Quercy Photo Holidays

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France
Limogne
Quercy Photo Holidays

Photography Holidays in Southern France with on-site accommodation, wildlife hides, woodland, meadows and stunning local scenery.

Workshops and tuition available with resident pro photographer Simon Phillpotts. Simon & Sarah Phillpotts

Simon has worked for over a decade as a Professional Wildlife Photographer and Guide. Originally based in the Yorkshire Dales, Simon established two highly successful photography hides which focused on Red Squirrels and woodland birds, as well as running regular workshops for other species th

roughout North Yorkshire. Sarah has a background in biology, and is a keen naturalist, with a wide-ranging interest in European plant and animal species. Based on a former farm, set in over 30 acres (12 hectares) of wildlife-filled oak woodland and meadows, Simon and Sarah have established a new nature experience / photography business with luxury on-site accommodation in the stunning Parc Naturel Régional des Causses du Quercy in Southern France. Simon's images have been Highly Commended in the British Wildlife Photography Awards on several occasions and shortlisted in Bird Photographer of the Year. They have featured in national newspapers including the Telegraph, Times, Guardian, Daily Record, Daily Mail, Sun and Mirror, the local press in Yorkshire and the North-East and a variety of books, calendars and magazines. On TV he has appeared on BBC's Countryfile with Julia Bradbury, Inside Out (North East and Cumbria), Escape to the Country and ITV 1's The Dales with Ade Edmonson. Simon is an f-stop Brand Ambassador and currently uses OM-System (Olympus) camera equipment.

17/05/2026

Last week we heard a familiar sound and looked to the skies as a dozen or so European Bee-eaters flew over the house. During our recent tour we'd also seen several flying above a meadow, so yesterday we decided to head slightly south west and out of the oak forest to find some more suitable habitat. After a short search we came across a group sitting on telephone wires. We spent an hour or so watching and photographing them as they flew from their perches to collect bees and other insects. They weren't particularly close, so some cropping of the images was involved to remove dead space, but nonetheless, they give a good idea of the beautiful colours and behaviour of these birds. The biodiversity of this area is unbelievable, we never know what we're going to see next!

14/05/2026

We completed our first 'Wildlife of the Lot Valley' Tour with Wildlife Worldwide clients earlier this week. We were treated to some amazing natural sights despite a few days of mixed weather to begin with. One of the highlights was finding ourselves within a mass emergence of Chalk Burnet moths (Zygaena fausta). We usually only see one or two of these gold-lined beauties at a time, but there were hundreds! Although this wasn't primarily a photographic trip there were plenty of good opportunities to capture the hundreds of species that we saw. We're looking forward to doing it all again with the second tour group in a few days time.

26/04/2026

A freshly emerged male Beautiful Demoiselle. When these insects are young they have these amazing copper coloured wings which then change over time to a very dark blue/black. Lots of dragonflies and damsels are now on the wing around our local ponds and rivers.

19/04/2026

The warm Spring we are having is proving great for seeing our reptiles. This is the Western Green Lizard, one of four lizard species we have here. Measuring up to 50cm in length (2/3 of it tail), the male has a brightly coloured blue throat during the breeding season. This one lives near to the house and like to climb an oak tree to find a sunny spot in the evening. They are usually quite shy but if you are careful and move slowly you can often get some nice close up shots with a longer lens.

15/04/2026

Something a little different today. A pair of White Storks nesting with the snow-capped Pyrenees in the background.

07/04/2026

Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers - We suspected we might have some of these little beauties but, whilst I have heard a call occassionally, I thought it might be the fairly frequently seen larger species of Middle Spotted. They sound similar and almost have a raptor-like call. Walking through a more distant part of our property we spotted some movement on the tree trunks and noticed how tiny these birds were (only a little larger than a Chaffinch). It looks like there may have been two youngsters and an adult. That's five woodpecker species for us now (six if we include their cousin, the Wryneck, which we have occassionally seen and often hear)!

01/04/2026

I've been taking a break from social media and so it's been a while since I posted here. Time to get back on the horse!

Back in September we had a real show of the last of the years orchids, the Autumn Lady's-Tresses. They were springing up everywhere around the house and even on the grassy bit down the middle of the drive! They are small and are often overlooked, so I thought a little work with the macro lens would be in order. I created some stacked images of around eight frames to bring out the crystaline detail in the tiny flowers.

As I write, the earliest of this years orchids are just starting to flower here and we just heard our first cuckoo. Hopefully other migrants like the Hoopoes aren't far behind.

01/08/2025

We've just been informed that we've been awarded an Eco-défis (eco-challenges) gold award by the Lot Department! This recognises our significant investment into green energy and sustainable practises here at Les Teyssonnières. Looking forward (not) to the obligatory prize giving and ceremonial photo opportunity with local politicians so loved here in France! 🤣

26/07/2025

Our first 'Wildlife of the Lot Valley' Tour with Wildlife Worldwide in 2026 has sold out extremely quickly. I was going to inform everyone that we added a second tour date, but that sold out immediately as well! There are however, spaces for 2027, but be quick!

19/07/2025

The heat and lack of water in this part of France is brutal for wildlife, but we always try and keep plenty of drinking options available on our land. Here is a short selection of wildlife visiting during the daytime, many more mammals visit at night including martens, foxes and hares. This is the first time we have seen a Goshawk here, a very impressive bird!

Adresse

Quercy Photo Holidays, 2 Chemin Des Teyssonnières
Limogne
46260

Téléphone

+33626342618

Site Web

https://linktr.ee/quercyphotoholidays

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