aixcentric

As January 1st 2019 dawned, St Remy-resident Ralph Padgett, was brimful of enthusiasm for a very special challenge: he planned to spend the year spotting 200 birds in France.  Having given his wife Gayle solid support for her year researching and writing ‘Passion for Provence’, charting the American couple’s establishment of their new French life, now he was asking for solid support for his project.

Gayle writes: ‘ I envisioned staying in charming inns, enjoying gastronomic delights and sipping local wines. I’d roam quaint villages, find inventive artisans and discover unusual festivals’. Markets and spas were on her agenda too.

But were these places that birds hang out?  Or do they gravitate to sewage treatment plants, landfill sites, marshes or wind-swept mountain sides.

Living near the Carmargue, home was a good place to start, and the first month went so well with 76 birds spotted;  but of course these were the easiest to see, and as the months rolled by, the challenge grew as the more secretive species were sought.  The couple visited  the Pyrenees, St Jean de Lux, Aix, Barcelonette, the Cote d’Azur as well as Erquy in the north.

So…did Gayle find charming inns and markets?  And did Ralph track down 200 of his feathered friends?

‘The Birdwatcher’s Wife’ is a fascinating mix of travelogue and the hidden world of birdwatchers.  I think it would make an interesting and welcome Christmas present for Francophiles and nature-lovers alike.

Now available in bookstores and also online at Amazon, print and Kindle.