The Seine river makes several large meanders over a flat, alluvial plain before flowing into the crique de Rouen and the Atlantic Ocean. Not far to travel from the south of England, it does however have quite a few breeding species or birds that are absent or hard to find in Britain yet relatively common here including Golden oriole, Bluethroat, Lesser spotted woodpecker and White stork.

“Land of a thousand lakes”. A trip to the Brenne, in central France, is like taking a step backwards in time. The small country roads have little traffic and a stop on the side of one, almost anywhere, allows for the observation of interesting wildlife.

The Camargue is the extensive delta of the Rhone river where it meets the Mediterranean. Internationally renowned for the birds that occur, and rightly so! Probably best known for its Flamingo colony, the only regular nesting site in Western Europe and a species you are bound to see. Winter sees the arrival of many waterfowl, including thousands of Red-crested Pochard, with accompanying predators – Spotted Eagle occurs annually.

Within easy reach of Paris, the Forêt d’Orient lakes may not be as well known as their sister lake, the “Lac du Der”, but they too have Cranes occurring in large numbers during the winter months with the peak during migration in November and February. Black Stork are another top species, which occur in good numbers in September, whereas Middle-spotted woodpecker are a resident species.

A very unspoilt part of France, the park covers much of the Cotentin peninsula in Normandy. The area away from the coast consists mainly of low-lying, flat water meadows, with much of the grazed area becoming flooded in winter. Many species to see with a few that are of particular interest: White Stork, Bluethroat, Melodious, Savi’s and Fan-tailed Warblers among others. The coast can be very productive with large numbers of waders from August to April.

On the Mediterranean coast and not far from the Pyrenees, the varied habitats of salt pans, lagoons, marshes, garrigue and limestone escarpments provide for a great variety of species including Flamingo, Bonelli’s eagle, Eagle owl, Kentish plover, Slender-billed gull, Thekla’s lark… and a few that only occur in this corner of the country: Pallid swift and Spotless starling.