Situated at Hyeres, the original Victorian Riviera resort at the western end of the
Cote d'Azur, these two salt marshes are worth a
visit if you're anywhere nearby. While not up to the standard of the Camargue further to the
west, they are easily accessible within a few kilometres of each other and you won't be blighted by mosquitoes!
Parts of the two marshes have been recently acquired by the Conservatoire du Litoral, a
government funded body to purchase coastal property for public use. The ever-helpful LPO, France's
equivalent of BWI, run short visits to the marshes. It is worth going on their trips, which
cost a couple of euro, as otherwise for the moment you can only look in "over the fence" from the
busy roads around Hyeres (Salins de Pesquiers only). Visits start early morning or late afternoon and there is a
good hide at Salins de Pesquiers.
On one of their early August visits last year to the Salins des Pesquiers, starting
at La Capte, there were
Wood Sandpiper, Little Stint, Whimbrel and Kingfisher. Always about in summer are
Black-winged Stilt, Flamingo (non-breeding), Little and Great Egret,
Yellow-legged Gull and Little Tern. The Little Terns have a small breeding colony of
20-30 pairs here.
The Vieux Salins just to the east of Hyeres is almost totally owned by the Conservatoire and
has been disused as a commercial salt producer for some time. On a short visit in early August 2006 there
were Curlew Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Dunlin, Black-winged Stilt, innumerable Grey Heron
and Little Egret,
Black headed Gulls
which breed in small numbers, a solitary Mediterranean Gull and the common Yellow-legged Gull.
A Black Kite flew
low across at the start of its migration.
A new observation post has recently been built in the Vieux Salins and it is open 9-12am and 14-17:30 (closed Mon-Tues).
The Salins des Pesquiers are probably the best birding site of the two, but the Vieux Salins offer better scenery and good
birds also.
In the last year
the Salins des Pesquiers has seen Red necked Phalarope, Marsh Sandpiper, Lesser Crested Tern
and White winged Tern among many others.
Conservatoire du Littoral
LPO Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux
LPO PACA at Hyeres http://paca.lpo.fr
paca [AT] lpo [DOT] fr Ph:04-94-12-79-52
