30th November - Baie de Bourgneuf

The Baie de Bourgneuf is a huge square bay, open to the ocean on its north-west side, but shelter­ed on the southwest by the Ile de Noirmoutier. Its vast intertidal mudflats, mostly in the southern part of the bay, make it one of the primary wet­land areas of France. Some 7000 ha of mudflats, and 43,000 ha of marshes receive partial protec­tion as a wetland of international importance.
The Baie de Bourgneuf Nature Reserve consists of a stretch of coastline extending from close to Bourgneuf en Retz in the north to La Barre de Monts in the south. An area of sand, sandy mud and rocky outcrops, with shallow water lying offshore, the reserve attracts many wildfowl in autumn, winter and spring. Brent geese have been recorded in numbers from 3‑5000 and normally there are many hundreds of teal, wigeon, pintail, scaup and shelduck. Waders, such as dunlin, curlew, oystercatcher, grey plover and avocet may be present in their thousands.
Access to the shore of the bay was somewhat restricted, there are a few resorts at the north­ern end, but with the tide up there was little to be seen. Much of the rest is surrounded by salt marsh which has become rough grazing land with a few salt pans, and only one or two roads going anywhere near the coast ‑ providing access to ham­lets based on shellfish industry. These coast­al marshes provide the essential feeding areas at night for the dabbling ducks which roost on the sea or mudflats during the day. There were plenty of gulls plus a few marsh harriers and little egrets to be seen, and every section of telegraph wire seemed to have a kestrel staring intently into the vegetation below.