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Hauts-de-France

Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglotta ©Frank Vassen via Wikimedia Commons Website

Hauts-de-France is the northernmost region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its prefecture is Lille, with a metropolitan population of around a million people. The Conseil d’État approved Hauts-de-France as the name of the region. It comprises five departments: Aisne, Nord, Oise, Pas-de-Calais, and Somme.

With about six million inhabitants and a population density of 189 inhabitants per km2, it is the third most populous region in France and the second-most densely populated in metropolitan France after its southern neighbour Île-de-France. It is bordered by Belgium to the north and by the United Kingdom to the northwest through the Channel Tunnel. The region is a blend mixture of French and (southern) Dutch cultures.

NNR Réserve de Baie de Canche – ©Lamiot CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The region covers an area of more than 31,813 km2 (12,283 square miles). It borders Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia) to the northeast, the North Sea to the north, the English Channel to the west, as well as the French regions of Grand Est to the east-southeast, Île-de-France to the south, and Normandy to the west-southwest.

Birding Hauts-de-France

Its location means that it can be easily reached from the low countries and across La Manche from the UK. Birders from England take advantage of the different avifauna on day trips as well as longer vacations, as there are some excellent reserves and relatively undisturbed habitat. Birds such as Melodious Warbler, Bluethroat, Black-crowed Night Heron and Hoopoes nest rather than are mere vagrants across the English Channel.

Romelaere Lakes & Clairmarais Forest – ©Lion59 CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Other birds are far easier to see being less scarce such as Honey Buzzard, Kentish Plover, Spoonbill, Golden Oriole, Crested Lark, Marsh Warbler, Crested Tit, Serin, Wryneck, Black Kite and Stork. Many species are slowly changing their range because of global warming and are colonising the northern part of the continent while still avoiding the channel crossing.

Top Sites

  • Cap Gris-Nez

    InformationSatellite View
    One of the best Sea Watching spot in Europe also good for passerines (visible migration and Falls)

  • Jetée du Clipon

    InformationSatellite View
    (Dunkerque) - The best sea watching spot in France.

  • NR Reserve Naturelle Du Platier D'Oye

    InformationSatellite View
    Oye-Plage and Platier d'Oye just East of calais consists of wet scrapes and scrub-covered dunes which are good for Little Bittern, Black-Necked Grebe, breeding Kentish Plover and migrating summer visitors.

  • NR Reserve Naturelle de la Baie de Somme

    InformationSatellite View
    Good marshland habitat with a nice Reserve (Mercanterre) local speciality include Spoonbill and Bluethroat.

  • NR Romelaere Lakes and Rihou/Clairmarais Forest

    WebpageSatellite View
    Romelaere Lake and Rihou/Clairmarais Forest E of St Omer - is like a French Stodmarsh - it has breeding Night heron, Bluethroat, lots of Golden Oriole and breeding Honey Buzzard.

  • NR Réserve de Baie de Canche

    InformationSatellite View
    The dunes and slacks to the North of the mouth of the Canche river down Etaples way is a superb area, which is hard to find, and is likely to be of equal interest for it's plants and insects.

  • Raismes NE of Valenciennes

    Satellite View
    The forest and lake at Raismes NE of Valenciennes great for Honey Buzzard, Osprey, and lots of woodland goodies including Black Woodpecker.

  • River Slack Valley

    InformationSatellite View
    The valley of the little river Slack just inland from Ambleteuse holds Bluethroat, Black Kite and Garganey and Bee-Eaters bred for a couple of years in the late 1990s.

  • Rumacourt/Ecourt

    Satellite View
    The lakes and woodland at Rumacourt/Ecourt NE of Cambrai are good for Bluethroat, Great Reed Warbler, Black Woodpecker & Purple Heron.

  • Sailly-Bray & Ponthoille

    Satellite View
    The wet fields and dykes around Sailly-Bray and Ponthoille down Rue way, inland from the Marquenterre reserve, absolutley reliable for Bluethroat, and Savi's warbler, too.

  • Tardinghen Marsh

    InformationSatellite View
    Tardinghen Marsh and beach, just West of Calais is an area of scrubby dunes and reedy ponds, ideal for lots of migrants spring & Autumn.
Contributors

  • Peter Wells

    | p.wells@zen.co.uk

Festivals & Bird Fairs

  • Festival de l'Oiseau et de la Nature

    Website
    Since 1991, the Bay of Somme (North of France), an internationally recognized migratory site, has celebrated the return of spring and birds on the occasion of the Bird and Nature Festival. If for 33 years, the Festival remains an unmissable event for nature lovers, the 2 competitions it organizes have allowed it to obtain international recognition: The Photo Competition (only dedicated to the bird) is one of the 10 most renowned in Europe, and the documentaries received as part of the Film Competition come from 47 countries.
Observatories

  • Maison de l'Oiseau - Baie de Somme

    Observatory WebsiteSatellite View
    Discover the traces of the former estuary of the Somme, which has now been polderised. This territory offers a true diversity of environments and constitutes an important stop-over for the birds.
Organisations

  • Centre de Sauvegarde et de Soins des Oiseaux Sauvages

    Webpage
    Centre de Sauvegarde et de Soins des Oiseaux Sauvages affilié à l`UNCS Certificat de Capacité N° 60-046 Association Loi 1901 , présidé par M. Eric Desesquelles Siège Social : 11, rue du Crocq, 60480 FRANCASTEL Tél : 03-44-46-90-01 Email : blin.did@wanadoo.fr

  • French National Sea Experience Center

    Website
    NAUSICAA, the French National Sea Experience Centre, is much more than a mere aquarium; it is a unique place where visitors can discover the marine environment. At once entertaining, educational and scientific, the Centre derives its originality from its main focus on the relationship between Man and the sea.

  • LPO Hauts-de-France

    Webpage
    L'actu dans les Hauts-de-France !

  • Remarques de l’Association Le Clipon

    PDF Report
    L'association "Le Clipon", créée en 2002, a pour objet :■ de réaliser le suivi de la migration des oiseaux de mer depuis la jetée du Clipon, située dans le Port-Ouest de Dunkerque ;■ de diffuser largement les résultats de ce suivi migratoire, au moyen d’internet ou de la publication de rapports ;■ de promouvoir, en France et à l’étranger, l’ornit
Reserves

Abbreviations Key

  • NP Marcanterra

    WebsiteSatellite View
    With the experience gained over many years in the areas of public reception in natural areas and use of plant solutions for the management of wetlands , plants and Marcanterra Bois today offers a range of Products and techniques adapted to your environmental constraints.

  • NP Parc Nature Regional des Caps et Marais d'Opale

    WebsiteSatellite View
    In front of you, the sea. In the distance, the cliffs of England seem unreal. The air is invigorating. The lights are silver. You are in the Regional Natural Park of the Caps and Marshes of Opal.

  • NR Reserve Naturelle Nationale du Romelaere at Clairmarais

    WebpageSatellite View
    A former site of peat extraction, the ponds of the Romelaëre form a landscape of ponds and rivers connected by channels of access, formerly bused by market gardeners. The nature reserve protects about one hundred hectares of land and water.
Sightings, News & Forums

  • Naturalist Observations in Picardy is a Restricted group with 419 members. Naturalists' Observations in Picardy

    ObsPicardie is a Picard list of amateur naturalists from all walks of life. The subjects dealt with are exclusively related to the fields of naturalist observation. Nature protection topics are welcome even though they are not the main focus of the list. ObsPicardie is open to enthusiasts of observation, study and protection of wildlife and wild flora: birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, mollusks, botany ...

  • ornitho59-62

    Liste d'observations ornithologiques et naturalistes de la Région Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Guides & Tour Operators

  • NatureTrek

    Tour Operator
    A 7-day holiday in Nord Pas-de-Calais (northern France) focusing on the birds, butterflies and wildflowers of this exceptionally wildlife-rich region.

  • Oriole Birding

    Tour Operator
    Our main focus will be on the varied habitats in the Hauts de France region along the coast of Nord Pas de Calais and Picardie.
Trip Reports

  • 2023 [04 April] - Richard Hanman

    PDF Report
    This was our 10th Bargain Birding Club trip to North France exploring the birdlife of the beautiful Pas-de-Calais and Somme departments...

  • 2023 [06 June] - Richard Ford

    Report
    I spent three days in late April 2023 exploring and birding northern France. I did venture an hour and a half south of Calais to Crécy Forest in search of Black woodpecker as well as some brief explorations of marshland around the Pont-le-Dien and Sailly Bray, Hable d’Ault and the Marquenterre bird reserve.

  • 2023 [07 July] - Chiara Talia

    Report
    ...long the route, you will find 13 observation posts that allow you to easily observe birds. The posts are classical wooden bird huts, with many openings...
Places to Stay

  • Hotel Le Fiacre

    Website
    On the Somme bay, ideally located between the sea and the countryside, a warm welcome awaits you in one of the fourteen rooms and suites of our delightful former farmhouse, beautifully restored with relaxation in mind, as well as in the restaurant renowned for its local gastronomy.
Other Links

  • Bird reserves in Northern France

    Website
    Northern France holds a number of excellent bird reserves, from the 250-hectare block of lagoons, mudflats, marshland, reed beds, dunes, and pine woodland that make up Parc du Marquenterre, to the rugged coastline and sites like the Crecy Forest, le Platier d'Oye and les Etangs de Romelaere. Starting from Calais and stretching all down the coast, Northern France is a superb and easily accessible destination for British birdwatchers and nature lovers alike.
Blogs

  • FauNeO

    BLOG
    Blog photos d'animaux et plus particulièrement d'oiseaux. Photos prises principalement dans la région Nord-Pas-de-Calaisâ€

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