![]() The slightly boring landscape is however contrast with the appearance of numerous majestic châteaux, some of them world famous! ![]() ![]() In the north the Medoc peninsula is flat and littered with vineyards that stretch out before you in neat rows. With an area of 10,000 km², Gironde is the largest department in metropolitan France. The landscape through the department varies dramatically. Black redstarts and swallows are amongst the other residents, with the marshes being home to apwings, blackwinged stilts, ringed plovers, shelduck, citrine wagtails, herons and egrets during the spring and summer months.Īlong the coastline and rivers you are likely to find mink slinking around, families of otters and if you are lucky some green turtles! The estuary is a migration highway in spring and even more so in autumn. From March to May you will see numerous migratory birds passing though, including storks, spoonbills and ospreys. It was also once know for the vast numbers of wild sturgeon that provided not only fish but also local caviar, although numbers are now greatly decreased through overfishing. Saltwater mixes with the river borne fresh water and strong tidal currents and sediments mean that the sandbanks and islands in the estuary are constantly changing.įish commonly found in the estuary include flounder, mullet, salmon and sea trout, however other aquatic animals include white shrimp, eels, sea and river lampreys. Covering about 635 square kilometres, 75km in length and in some places reaching up to 11km in width, the estuary is the transition zone between river and sea. As you can imagine the Gironde estuary is teeming with wildlife of all sorts, small mammals, migrating and sedentary birds and marine life.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |