Birds of Réserve des Grangettes / Private Tour with Huguette & Jean-Pierre

The light of autumn dawn slowly illuminates the Rhône valley as we meet to begin this birding tour dedicated to the birds of the Réserve des Grangettes.

Photo Bastien Guibert

Accompanied by the numerous robins on a migratory stopover, we make our way through the humid riverine forests where alders, poplars and birches grow. The heavy rains of recent days have significantly increased the water level in the marshes, but the paths remain accessible.

As we advance, we are accompanied by the sounds of numerous birds, while the day becomes lighter and lighter; Chaffinch, Blackbird, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Green Woodpecker. Arriving at the Savez observation tower, we first discovered several Great Crested and Little Grebes, quickly joined by a Northern Shoveler and two teals. A moment of patience and we see a blue flash above the water; a kingfisher! It allows itself to be observed very furtively on a reed before disappearing.

Photo Bastien Guibert

We then try our luck near the fence, and are lucky enough to be able to observe a group of 11 Pygmy Cormorants who have been staying there for some time. They groom and fish just in front of the observatory and offer us a rare spectacle.

Photo Bastien Guibert

Not far from them there are also some Common Snipes hidden in the vegetation. The sun gently appears and warms the atmosphere, also giving the lake a magical atmosphere. Once again, the blue flash is seen, but this time the Common Kingfisher poses prominently and fishes twice before our admiring eyes. The rest of the lagoon is populated by grebes, scaup and some Gadwalls.

We then turn back among the forest roads and discover, in the agricultural zone, an unused embankment in which many sparrows feed, among which a few Tree Sparrows are hiding. Further on, on a fence, a European Stonechat stands guard, while the Common Kestrel hunts in a beet field.

We reach the Grand Canal in which some Shovelers, Little Grebes and Moorhens are splashing around, offering us some lovely observations nearby. Arriving at the lake, we still enjoy sightings of Tufted Ducks, Great Crested Grebes and Goosanders, while two Common Eiders swim offshore!

We end our excursion with the birds of the Réserve des Grangettes around noon, filled with beautiful images of a morning rich in observations.

Bastien
Guide Salva Fauna