Birds of the Camargue

Debby and I took an afternoon apart from the tour group to visit a bird preserve at the southern end of the Camargue, near the Mediterranean coast.

The greater flamingo was the primary species evident, along with the grey heron and several other species. In case you wonder where all the flamingos come from, the answer can be found in the pictures. Most species recorded here are similar to a species of the same genus found in the Americas.

Greater Flamingo Studies

Female Multi-Tasking

Grey Heron Studies

Other Species of the Camargue

Little Egret

Black-Headed Gull

Black-Headed Gull Calling

Cattle Egret

Common Pochard

Eurasian Coot

Black-Winged Stilt

Our one other photographed species from the trip was a mute swan, of which many were seen on the rivers of France.

Mute Swan

Two species were observed in captivity at the park, perhaps disabled or part of a breeding campaign.

Eurasian Eagle Owl

Eurasian Eagle Owl with Chick

Black Stork

The Camague also offered a view of a semi-aquatic mammal, the coypu (nutria or river rat), a bit of a pest species here because of its ravenous appetite for wetland vegetation (clearcuts are its specialty, but it only eats part of the stalk, leaving all the rest).