Photo Essay: France’s Camargue is a Bird Paradise

The Ornithological Park of Pont de Gau in the Camargue region of southern France is a bird paradise in the spring. I had always wanted to visit it, and I finally got my chance. It did not disappoint.

The main draw are flocks of flamingos, but there are other large nesting birds like herons and ibises that are tending to their young as well. It’s a beautiful natural habitat that I highly recommend if you’re a birder.

If you aren’t, I still recommend it if you’re visiting nearby Avignon or Arles in the spring. Below are some of the photographs I took during my recent visit at the ornithological park.

A flamingo in flight. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
An ibis and a heron nest in the Camargue. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Flamingo in the Camargue. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Flamingos in flight in the Camargue. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Flamingos in the Camargue. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Beautiful flamingos. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Herons nesting in the Camargue. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
A flamingo in the Camargue. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Flamingos in the Camargue. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
+ posts

Melanie Votaw is the Publisher and Executive Travel Writer of LuxuryWeb Magazine. She has visited more than 50 countries on 6 continents and written for such magazines as Executive Travel, Just Luxe, Business Insider, South China Morning Post, Travel Mindset, and more. She is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association, New York Travel Writers Association, and International Travel Writers Alliance. Melanie's photography has won awards, and she has also written 43 nonfiction books as either the author or ghostwriter.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may also like

Tangier, Morocco: From Naughty to Nice

Tangier, Morocco: From Naughty to Nice

, ,

Back in the day (1920s to 1940s), the port city of Tangier had a reputation for depravity, where everything and anything was available … as long as you paid the price. Tangier is located in the Straits of Gibraltar, at the very tip of the African continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, inexorably linking the cultures of Europe and Africa.

read more
Norwich, England: Hip and Historic

Norwich, England: Hip and Historic

, ,

When my friend told me he was leaving New York City for the much smaller city of Norwich, England to take over his dad’s fish & chips shop, I couldn’t imagine why. Wouldn’t he get bored? Then, I visited him in his idyllic town with a population of just over 200,000 and an excellent location near the central eastern coast of the country.

read more
Liverpool – More Than Just the Beatles

Liverpool – More Than Just the Beatles

, ,

Liverpool has plenty of Beatles memorabilia to lure you, but you might be surprised to learn that it has much more to offer the traveler – even those who aren’t fans of the Fab Four. An old city with both new and historical architecture, Liverpool is big enough to give you plenty to do but small enough that you don’t have to endure London-like congestion.

read more