Corsica 2017 – The Scented Isle

April 5th to 9th 2017

Summary A short early Spring visit to this wonderful scenic island. Highlights included the driving along

picturesque roads, trekking in Wonderful valleys and magnificent views of Dartford, Sardinian and

Mamoras warblers. The target birds included the endemic Corsican Nuthatch and Corsican Finch as

well as the Corsican subspps including Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Wren, Tree creeper, Jay, Goldfinch,

Greenfinch, Red Crossbill were seen. Disappointing lack of access to the Etange de Biguglia

People were very friendly and Food excellent.

Route /Places Visited:

• Ajaccio

• Corte

• Col de Sorba

• Gorge de la Restonica

• Gorge de l`Asco

• Etange de Biguglia

• Capu Rossu

Guides/Internet sites:

Birders Reports - http://www.cloudbirders.com/tripreport

Checklist of Birds seen (* Heard /distant views)

Engraving of Corsican nuthatches from John Whitehead's list of Corsican birds published in 1885

• Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus

• Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis

• Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus

• Red Kite Milvus milvus

• Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus wolterstorffi*

• Common Buzzard Buteo buteo pojana

• Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus

• Audouin’s Gull Ichthyaetus audouinii

• Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis

• Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis*

• Rock Dove (Feral Pigeon) Columba livia

• Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus

• Scops Owl Otus scops*

• Common Swift Apus apus

• Wryneck Jynx torquilla*

• Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major parroti

• Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius

• Hooded Crow Corvus cornix

• Raven Corvus corax

• Coal Tit Periparus ater sardus

• Great Tit Parus major corsus

• Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus

• Woodlark Lullula arborea

• Crag Martin Hirundo rupestris

• Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

• Northern House Martin Delichon urbicum

• Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus irbii

• Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla

• Mamora’s Warbler Sylvia sarda

• Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala

• Dartford Warbler

• Firecrest Regulus ignicapillus

• Wren Troglodytes troglodytes Koenig

• Corsican Nuthatch Sitta whiteheadi

• Corsican Nuthatch Sitta whiteheadi

• Spotless Starling Sturnus unicolor

• Blackbird Turdus merula

• Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus deichleri*

• Robin Erithacus rubecula

• European Stonechat Saxicola rubicola

• Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe

• Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitaries

• Dipper Cinclus cinclus

• Italian Sparrow Passer italiae

• Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinereal

• Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs tyrrhenica

• Greenfinch Chloris chloris madaraszi

• Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis tschusii

• Corsican Citril Finch Carduelis corsicanus

• Corsican Crossbill Loxia curvirostra Corsicana

• Corn Bunting Emberiza calandr

• Cirl Bunting Emberiza ciriu

LIST OF BUTTERFLIES AND OTHER INSECTS/REPTILES OBSERVED

Italian Wall Lizard Podarcis sicula

Tyrrhenian Wall Lizard Podarcis tiliguerta

LIST OF BUTTERFLIES AND OTHER INSECTS

• Peacock

• Orange tip

• Swallowtail

• Brimstone

• Clouded Yellow

• Common blue

• Corsican Wall Brown

• Southern Speckled Wood

• Large White

• Red Admiral

• Meadow brown

• Pine Processionary Moth

Mike Neale 2017 http://www.surfbirds.com/community-blogs/bbc/