guided tour Palunette
A nature monitor accompanies you on this 2.5 km circuit to show that alone, you would not have seen. Access to a flat form of observation and an observatory of fauna.

lasted 1 hour
- from 12 till 26 april (scholastic holidays) : departures at 11h and 14h30 from tuesday till sunday, and bank holidays
- in june, july, august : departures at 11h and 14h30 every tuesdays, fridays and saturdays
rates : 5 € adult - 1/2 rate child 6 - 17 years

upon reservation only
within the limits of the available places

An exit sheltered from the sun in the middle of Camargue ; on the carriage, at the rhythm of the horses, come to discover landscapes and traditions of Camargue ; since the top of dykes your look will hit towards the skyline far, while you will listen the coachman relate his knowledge and sound lived in this camargue world. He knows it well, he was born here ! 8 km walkways over the dykes across ponds and marsh in a 2 horses drawn carriage. Besides numerous birds, perhaps you will watch a fox or a boar, because the smell of the horses hides that of the man !

lasted 2 hours
- april to september : departures at 10h and 15h from tuesday till sunday dimanche, and bank holidays
- october and november: departure at 14h30 saturday, sunday and bank holidays
rates : 5€ adult - 1/2 rate child 6 - 17 years

TOP

only upon reservation
In the heart of marshes, walkways over the dykes, walking circuit equipped with animal observatories and panoramic towers : it is the best outing to discover the diversity of wild birds, as well as the great natural areas of Camargue. An advance guided with nature monitor, in a shrine of nature rich and diversified to discover secret Camargue thanks to observatories and spotting scope.

lasted 2 or 6 hours
do not forget your footwear of step, nor your picnic ! tenancy of binoculars in reception, boutique

 TOP

Special, from February till July,
direct since the reception thanks to a video camera fixed above the nest…

Extract of the log 2008 of the family white stork

One of 10 nests occupied by couples of storks is equipped with a camera …

22/07/08 young strorks continue coming regularly to the nest to have a rest ; by strong mistral, they do not defer stretching out to give less than resistance to the wind ; they are visible on them, third party of the starling and the course of the carriage notably everywhere ; on the 10 nests so to benefit this of stork, 27 young one flied off this year ; among them, 11 were ringed
07/07/08 the young storks fly and act as the adults, the nest is now empty most often
26/06/08 young storks goes and come, but they see them still often in the nest
17/06/08 the young storks have almost adult's size
02/06/08 baguage of the young one, to be able to be coherent during their subsequent flies
27/05/08 the plumage of the young birds evolves, feathers grow at the same time as the body gets stronger.
18/05/08 The young storks put on weight and grow, they beat wings on the nest ; they are sometimes alone, but in general 1 of the parents is present with them on the nest, while other one is in hunt to come back nourish the young birds
05/05/08 The 4 young storks grow at a quick glance, if their wings still appear as stumps, they agitate them to develop muscles of them, they stand on their legs, lengthen the neck to discover the world of the nest show renews itself continuously, notably when the parents bring to eat !
02/05/08 there is no more than young birds 4 !
29/04/08 babies grow, but one of 5 young one has particularly weak air ; an egg has already disappeared since there were 5 hatchings, with 6 eggs at first ; one of them must therefore have been ejected.
21/04/08 14h30 a 5th chick was born ; the female stands on the nest, she slicks and cleans the feathers of his chest, then shelters her chicks under a "umbrella" reconstructed with wings put down laterally (cf. photograph)
21/04/08 10 h 30 under the sun, the female has just got up for 30 seconds, they had the time to see 4 storks babies, white bowls which tighten the neck towards the sky ; they understand the mother why (or the father?) moves aside wings, it was to constitute very cosier and broader shelter in its offspring ! A last egg is still whole, while the rubbish of a hatched egg is still at the edge of the nest.
21/04/08 9h this morning, the female did not move, it remains wings semi-moved aside on the nest, unruffled. Perhaps the sun which shines is it going to give him opportunity to move a bit ?
19/04/08 the female did not get up from the day, impossible to know if other infants storks were born ! she remains on the nest the moved aside wings, as if to protect better her eggs and her offspring of bad weather
16/04/08 the 1st chick of stork was born ! This morning when the female got up on her legs, there were 6 eggs ! and early in the afternoon when it got up once again, a baby was, lower case small bowl of down there ! The female then cleaned the nest by taking away the rubbish of shells one after another with his beak, dropping them outside the nest. It then went back down, continuing brooding the 5 other eggs, while holding the small good in heat under the topcoat of feathers !
15/04/08 in when the hatching of the 1st egg ? she would not know how to defer, it takes place in general 1 month after the 1th laying, and the 1st egg was laid 12/03 !
08/04/08 They wait for the 1th hatching ! the female gets up regularly to manipulate with his beak, dispose the nest and replace the 6 eggs in her convenience
22/03/08 a 6th egg was laid ! the 2 parents are often together on the nest, the one who brews, the other who looks after the binnacle around, puts back in place sticks, pulls on the one hand, grows of other one. From time to time, the adult who brews gets up and puts back in place the laying, turn eggs with his beak, with big delicacy ; then il the summer position clearly the nest, while light during its toilette not to slick plumes, always in front of the camera… always has movement there up here on the nest !!
20/03/08 They discovered a 5th egg when finally the female got up 21 during the day !
18/03/08 This morning the female (ou the male? because they brew alternately) was on the nest without moving. When the stork brood hen got up again to manipulate eggs of its beak, there was 4 ! in when the 5th egg ?
16/03/08 This morning the female was on the nest and when she got up, with care and delicacy, she re-installed eggs with his beak, what allowed us to discover the 3rd egg !
14/03/08 This morning, discovery of a 2nd egg in the nest; the female broods the 2 eggs, she raises herself up, from time to time what allows to see the level of progress of the laying
12/03/08 this is there, the 1st egg appeared in afternoon. Which punctuality, in 3 days near, the laying was made in the same date as last year!
10/03/08 No egg was again laid
04/03/08 The female is more and more often put down on the nest without moving, we have a feeling that the laying is soon going to be made. When will come the 1st egg? it is suspense…
26/02/08 Storks continue recharging their nest, go them and come succeed one another, mating is more and more frequent
22/02/07 During all February, both birds repaired their nest, bringing branches and cowpat there constituting a comfortable mattress for the future chicks. We intend them to bang of the beak and can notice their parades. We waylay impatiently their mating which should not defer any more.
10/02/08 The winter having been, made soft rather it some months than couples it of storks frequent the nest. The couple struts about, bangs of beak, opening of wings, etc. ; the adults recharge the nest of branches of herbes and cowpats constituting a cosy mattress !

Camargue is an earth of marvels and mysteries, unfortunately often closed to the watcher curious for nature. The Marshes of Vigueirat offer you to explore the heart in depth by submerging you in wild and safeguarded landscapes, with a naturalist guide who will be able to initiate you to the actuality of nature, and answer all your questions.

The Marais du Vigueirat constitute a site of choice for the observation of nature…



22/08/08 south (Baisse des oies observatory) 2 flying black storks, 2 flying short-toed snake-eagles, about 100 eurasian spoonbills, more than 1000 herons (notably little egrets, and great egrets, grey herons), 10 white storks, and 6 greylag gooses ; 1 young whiskered tern
15/08/08 south (Rizière observatory) black-winged stilts, spotted redshanks, green sandpipers, common sandpipers, little ringed plovers, 2 gull-billed terns, black-headed and yellow-legged gulls,
no duck ; very much dragonflies
15/08/08 south (Baisse des oies observatory) 20 white storks, 10 eurasian spoonbills, many mallard…
12/08/08 (Rizière observatory) curlew sandpipers, numerous spotted redshanks, green and common sandpipers, northern lapwings, black-winged stilts, little ringed plovers, mallards, 3 first common teals, greylag gooses, purple and grey herons, cattle, great and little egrets
08/08/08 south + 150 limicolous, tens of species among which 20 spotted redshanks, 2 ruffs, 3 common ringed plovers
08/08/08 free path every herons (excepted great bittern), european pond turtles, common kingfisher and dragonflies
05/08/08 2 pin-tailed sandgrouses in front of information
04/08/08 south 9 pin-tailed sandgrouses
01/08/07 guided tour nice visit with a lot of watched species, we are coming into a period with a broad diversity of species (at the same time the summer visitors and migrant birds, being only present at the time of their passage) : 1 flying pin-tailed sandgrouse (sedentary endemic species which are nesting in Crau, coming to drink and to search some water for fledglings), 3 garganeys (1 male and 2 flying females), 2 northern lapwings, 1 gull-billed tern with its fledgling, 3 eurasian spoonbills, 10 ruffs, about fifteen little stints, numerous mallards and greylag gooses, some green sandpipers, common sandpipers, ringed plovers, black-winged stilts, great egrets, purple herons, grey herons, little egrets, cattle egrets, great cormorants, greater flamingoes, common swifts, 2 young eurasian marsh-harriers on a tamarisk, about 20 flying european bee-eaters ; 1 coypu ; very numerous dragonflies… and the blackberries are ripe !
26/07/08 guided tour observatory of Baisse des oies : about 25 eurasian spoonbills, 20 black-winged stilts, several families of greylag gooses, 1 family of red-crested pochard, coots, numerous mallards, 1 great egret, flying gull-billed terns, bulls breed Camargue and coypu ; observatory of Rizière and around : the first little stints, numerous black-winged stilts, purple heron, grey herons, black-crowned night-herons, little egrets, 1 eurasian marsh harrier, black-headed gulls and yellow-legged gulls ; numerous dragon-flies...
22/07/08 guided tour always migratory birds, notably redshank, greenshank, ruff, greensandpiper… little plovers and lapwings ; these 1ers migratory birds come from the north are the birds who did not reproduce, principally theyoung birds, and those whose nidification did not succeed ; in the north, the season of reproduction is too short so that birds attract a 2nd brood as under our degrees of latitude, also these birds begin migration before the others
22/07/08 free path numerous swallows (they belong to the 2nd or even the 3rd brood there !), cicadas, singing of bee eaters, green woodpeckers, in brushwood thefts of Jersey tiger (night butterfly with red theft, but closed black zebra-striped wings of white), numerous thefts of heart-shaped mated dragon-flies ; tree frogs
15/07/08 guided tour many bee eaters and rabbits on the lane, 1 roller, flying night and purple heron, green woodpecker, 1 little egret on a tree, great white etrets (big size, yellow beak), flight of 27 black-winged stilts, 3 greensandpipers, mallards (female and youthful), 3 avocets, 71 grey lag goose, 2 flamingoes, gulls sp, 2 common sterns, horses, many dragon-flies ; Cichorium intybus
15/07/08 free pathes midday cicada, singing of bee eaters ; many dragon-flies (libellula depressa, aeshna sp...), many European Pond Terrapin, black kite, purple herons
10/07/08 free pathes warbler, common sterns, long-tailed tit, Montpellier snake, herons, aigrets, storks, ducks, coots, black-winged stilts
07/07/08 acces lane great spotted cuckoo, woodchat shrike, many herons
07/07/08 guided tour Rizière : 6 spotted redshank, 15 greensandpiper, 2 black tailed godwit, 2 flying black-winged stilts families

download all the naturalistic observations from visits at the Marais du Vigueirat

 TOP