Birds of Marais Poitevin & Ile de Ré / Tour February 2020
Meeting our guests in front of our hotel in La Rochelle, we start our birding tour focusing on the Short-eared Owl, the main goal of the this wildlife tour. The sun is there, we must take advantage of it! We start with a first area, a wetland with thousands of birds, which quickly gets us in the mood. Then a favorable area where nocturnal raptors roost. One of our participants spots a magnificent Barn Owl resting on a branch! The excitement is rising!
Photo Luca Melcarne
In the next hedge, we notice an owl shape in full sun. A Long-eared Owl heats up in the open, and we will end up counting 4. Very active, we are surprised by the attitude of these owls usually nocturnal.
We continue quietly to explore other areas. On the road, a new Long-eared Owl is discovered, even closer than the previous ones, in fantastic light. Our participants have time to make images and even portraits! A magical moment. The owl looks at us calmly and tolerates us.
Photo Luca Melcarne
Further on, another Long-eared Owl hunts us in the middle of the day. Unbelievable! We start to feel hungry and decide to head towards the Réserve Naturelle Régionale du Marais de la Vacherie. Bingo, on the road, we spot 3 Short-eard Owls on the hunt, with parades, vocalizations and even some quarrels between individuals, a beautiful spectacle under our amazed eyes, which pushes us to slightly delay lunch time. The tour beings pretty well!
Photo Luca Melcarne
Photo Luca Melcarne
Photo Luca Melcarne
Photo Luca Melcarne
We take a picnic from the observatory of the reserve with a nice view and lots of birds. What more could we ask for? From 2020 we are committed to no longer use single-use plastic during our picnics, and that is what we did! Thousands of Northern Lapwings, Great Egrets, Western Marsh-harriers, and a few passages of White Storks under the attentive eye of a Peregrine Falcon.
Photo Luca Melcarne
After regaining strength, we return to the spot of the Short-eared Owls hoping to see new behaviors and perhaps have a better proximity? By staying in the car, birds are even more peaceful. Our participants can make beautiful pictures.
We end the day with a view of the Aiguillon Bay at sunset. On the dike, a Barn Owl takes off next to us then a Short-eared Owl begins to hunt along the dike and passes near us within 30 meters. On the way back, we again spot Barn Owls that have just emerged from their daytime roosts, incredible observations of several individuals at dusk, perched and going hunting.
Photo Luca Melcarne
Our participants try to photograph the birds with the last light of the day and also test long exposure images. We are literally surrounded by nocturnal raptors.
Photo Luca Melcarne
We return to the hotel full of images. A good meal in a restaurant in the old town of La Rochelle awaits us. The second day, we start the day by going to the Baie de l'Aiguillon, a great place for bird watching. With the low tide, the birds are far enough away but we will see thousands of shorebirds, Brent Geese, Common Shelduck and even a new Long-eared Owl roost located in ivy. The number of Long-eared Owls we have already seen in absolutely mind-blowing! We are heading towards the Sèvre river, which is also rich in birds. Beautiful views of an Pied Avocet and a Eurasian Curlew at our level. Ideal for trying the different modes of our cameras. We can both test “twilight” images or images with lighter tones by deliberately overexposing.
Photo Luca Melcarne
We then go to the other side of the Bay. As soon as we arrived, a clear shape in the dunes caught our attention: a Short-eared Owl on the ground!
Photo Luca Melcarne
Photo Luca Melcarne
After taking time to capture this beautiful encounter, we take a well deserved picnic followed by a short digestive walk in the dunes, spotting with the observation of two Crested Larks and on the beach a beautiful moment with Sanderlings. We lie in the sand to be at the same level of our subjects.
Photo Luca Melcarne
In the afternoon, we head to a second interesting area to photograph the Short-eared Owl. Although no individuals were found, we were able to observe another Long-eared Owl very close up, lying completely uncovered in a ditch! Another magic moment.
Photo Luca Melcarne
We spend a second evening in the Barn Owls area the moment is just extraordinary. Several Barn Owls gradually come out of their old building while a Short-eared Owl comes hunting in the full light of twilight, a stunning golden light. A Long-eared Owl flies between our two cars, while a Hen Harrier, a Western Marsh-harrier and a Common Kestrel hunt in the same plot. What an incredible spectacle once again !!!
Photo Luca Melcarne
Photo Luca Melcarne
After all these emotions we return to La Rochelle for another dinner in a delicious restaurant in the old town.
The third day is devoted to exploring the Ile de Ré. We get up early to enjoy the sunrise on the Island. Beautiful light from the beach with a fiery sky. Birds wake up and fly very close to us.
Photo Luca Melcarne
Photo Luca Melcarne
Beautiful flights of Brent Geese, a Eurasian Sparrowhawk comes hunting while a Peregrine Falcon flies in the other direction, dozens of shorebirds feed on the rocks. We take the time to admire the show.
Photo Luca Melcarne
Photo Luca Melcarne
Little surprise of the trip, a Red-breasted Goose, a rare species in France, has been spotted for some time in a swamp on the Ile de Ré. This goose is very beautiful, we observe it in the telescope and then leave to walk in the reserve. The wind is getting stronger, which does not help with birding or bird photography. We appreciate the diversity of birds with beautiful groups of shorebirds, ducks and even a Red-legged Partridge!
Photo Luca Melcarne
A Red fox walks among the geese who take off, panicked.
Photo Luca Melcarne
We take the last picnic in the Lizay Forest, sheltered from the wind, then we walk on the beach in search of shorebirds. We come across a nice group with 3 species: Sanderling, Ruddy Turnstone and another less common species, the Purple Sandpiper. Nice! All lying in the sand, the camera shutters heat up and fill our memory cards.
Photo Luca Melcarne
Photo Luca Melcarne
Photo Luca Melcarne
It is now time to leave and say goodbye to our group. With big smiles on our faces, we cannot believe all the incredible sightings and photo opportunities we had during this tour. Memorable moments with the greatest respect for wildlife.
We spotted 90 bird species during the tour. Can not wait for next year!
Thibaut
Guide Salva Fauna
