Our gites are named after members of the hawk family in French and with good reason. The amount and variety of birds that can be seen from the cottages and surrounding area is immense. From songbirds to the raptors themselves you'll find many species of our feathered friends here in the Dordogne. One of the most beautiful, although shy birds is the Golden Oriole. The unique song that these birds sing is unmistakable once heard, it sounds rather like some-one playing a flute under water. The larger members of the buzzard family can be heard making their plaintive cries high on the thermals throughout the warmer months combined with air displays from the swifts and swallows that would make the Red Arrows envious. Not forgetting in Spring and Autumn the majestic delta shaped skeins of cranes that pass over the region - awe inspiring for any bird watcher and the rest of us too. Below you'll find some interesting sites regarding Ornithology in France.The RSPB link gives birdsong sound clips, so you can hear the Golden Oriole before you come over here. www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife The definitive site for birds in the UK www.lpo.fr The French equivalent to the RSPB www.oiseau-libre.net Another French site full of information www.fatbirder.com/links_geo/europe/france_aquitaine.html Great site with reports from the Dordogne. If you are a keen fan of birds or Bird watching and have a website, please let us know and we can place a link to your site here with pleasure, if you have a links page too, even better we can exchange links. Contact Sharon With thanks to www.Copyright-free-photos.org.uk for the photos above of the Hawk and the Robin. Photo of the swallow by Leupold, James C./USFWS