We were fortunate to have a 10-day family holiday in the south of France in August 2025. It was quite hot for the first part, but quite manageable for the latter part. It most certainly was not a birding holiday. However, i did manage to get out for walks with my camera on a couple of mornings and a couple of evenings to make the most of the first and last shafts of light. Some of the species I did get to see were those I would not see in Ireland, such as Crested Tit (see image below), but some I can see at home (see the Woodpigeon and Cattle Egrets below).  

A1_04479 Crested Tit (Lophophanes cristatus)

A1_04624 Common (White-necked) Woodpigeon/Colm coille (Columba palumbus)

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Cattle Egret/Éigrit Eallaigh (Bubulcus ibis)

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Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis)

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Mediterranean Gull/Sléibhín meánmhuirí (Larus melanocephalus)

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Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)

In the end, I think I only clocked up one lifer (brand new species for me) in the shape of a few Cirl Bunting, singing high from a copse of trees a few minutes walk from our campsite. A support case of Short-toed Treecreeper, Green Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Alpine Swift, Pallid Swift, Melodious Warbler, Golden Oriole, White Stork, and the zitting Zitting Cisticola made sure I was well aware I was not in Kansas. 

Photo opportunities were few, but those that I did manage to capture I was happy enough with. I made proper use of eBird was on holidays for the first time and I found that it was a most helpful tool in recording what i saw, and where I went. A fantastic tool to have at our fingertips.