Ornithology in the South West

Grey Heron

Vendee

Le Point de Aiguillon

Birds seen locally   Heron Little Grebe                          Great Crested Grebe                     Fulmar                                    Gannet Cormorant                            Cattle Egret                                    Great White Egret                 Little Egret Grey Herron                         Purple Heron                                  White Stork                            Spoonbill Sacred Ibis                            Mute Swan                                     Black Swan (escape)             Greylag Goose Barnacle Goose                    Shelduck                                         Wigeon                                   Gagwall Teal                                       Green Winged Teal                        Pintail                                     Garganey allard                                     Shoveler                                          Pochard                                  Eider Goldeneye                            Montagus Harrier                          Hen Harrier                            Marsh Harrier Black Kite                            Buzzard                                           Sparrowhawk                          Merlin Kestral                                  Red Legged Partridge                   Pheasant                                 Moorhen Coot                                      Oystercatcher                                 Black-winged Stilt                  Avocet Ringed Plover                      Kentish Plover                                Grey Plover                            Lapwing Turnstone                             Sanderling                                       Dunlin                                     Pectoral Sandpiper     Ruff                                      Curlew                                              Whimbrel                               Black-tailed Godwit Redshank                            Spotted Redshank                           Greenshank                           Wood Sandpiper Common Sandpiper             Mediterranean Gull                         Little Gull                              Black-headed Gull Common Gull                       Lesser Black-backed Gull              Herring Gull                           Great Black-backed Gull Yellow Legged Gull             Great Black-backed Gull               Sandwich Tern                       Common Tern Little Tern                           Caspian Tern                                   Black Tern                             Whiskered Tern Guillemot                             Woodpigeon                                    Collared Dove                        Turtle Dove Cuckoo                                 Barn Owl                                        Swift                                         Kingfisher Hoopoe                                Green Woodpecker                        Great Spotted Woodpecker   Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Skylark                                Crested Lark                                  Sand Martin                            Swallow House Martin                     Tree Pipit                                         Meadow Pipit                         Tawny Pipit Blue Headed Wagtail         Grey Wagtail                                   White Wagtail                        Wren Dunnock                              Robin                                               Nightingale                             (White-spotted) Bluethroat Black Redstart                   Redstart                                          Whinchat                                 Stonechat Wheatear                            Ring Ouzel                                      Blackbird                                 Song Thrush Mistle Thrush                    Grasshopper Warbler                     Cettis Warbler                        Fan-tailed Warbler (Zitting Cisticola) Sedge Warbler                   Reed Warbler                                 Whitethroat                             Garden Warbler Blackcap                            Chiffchaff                                         Bonellis Warbler                    Goldcrest Crested Tit                         Long-tailed Tit                                Coal Tit                                   Blue Tit Great Tit                             Marsh Tit                                       Nuthatch                                 Short-toed Treecropper Jay                                      Magpie                                            Jackdaw                                 Rook Carrion Crow                      Starling                                           House Sparrow                      Chaffinch Greenfinch                          Goldfinch                                        Serin                                       Linnet Yellowhammer                    Cirl Bunting                                   Reed Bunting                          Corn Bunting   And also a Barn Owl nesting in my canoe in a shed in my garden.       HOME All the above birds have been logged time and place.

Bullfinch

Echasse

The great migration south from September to November through the Point de Aiguillon estuary and bay area. Up to 420,000 migratory birds mostly Goldfinches, Song Thrush, Skylarks, Swallows and finches of all descriptions gather here before heading for warmer winters in Africa.                                   1 The cliff of Divine Southern side or since the road, one can easily observe in a day Chevêche d' Athéna and the Falcon kestrel.   2 The dam of Jabrée Planted various shrubs in the east of cliff of Divine, and in edge of the road towards the sea. It is a good ground for observation for the migrating sparrows: Black Rougequeue, Gobemouches, Tariers... and why not, in mid-October or at the beginning of November, rare Siberian Warblers.   3 Polders around Divine On the catches of Grâlée and Corsives, during their migration of at the end of October, you can observe small troops of Cranes ashed in last corn thatches, the plowed fields or on their dormitory of the mizottes of Bay. Also visible in these places, the Owl of the marshes.   4 The natural reserve of Bay Managed by the ONCFS, the dam of the transformer is the best site of observation.In autumn and winter you can admire the spectacle of thousands of limicolous, ducks, geese... and seek Faucons pélerin and swivel.   5 The point of Arçay A reserve managed by the ONF and the ONCFS, closed with the public. Accéss around the Point is done only from beach. Go to the carpark located in the catch of Le Havre, then go by foot  north towards the reserve and to take the first  on the left driving towards the beach. Then, to skirt the beach towards the south  approximately 1h30. With the point, on the small small islands, you will be able to observe laridés (of which the Seagull with ringed nozzle, rare but regular American bird), 7 species of terns of which rather rare Sternes hansel, of Dougall and Caspian. Many limicolous, the Eider duck with sleeping bag, the falcons pélerins and swivel and sparrows in migration are also seen.   6 The estuary of Lay   L E carpark of damping, close to the restaurant the Pergola , is a good site to observe the limicolous ones, laridés and the sparrows in migration. 7 Basins of the station of veil of the Pivot-on-Sea In the basin located behind the fire station, at the end of October, you will be able to observe under good conditions the 3 species of Dives, the Red-breasted merganser, crested Grèbes, with black neck and esclavon, Garrot in eye of gold. After the storms, Labbes, the Phalaropes, the Kittiwake and sometimes the Gull of Sabine come to remain some time there.   8 The station of purification of the Section on sea Located close to the aerodrome, the station of lagunage is a good point of observation for laridés the such gull Pygmy, Grèbes with black neck and esclavon, the ducks (of which Erismature russet-red). It is a site not to be missed after the storms for Labbes, the Phalaropes, the Kittiwakes and of Sabine.   9 The lagoon of the Beautiful Henriette This site is impossible to circumvent, it is necessary to go there if possible before the opening of the shooting season. You will observe there castagneux Grèbe, Hérons, Spatule, Sternes, Guifettes, Water rail, Marouettes as well as many paludicoles sparrows, of which Rémiz penduline and Breadcrumbs with moustache (in large the phragmitaie).   10 The point of Grouin of the Neck and the beach of Terrière These two sites will enable you to observe the birds of sea: Gannet, Let us plunge, Macreuses, Grèbes, Harles, Eider, Puffins, Laridés and Sternes. On the beach, observation the limicolous ones and sparrows in migration.      HOME

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