With its extensive protected areas and habitats, northern France has several bird species not found in Britain as well as many which are difficult to see on our shores – and all within a short drive of your ferry or the Channel Tunnel.
The birds are obvious as soon as you set foot on French soil, with Crested Larks and Zitting Cisticolas near the Calais Ferry terminal and many seabirds around the channel on the way in. And there is even better just minutes along the coast, with miles of dunes and marshes alive with birdsong as Savi and Melodious Warblers - at Platier do L’Oye or Guines Marsh - or good numbers of Bluethroat at the Etangs de Romelaere near St Omer.
Crested Tit is common in the Somme Bay's hinterland
Head to the scrublands and trees for Red-backed Shrike, Golden Oriole, Crested Tit and Short-toed Treecreeper, and Lesser Spotted and Black Woodpeckers; try the extensive mature woodlands in La Forêt de Crécy in Somme for these and other woodland species declining in the UK, like Redstart, Pied Flycatcher, Wood Warbler and Firecrest. North France still has healthy populations of raptors such as Eagle Owl, Goshawk, Honey Buzzard and Marsh and Hen Harriers, and larger waterbirds such as White Stork, Little Bittern, Great White Egret and Spoonbill.
But it is not just species that are rare in the UK that bring birders to the region – migration can be spectacular, with warblers, finches, waders and other waterbirds all passing along the coast and inland in flocks, impressively visible from prime headlands and seawatching points such as Cap Gris Nez, which can be as good for skuas and shearwaters as any English site. The beaches all hold substantial colonies of breeding Kentish Plover, while Tawny Pipit is still possible.
Northern France holds too many bird-rich reserves and sites to take in on a day-trip, making a stay of two or more days very productive for the mobile birder. Find your own birds or maximise your chances with an expert English-speaking guide. There are plenty of comfortable and affordable places to stay for groups, families and couples, whatever your age, and the birds are never far away. The countryside is easily accessible, and a great place to recharge your batteries by refreshing your connection with nature and wildlife. in April, don't miss baby birds at Parc du Marquenterre. Come and enjoy the profusion of a Gallic spring now!
