlet and Scotch Argus below.