Birds of Marais Poitevin & Ile de Ré / Tour February 2022
Day 1: We meet at the hotel at 10 a.m., in the historic center of La Rochelle, what a magnificent city! But what interests us during this birding tour in the Marais Poitevin is rather the birds! We set off without delay to explore Aiguillon Bay in search of the Short-eared Owl, the sector's flagship species. The Baie de l'Aiguillon is one of the most important wintering areas for the species in France. The weather forecast announces a strong wind but no rain, it's a good thing. We start with a first area favorable to the species but no owl in sight. I decide to go further and explore other favorable sectors, in vain. The other birds are however numerous, we observe thousands of Northern Lapwings and Golden Plovers in the fields but also many egrets and herons.
Photo Thibaut Rivière
A colorful Common Stonechat stops us for a few photos.
Photo Thibaut Rivière
We then arrive at the belvedere of the RNR of the Marais de la Vacherie for the picnic. Several White Stork nests are visible and a few individuals seem to stand guard over them. Water levels in the reserve are very low this year, which limits the number of birds, especially waterfowl and waders. However, we observe good groups of Common Shelducks and Eurasian Curlews.
During the afternoon, we work hard to try to observe the Short-eared Owl. We are exploring other very favorable sectors but it will not be for this time. Finally we go to the side of the Baie de l'Aiguillon and we observe our first group of Brant Geese, very noisy and the place is full of birds. Magic !
Photo Thibaut Rivière
A Merlin passes not far from us, pursuing a Dunlin and two Eurasian Spoonbills also pass in flight.
Our guests faces show a certain disappointment and it is normal because the Short-eared Owl is the main goal of this birding tour. We will try again tomorrow! A good meal awaits us in one of the best restaurants in La Rochelle, yum!
Day 2: Early departure to be at sunrise in one of the best areas in the area for the famous Short-eared Owl. We walk for a long time in vain, only Eurasian Marsh-harriers fly over these large expanses of salt meadows. The view gives us a second confirmation that the Bay is full of birds, there are probably tens of thousands of them... For the most numerous species, we can note Brant Goose, Common Shelduck, Black-tailed Godwit, Pied Avocet, Dunlin and ducks such as Northern Pintail. We decide to go and see near the shore. We are experiencing very good encounters with a few godwits, a Ruddy Turnstone and hundreds of Dunlins landed not far from our lenses. The guests also try a few photos in flight, not easy as they are fast.
Photo Thibaut Rivière
Photo Thibaut Rivière
We leave the spot and there, I spot a clear shape in an ivy, a Short-eared Owl posed!!! Finally! It's madness, our guests have time for beautiful photos, the owl looks at us peacefully.
Birding Tour in France
Suddenly, another owl takes off from nowhere and makes the first one take off, the birds move away towards the surrounding meadows, joined by a third then! At least two individuals are exposed on the ground in tall grass. One of the individuals ended up coming back to us and hovering over us, circling. What happiness, everyone is thrilled! It will eventually land in an open tree where we will take a few more photos.
To continue on this good momentum we go in search of the Long-eared Owl, several roosting places are known by prospecting the region and we go to one of them. Barely arrived that we come across an individual completely exposed, in the sun and not at all worried about our presence, it's ideal! A second and then a third are placed in the next tree. For participants who take photos, this is an opportunity to refine photo settings to produce beautiful images.
Small picnic in the sun before taking the road to the Pointe de l'Aiguillon. The Pointe de l'Aiguillon offers another view of the Bay but the birds are far away (completely low tide).
We'll take a short walk between the dunes and the beach to find some cooperative Ruddy Turnstones.
We then decide to return not too late to the spot of Short-eared Owls this morning to see them hunting at sunset. This time they will remain shy. Nothing is ever guaranteed when it comes to birdwatching, and that's the beauty!
We dine in another delicious restaurant in La Rochelle. A good night's sleep on this in order to think back to all the highlights of this beautiful day!
Day 3: The day is devoted to discovering the birds of the Ile de Ré, a known birding hotspot with no less than 310 species of birds observed in total on the Lilleau des Niges Reserve! Lots of wind but cool sightings at high tide in the old salt marshes. We find a basin with large gatherings of Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits but also a small group of shorebirds with no less than 6 different species.
A group of not very shy Brant Geese let the participants take a few tens or even hundreds of photos, this bird is really attractive with its beautiful contrasts.
Further on, a small band of European Goldfinches feeds in the wild grass, what a beautiful bird, which unfortunately is becoming scarce...
We end this nature tour in the Marais Poitevin and the Ile de Ré in a small restaurant with a hot dish, then with a digestive walk on the large wild beach of Lizay before we leave.
Thank you to our guests and see you soon for new adventures! With a total of 77 species of birds observed and/or heard during this birding tour, with magnificent observations of emblematic species such as the Short-eared Owl or the Long-eared Owl, it has been a real success!
Thibaut
Guide Salva Fauna
