Wednesday, Camargue

Windy, windy, windy. Un vent violent all day; we have taken down the awning for fear of taking off like Mary Poppins. The wind has blown away the mosquitos so it must be the ill wind that blows no-one any good. It has been sunny, too, so we have had the benefit of warmth with airy coolness. We spent most of the day in the Parc Ornithologique at Pont de Gau. It is about 4 or 5 km. from our site and with the strong head wind it took us about twenty minutes or so to get there on our bikes, using the cycle lanes clearly marked on the main road. The way took us past six or seven stables with groups of the local white horses saddled ready and waiting for visitors who wish a 'promenade en cheval'. One specialised in palominos, in case the more discerning visitor might wish a horse of a different colour.
The Parc is part of the Etang de Vaccares National Nature Reserve. It is beautifully kept and managed, with many different birds too see. A very few are in captivity in aviaries...horned owls, short tailed eagles, an Egyptian Vulture and some black storks. The rest are in the two parts of the reserve, one part with a concentration of 'collection' birds, white storks, three kinds of egret, flamingo and herons, for example. Possibly these are fed, some pochard were pinioned so had to stay there. This was also where Chris spied a bright green lizard half way up a bush by the side of the path. The other part is wilder and takes longer to walk round. There are hides with no seats and with long narrow windows that are too high or too low for most people. But with good birds, so we forgive. Chris spotted a night heron which had just caught an enormous frog and was juggling it about prior to swallowing it with some difficulty. We also enjoyed seeing five or six snipe feeding out in the open. All along the watersides, both sides of the footpath, are wonderful tall rushes which provided a magnificent dry, rustling soundtrack for the afternoon. We explored the first part of the reserve in the morning and the second part in the afternoon, with a picnic lunch in between.
The cycle ride home was a lot faster with the following wind. We sat out for about an hour with beer and tea before we needed some respite from the wind and took shelter in the van.