The Réserve Ornithologique du Teich: 320 Species on the Bassin d'Arcachon
Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
Badge Unlock
Teich Birdwatcher
Complete this challenge to add this badge to your collection.
225
XP
+100 France
= 325 total
1 day
The Réserve Ornithologique du Teich: 320 Species on the Bassin d'Arcachon
225 + 100 XP
Open to the public since 1972, the Réserve Ornithologique du Teich covers 110 hectares of maritime marsh, lagoon, reedbed, meadow and woodland at the head of the Bassin d'Arcachon, near the mouth of the Eyre — all of it laid out on fish ponds dug in the 18th century, which is why the water lies in straight-sided basins. It sits on the migration route, and 328 species have now been recorded here, 80 of which nest on site; the list is kept up to date by visitors themselves on the LPO's Faune-Aquitaine portal. White storks, egrets and herons live alongside rarer birds such as the spoonbill and the shelduck, and migrants pass through in spring and autumn. There are two trails that can be walked one after the other, the longer a 6 km loop with 20 hides, four of them raised.
Required Activities
1
of 4
Walk the 6 km loop and name the habitats you cross in order — maritime marsh, lagoon, reedbed, meadow, woodland — then work out from the straight banks and sluices where the 18th-century fish ponds ended and the Bassin d'Arcachon begins
2
of 4
Find at least two of the four raised hides among the twenty on the loop, and compare what you can see from one of them with what you can see from a ground-level hide — the height is what lets you look over the reedbeds onto open water
3
of 4
Work up through the birds: white storks on their nests and egrets are the easy ones, then hunt for the two the reserve counts as rarer — the white spoonbill, which sweeps its flattened bill sideways through the shallows, and the shelduck, which is the only duck here with a red bill and a chestnut band across a white body
4
of 4
Keep a list of everything you identify over the walk and submit it to Faune-Aquitaine, the LPO portal the reserve's own species total is built from — your sightings go into the same running count of 328
Walk the 6 km loop and name the habitats you cross in order — maritime marsh, lagoon, reedbed, meadow, woodland — then work out from the straight banks and sluices where the 18th-century fish ponds ended and the Bassin d'Arcachon begins
Find at least two of the four raised hides among the twenty on the loop, and compare what you can see from one of them with what you can see from a ground-level hide — the height is what lets you look over the reedbeds onto open water
Work up through the birds: white storks on their nests and egrets are the easy ones, then hunt for the two the reserve counts as rarer — the white spoonbill, which sweeps its flattened bill sideways through the shallows, and the shelduck, which is the only duck here with a red bill and a chestnut band across a white body
Keep a list of everything you identify over the walk and submit it to Faune-Aquitaine, the LPO portal the reserve's own species total is built from — your sightings go into the same running count of 328
Before you go
Migrants pass through Le Teich in spring and autumn.
The reserve is ticketed and run by the commune of Le Teich with the Landes de Gascogne regional park; it opens shorter hours in winter and the last admission is well before closing. Allow two to three hours for the long loop.
This is tidal marsh. Birds move with the tide, so arrive on a rising tide if you can — low water pushes the waders out of sight across the bassin.
The paths are flat and firm but exposed, and mosquitoes are serious in the marsh in summer. Take repellent, water and a hat.
Binoculars matter here: the hides look out across open water and most of the birds are too far off to name with the naked eye. Some can be hired at the entrance.
Dogs are not allowed in the reserve, including on a lead.
The reserve opens every day of the year except 25 December, but it shuts early in winter — 5pm through December, 6pm from January to March and from October to November — and the gates and ticket desk close an hour and a half before that, at 3.30pm in December. The loop is 6 km and takes about three hours, so a winter visit has to start by early afternoon. On 24 and 31 December the gates close at 4pm.
Finding nearby campsites...
About Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Loading region info…
Explore more about Nouvelle-Aquitaine:
Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
225 XP
France country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
325 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in France.
More challenges nearby
within 100km
Arcachon Bay: The Dune du Pilat, the Winter Town and the Stilt Huts
France · Nouvelle-Aquitaine
scenic
easy
2d
16 km away
Biscarrosse: Seaplanes, Lakes and the Atlantic Dunes
France · Nouvelle-Aquitaine
active
easy
2d
30 km away
Hostens and the Leyre: Five Lakes in the Landes Forest and a Canoe on the Little Amazon
France · Nouvelle-Aquitaine
nature
easy
1d
36 km away
Lacanau: Surf Town, the Cousseau Reserve and the Lake
France · Nouvelle-Aquitaine
sports
easy
2d
42 km away
Bordeaux: The Miroir d'Eau, the Cité du Vin and the Port of the Moon
France · Nouvelle-Aquitaine
cultural
easy
2d
43 km away
Mimizan: The Pilgrims' Porch, the Courant and the Atlantic Beach
France · Nouvelle-Aquitaine
relaxation
easy
1d
52 km away