From October to February, the Bay of Arcachon is home to thousands of brant geese. It’s their favorite winter refuge. A spectacle of nature not to be missed!
On the shores of the Arcachon Basin, winter vacations for barnacle geese
France is home to around 60% of the world’s wintering geese. Nearly 100,000 spend the winter on the Atlantic coast, half of them on the Bassin d’Arcachon, south of Bordeaux in Gironde. Every winter, these Siberian birds travel 6,000 km to spend the winter on the Bay after nesting, never far from the coast. From October to February, the goose migration attracts thousands of enthusiasts and curious onlookers. A not-to-be-missed spectacle if you’re staying on the Bassin in winter!
How to recognize a barnacle goose?
Barely larger than a mallard, the Brant (Branta bernicla to its friends) is a small, dark, stocky goose. It has a black neck and head, with a white patch on the neck. The rest of the body is predominantly grayish-brown. The bird is also recognizable by its low, guttural call. Its V-shaped flight is reminiscent of a duck, with rapid wingbeats.
Counting geese: a winter mission for the Marine Nature Park
From October to February/March, agents from the Parc naturel marin du Bassin d’Arcachon carry out monthly counts and monitoring of geese wintering in the Bay. The data collected is then transmitted to the National Goose Network to feed the databases of the international organization “Wetlands International”. Last year, over 15,000 geese were counted in a single day, a figure that confirms the Basin’s attractiveness as a wintering ground for these migratory birds. The species has been protected in France since 1981.
See also: All year round, come and watch the birds at the Réserve Ornithologique du Teich
Where to see geese in the Arcachon basin?
The basin is the most important wintering site in Europe. Most of the population is concentrated on the Île aux oiseaux mudflats in the middle of the Basin, but also in the Basin’s southern salt meadows and the maritime areas of the Leyre delta. To observe the geese, it’s best to come two hours before or after high tide, when these small Siberian migratory geese approach the sandbanks to feed on the eelgrass and green algae they love.
Spotlight on the Goose Festival
For one week at the end of November, the Bay of Arcachon is a feast for geese! The LPO Aquitaine (Ligue de Protection des Oiseaux), the Parc naturel régional des Landes de Gascogne and all their partners invite you to the Festival de la Bernache sur le Bassin d’Arcachon. On the program: nature walks to observe geese, canoe trips, creative workshops, exhibitions, conferences on migration and biodiversity… Remember to bring your binoculars!
photo©Giancarlo Foto4U/Flickr/CC BY 2.0