Self-catering holiday cottages or gites wildlife nature notes Brittany

Self-catering holiday cottages.Family run holiday accommodation where dogs are welcome

Bienvenue à La Belle Vilaine
Self-catering, holiday cottages on the South Brittany/Loire Atlantique border in France.
Friendly family run gite accommodation where dogs are welcome.

WILDLIFE RECORDED IN OUR GARDEN

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Situated on the border of Morbihan (south Brittany) and Loire Atlantique our holiday cottages offer you the ideal base from which to explore the wealth of wildlife in this beautiful area.
La Belle Vilaine Gites Gardens - you don't have to travel far to see some amazing wildlife. Nature is all around! Here follows a bi-lingual list of the birds, butterflies and moths we have *recorded in our garden* in 2005 / 2006/2007/ 2008 and 2009 (year species was first recorded). Scroll down to see the list of butterflies on this page - click on the "moths" link above.
BIRDS Cormorant CATTLE EGRET Grey Heron SACRED IBIS WHITE STORK Mute Swan BLACK KITE RED KITE HEN HARRIER Sparrowhawk Buzzard HONEY BUZZARD Kestrel MERLIN HOBBY CORNCRAKE Red-legged Partridge GREY PARTRIDGE Pheasant Lapwing Black-headed Gull Herring Gull Woodpigeon Collared Dove TURTLE DOVE Cuckoo Barn Owl Little Owl Tawny Owl Swift HOOPOE Green Woodpecker BLACK WOODPECKER Great Spotted Woodpecker LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER Swallow House Martin Meadow Pipit Grey Wagtail Pied Wagtail Wren Dunnock Robin BLACK REDSTART REDSTART Stonechat Wheatear Blackbird Fieldfare Songthrush Mistle Thrush Redwing Whitethroat Blackcap Chiffchaff Willow Warbler Goldcrest FIRECREST PIED FLYCATCHER Long-tailed Tit Blue Tit Great Tit SHORT-TOED TREECREEPER Jay Magpie Rook Carrion Crow Starling House Sparrow BRAMBLING Chaffinch Linnet Goldfinch Greenfinch Bullfinch HAWFINCH Yellowhammer CIRL BUNTING Reed Bunting	LES OISEAUX Grand Cormoran HERON GARDE-BOEUFS Héron Cendré IBIS SACRE CIGOGNE BLANCHE Cygne tuberculé/muet MILAN NOIR MILAN ROYAL BUSARD SAINT-MARTIN Epervier Buse Variable BONDREE APIVORE Faucon Crécerelle FAUCON EMERILLON FAUCON HOBEREAU LE RALE DES GENETS Perdrix rouge PERDRIX GRISE Faisan de Colchide Vanneau huppé Mouette Rieuse Goéland argenté Pigeon ramier/Palombe Tourterelle turque TOURTERELLE DES BOIS Coucou gris Effraie des clochers/Chouette effraie Chevêche d'Athéna/Chouette chevêche Chouette-hulotte/Chat-huant Martinet noir HUPPE FASCIEE Pivert PIC NOIR Pic épeiche PIC EPEICHETTE Hirondelle rustique Hirondelle de fenêtre Pipit des prés Bergeronnette des ruisseaux Bergeronnette grise Troglodyte mignon Accenteur mouchet Rouge-gorge ROUGE-QUEUE NOIR ROUGE-QUEUE A FRONT BLANC Tarier pâtre Traquet motteux Merle noir Grive litorne Grive musicienne Grive draine Grive mauvis Fauvette grise Fauvette à tête noire Pouillot véloce Pouillot fitis Roitelet huppé ROITELET ATRIPLE-BANDEAU GOBE-MOUCHES NOIR (What a great name!) Mésange à longue queue Mésange bleue Mésange charbonnière GRIMPEREAU DES JARDINS Geai des chênes Pie bavarde Corbeau freux Corneille noire Etourneau sansonnet Moineau domestique PINSON DU NORD Pinson des arbres Linotte mélodieuse Chardonneret élégant Verdier d'Europe Bouvreuil Pivoine GROS-BEC CASSE-NOYAUX Bruant jaune BRUANT ZIZI Bruant des roseaux
BUTTERFLIES	PAPILLONS
Large Skipper Small Skipper Dingy Skipper SWALLOWTAIL Orange Tip CLOUDED YELLOW Brimstone Large White Green-veined White Small White Short-tailed Blue Brown Argus Holly Blue Common Blue PURPLE HAIRSTREAK Small Copper Sooty Copper MAP BUTTERFLY (both generations) SILVER-WASHED FRITILLARY Peacock CAMBERWELL BEAUTY Comma Red Admiral Painted Lady Small Heath Wall Brown Meadow Brown MARBLED WHITE Speckled Wood Gatekeeper LESSER PURPLE EMPEROR	Sylvaine l'Hespérie de la Houque Le point-de-Hongrie MACHAON Aurore printanière SOUCI Citron Piéride du chou Piéride du navet Piéride de la rave L'Azuré du Trèfle Collier de corail Azuré de nerprun Azuré commun THECLA DU CHENE Cuivré commun Le Cuivré fuligineux CARTE GEOGRAPHIQUE TABAC D'ESPAGNE Paon du jour MORIO Robert le diable Vulcain Belle-Dame Procris Mégère Myrtil DEMI-DEUIL Tircis Amaryllis LE PETIT MARS CHANGEANT
CLICK HERE FOR GARDEN MOTH LIST - CLIQUEZ ICI POUR LA LISTE DES PAPILLONS DE NUIT DE NOTRE JARDIN.
We never cease to be amazed at the wealth and abundance of birds, butterflies and other wildlife that grace our one and a third acres of land here at La Belle Vilaine holiday cottages. Whether it's due to a difference in farming methods, climate or just the amount of open-space here in south Brittany we couldn't say - but as avid wildlife enthusiasts since childhood, we can say that we are like children in a toy shop! The sight of over 300 House Sparrows feeding on the lawn in winter is every bit as exciting as watching the BLACK KITES circle over-head from March to October. The rush of sound as the sparrows all suddenly fly up to the safety of the hedgerow alerts us to look up just in time to see a sparrowhawk sweeping low or a HOBBY dashing by. Among the many birds that raised their young in our trees and hedgerows in 2005 were kestrels, whitethroats and two pairs of TURTLE DOVES. All year round CIRL BUNTINGS can be seen - individuals or pairs in spring/summer, flocking together in colder months. During the autumn and winter months, Redwings and Fieldfares arrive to brighten our days and CATTLE EGRET feed in neighbouring fields. A cold winter brings HAWFINCH and BRAMBLING. Having a regular supply of SWALLOWTAIL, CAMBERWELL BEAUTY and CLOUDED YELLOW butterflies (see more extensive list above), during their appropriate flight periods, is something we could only have dreamt about in the UK. Last year a PRAYING MANTIS laid her eggs on our wooden shutters, having been present for about 2 weeks - she then disappeared and, sadly, so did the eggs. This July (07) some children,who were staying one of our gîtes, delighted in finding a young Praying Mantis. For more up-to-date information about the wildlife surrounding La Belle Vilaine self-catering, holiday cottages please read our Nature Notes - the month-by-month highlights list information about what we have seen and when during 2005/06/07.
WILDLIFE WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE
Surrounding Woodland - RED SQUIRRELS, PINE MARTENS and deer, live in the nearby pine woodland, together with Lesser Spotted, Great Spotted, Green and BLACK WOODPECKERS. Mixed flocks of tits usually include CRESTED TITS. Colony of LULWORTH SKIPPER located in 2007. Woodlarks and Tree Pipits also breed here. There is an incredible variety of dragonflies and damselflies nearby - click here for a taster of one afternoon's list (July 2008 Nature Notes). The River Vilaine – a 20 minute walk from your holiday cottage, passing through the woods. The river and surrounding plains are hosts to Kingfisher, Black Kite, Marsh-Harrier, Little Egret, Skylark, and RED-BACKED SHRIKE as well as Cetti's, Fan-tailed, Reed and Sedge Warblers (handy to know your bird calls here!). Take the opportunity whilst walking back from the river to further practice your bird-call recognition skills - we often hear both Yellowhammers and CIRL BUNTINGS - waiting for a "Cheeeese" at the end to distinguish one from the other! The locals assure us that OTTERS populate the river, but for the moment they continue to elude us. This may well be due to Gracie and Ficelle (our two collie/spaniel crosses), who always manage to leap into the water for a swim ahead of us! La Fontaine de St. Cry - just over half-an-hour's walk away (or less than 5 mins in the car) this boules and picnic area has a large pond and is surrounded by woodland. This has become a firm favourite amongst our visitors. Highlights recorded include:- Fire Salamander, Grass Snake (regularly seen swimming), European Tree Frog; NIGHTJAR; White Admiral, Purple Hairstreak, LARGE TORTOISESHELL, Queen of Spain Fritillary, Camberwell Beauty, Swallowtail; Beautiful Demoiselle, Golden-ringed Dragonfly. Click here to see some nature photographs. See also the archive Nature Notes (follow links from Nature Notes)
WILDLIFE WITHIN A VERY EASY DAY-TRIP
La Grande Brière nature reserve is just a 20-minute drive. A smaller version of the Norfolk Broads, the reserve offers a wealth of wildlife which can be explored on foot, by horse-drawn carriage or by rowing boat. Numerous guided tours (some in English) are organised throughout the summer. Among the many birds we have spotted within the marshes are Marsh Harrier, Black Kite, Great White Egret, Cattle Egret, Purple Heron, Spoonbill, Sacred Ibis, BLUETHROAT (best time of year - April),* Whiskered Tern, and several species of Warbler including Fan-tailed Warbler. Swallowtail and Camberwell Beauty butterflies are frequent during spring and summer. (* A resident colony – result of birds which escaped local wildfowl parks several years ago) Golfe du Morbihan and La Vilaine Estuary. This wildlife rich coastline is between 20 – 45 minutes drive and is of particular interest during migration and throughout the winter months, although a boat trip around the islands of the Golfe's Sept Iles nature reserve or a cliff-top walk along the breathtaking coastline will bring rewards all-year round. Guérande Salt Marshes - An interesting visit (45 mins drive - approx) at any time of the year, this working salt-marsh is a breeding ground for such birds as Bluethroat, Black-winged Stilt, Avocet and Spoonbill.
We are constantly up-dating our knowledge of the best wildlife sights in the area in order to give our visitors the best chance of seeing some exciting wildlife, whilst still having time to visit the beaches, restaurants etc.

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Self-catering, holiday cottages on the South Brittany/Loire Atlantique border in France.
Friendly family run gite accommodation where dogs are welcome.