Birding in France I
3 - 9 April 2026
In order to visit family, we decided to go to France, for a short week in early April 2026, and during this week, I will try see as many interesting bird species as possible. We will be spending most of our time in Brittany, in the North-West of France.
Friday April 3 2026
Today, we woke up at half past four, in order to catch our 6:30AM flight to Nantes, France, via Amsterdam. At the airport, it was still dark when we left, but I heard a singing Skylark and Pied Wagtail.
Departing Aberdeen
In Amsterdam, we had only a short, one-hour layover, before our flight to Nantes. But, having landed on one of the further runways, I was able to do a bit of birding during the taxiing. I saw several Coots, Great Crested Grebes, Mallards, two Egyptian Geese, a few Kestrels and Buzzards, and some Lapwings.
Magpie at Amsterdam Schipol Airport
Flying over the Netherlands
Fortunately, we made it in time for Ford Torneoour next flight. As we were taking off, I saw two Grey Herons, feeding in the grass near the runway.
Once in Nantes, the gateway to Brittany, we got a rental car and drove towards our first night’s accommodation on the island of Noirmoutier, in the Vendée department.
Our rental car for the week
On the way, we decided to stop at a famous birding site, the Lac de Grand-Lieu. We parked in the lakeside village of Passay. Soon after arriving, we saw some Swallows and Sand Martins, and a Great Crested Grebe. As we reached a flooded path, we were delighted to have a Black Kite soar over our heads. A bit more waiting around the area yielded Spoonbill and Cetti’s Warbler, as well as Buzzard, Grey Herons, and Greenfinches.
Greenfinch
Record shot of the Black Kite in flight
We then continued towards Noirmoutier Island and the causeway the connects it with the mainland. On the way, we passed through many salt pans, which offered great birding. Some of the birds we saw included Little Egrets, Cattle Egrets, Black Kites, Shelducks, Avocets, Black-headed Gulls, and more!
Cattle Egret
Record shot of a Marsh Harrier from the car window
Eventually we reached the island, but the birding only kept getting better! We saw large flocks of Mediterranean Gulls in the roadside fields, and in the skies above us. Before long, we arrived at the first birding location on the island, Sebastopol. For the past few years, this site has been accommodating a very special visitor for the New World, the Elegant Tern. This Elegant Tern spends its summers with the many Sandwich terns and Mediterranean Gulls on the island, and has had some hybrid young of its own, and in 2021, the bird pair up with another Elegant Tern, marking the first attemptd breeding of this species in France. Sadly, at the time of our visit, the Elegant Tern had not yet arrived on the island.
Mediterranean Gulls, an abundant bird on Noirmoutier
On our way to the colony, we heard a few Zitting Cisticolas and a Cetti’s Warbler. However, once we reached it, we saw all the Sandwich Terns and Mediterranean Gulls that we had heard about. We also saw a few Avocets, before I started scanning the large group of gulls&terns, looking for a rare Slender-billed Gull. Although having not seen any Slender-billed Gulls, I did see a pair of Pochard, some more Avocets, and a large flock of Sandwich Terns.
Mediterranean Gulls
Mediterranean Gull in flight, showing off its white wingtips, which only the adults of this species have
Avocet
We continued walking along the path, scanning the large mudflats for waders. It turned out successful, with large numbers of Grey Plover, Whimbrel, Ringed Plover, Sanderling, Dunlin, and Redshank.
Distant Grey Plovers
After that, we headed to our accommodation, an apartment in the village of Barbâtre. Once checked in, we went to the largest town on the island, Noirmoutier-en-île, where we were planning to do a bit more birding, at the Müllembourg NNR, as well getting dinner. At Müllembourg, we immediately saw a Cattle Egret, and a new species for the trip; Black-winged Stilt. The two birds were feeding with some Avocets and Shelducks in some pools and flying past us, against the wind, were a couple of Yellow-legged Gulls.
One of the Yellow-legged Gulls
We continued along the path, seeing a Greenshank sleeping alongside some Redshanks. Eventually I noticed a gull which didn’t have the chocolate-brown head of Black-headed gull, but had similar wing pattern to one. As it approached us I could get a positive ID of the bird; it was a Slender-billed Gull! This gull is regularly found in and around the Mediterranean, with their largest breeding colony being near Faro in Portugal. This gull, like ,any other birds, is gradually moving further north, with Noirmoutier island being one of their most northern sites. Even having been to Malaga, in Spain, where these birds are fairly common, this species was still a lifer for me.
Slender-billed Gull
Slender-billed Gull catching fish
My mum, my sister and I continued walking along the path, seeing more Avocets and hearing a Zitting Cisticola before stumbling upon a couple birders and a large flock of waders. As I started scanning, I saw that the flock comprised mostly of Black-tailed Godwits, but there were also quite a few Grey Plovers and some Bar-tailed Godwits.
Grey Plover moulting into breeding plumage in the centre
(with other Grey Plovers, Bar-tailed Godwits, Black-tailed Godwits, and Dunlins)
Large flock of Bar-talied and Black-tailed Godwits,
with a Redshank, and some Avocets
Some smaller waders at the front consisted mainly Redshank and Dunlin, with a Turnstone foraging alone at the back of the flock. As I scanned the many godwits, I was very happy to find a breeding-plumaged Spotted Redshank, which I pointed out to the French birders that were there. We saw the Slender-billed gull again, in the same place we left it, and went back to the car.
Spotted Redshank, in the red circle
While getting lunch that evening, I saw a Common Sandpiper in one of the salt pans, a great way to finish an amazing day of birding.
