Provence 2008: A New Model for the Ornithourist

Like all  but the most sullen visitors to southern France, I fell in love with Provence the first time I laid eyes on it. I’ve been dreaming for years of showing this blessed countryside to others, hoping to give them a view into the uniqueness of a world that is as intensely cultural as it is ruggedly natural, as accessible as it is other.

And so a dozen of us set out to experience as much of the wonder of Provence as we could in a trip of ten days, combining some of the continent’s best birding sites with visits to cultural monuments representing nearly two millennia of European history. For many of us, it was a new way to bird, and I think that all of us came away from the experience with a far deeper understanding of this fascinating landscape than any “mere” birding trip or any sightseeing tour could offer.