Private Birding Tour in Geneva with Thierry
It's sunny and warm on this spring afternoon and I'm delighted to find Thierry, a very loyal guest who notably went on a birdwatching trip to Portugal with us also this spring. This time I find him for a half-day birding tour to discover the birds of Champagne Genevoise. This mainly agricultural area also has some interesting nature reserves and water points.
We begin our excursion at the Barrage de Verbois where we observe the incessant ballet of Bank Swallows and Common Terns. We will see a total of 17 species of birds in just half an hour.
We then move on to areas around Soral, and make extraordinary observations! For our guest, the highlights of this excursion were:
the discovery of a Long-eared Owl: we are in the middle of the countryside, we are walking on a path lined with tall grass, and I stop a moment to listen to a cry that comes from a bush on our left. After having identified a Common Nightingale, I turn my head slightly and discover to my great astonishment a Long-eared Owl completely uncovered in front of a bush, at eye level, only 5 meters from us! An exceptional observation. We admire him for 5 minutes and continue our way to let him continue his nap quietly.
Photo Thierry Lagnel
and the observation of mating European Bee-eaters: we hear the unique cry of the bee-eaters and make a first observation. We stop walking, stay silent, and watch. We then discover 4 individuals. After about fifteen minutes, 2 of them arrive in flight and land on an exposed branch next to each other. Immediately the male positions himself on the female and they mate.
Photo Thierry Lagnel
It was therefore a dream excursion for our guest as for me, because as a guide, we always hope to be able to show beautiful things. We were able to observe nearly 40 species of birds.
If you too would like to discover the birds of French-speaking Switzerland during a private nature excursion, do not hesitate to contact us.
Jonathan
Guide Salva Fauna
