*Not to be confused with the large naturist camping park in the same area, where sun-factor 50 is essential on certain parts!
We made our first visit on the first Tuesday of the holiday but arriving at the visitor centre in Cherine Nature Reserve near Rosnay, we were greeted by the sign 'Ferme le Mardi'. It was closed every Tuesday throughout the year, a fact that had somehow eluded my regimental forward planning, Doh! Fortunately, it only applied to the centre and the viewing hides on the adjoining Cistude Lake. So, back in the car and with only our road map as a guide, we set off to explore the area...
Just 5 minutes away we found Ricot Lake where a short footpath led us to a viewing hide. Our first sighting and what would have been a fantastic first French bird, was a probable Bittern disappearing into the reeds on the far side, but I couldn't say for certain. The lake held a number of Mallards and 2 Cormorant but the real excitement here was immediately in front of the hide. Sunning themselves on a strategically placed fallen tree trunk were 5 European Pond Turtles (Cistude d'Europe). From the information posted in the hide, we gathered that they were now relaxing after the breeding season (May to July) having buried their eggs somewhere away from the lake. This turtle is now a protected species (the French having almost eaten them out of existence early in the nineteenth century) and this lake is home to more than 100.
Next stop was Etang des Essarts where we walked to the lake accompanied by a good number of Swallows, either feeding all around us or perched in nearby trees. We spotted our first Whiskered Terns as they sailed through the air flying to and from the lake which we eventually arrived at. Here we found lots of them including many recently fledged birds, and a cordoned area of nesting trays, some of which still contained a few youngsters being fed by adults. The lake also held Mallard, Coot, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant and PK spotted our first Purple Heron across in the far reeds.
Another short drive found us at Sous Lake where we found a near-packed hide for the first time. After 30 minutes or so and only a brief raptor fly-through (we missed it), the hide emptied - probably another piece of PK witchery - and I wondered what, if anything, had brought them here. Here we saw more Whiskered Tern and hundreds of tufted Duck.
On the drive home we stopped briefly at a small lake where a Great White Egret was perched on a sunken tree.
Bonne Journée
European Pond Turtle at Ricot Lake
Swallow (juv.) - part of a large flock near Etang des Essarts
Whiskered Tern (juv. and adult) at Etang des Essarts
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