Pontoon view vineyard valenciennes — ©Site du Vignoble Valenciennes|OTCVM

Recharge your batteries with birdwatching on a pontoon

Who doesn’t love escaping for an afternoon or a weekend into the heart of nature to take a breath of fresh air? It brings so much serenity and calm to our sometimes hectic pace. The Valenciennois region has its favorite places where it’s good to go (on foot, by car or streetcar) and observe its rich biodiversity in all seasons…

Dare to try this outdoor recreational activity, and you’ll leave feeling invigorated!

Virginie

"I like to leave the urban atmosphere from time to time to find calm, reconnect with nature and admire the fauna & flora that surrounds us... so essential these days!"

On a pontoon in the vineyard pond in Valenciennes

What if we took you on a birdwatching micro-adventure at the Vignoble de Valenciennes site?

If you’re a nature and bird lover, you’ll find this is a great place to recharge your batteries and reconnect with yourself, just a few kilometers from the hustle and bustle of the city.

With a small blanket in hand, choose your pontoon from one of the wooden pontoons and make yourself comfortable, so as to have the best spot to observe our friends of nature flying over the 54 hectares of water and banks.

A small nature reserve, bird nests are particularly happy here, thanks to the creation of “dead hedges”. There are currently 82 species on site, including kingfishers.

You’ll also come across the Vignoble geese, who come to say hello and frolic to their heart’s content, summer and winter alike.

Time for contemplation and relaxation! Although it’s a paradise for runners and sports enthusiasts at the Cercle de Voile nautical base, it’s also become a birdwatcher’s paradise (or perhaps you will become one?)… and if you’re more the sporting type, this invitation to birdwatching can also be enjoyed in a canoe or kayak, which can be rented on site.

The Vignoble de Valenciennes site, with its recently redeveloped promenade and numerous water-based activities, is just as much a place to enjoy nature and outdoor activities as theChabaud-Latour site…

On a pontoon at Chabaud-Latour in Condé-sur-l'Escaut

At the heart of the Scarpe-Escaut Regional Nature Park, the Chabaud Latour nature site in Condé-sur-l’Escaut covers over 400 hectares. In addition to its historical interest, this site has many other assets, particularly for nature lovers and birdwatchers.

Here you are in one of the Scarpe-Escaut’s wetlands and aquatic environments, but also in the heart of a departmental sensitive natural area (just like the Amaury d’Hergnies or Rieulay sites).

Remarkable in more ways than one, it has been listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site , along with the Ledoux slag heap and headframe since 2012, which can be discovered on site.

Accessible by tramway on the T2 line from Valenciennes, this is a real escape to the heart of an exceptional mining landscape. A complete change of scenery guaranteed to fill your eyes once you arrive.

Step out onto the pontoons in front of the leisure center, or sit on one of the benches and enjoy the natural spectacle. At last, the bird ballet can begin: kingfisher, Reed Bunting, Bittern, Reed Warbler and many more!

(If you’ve got binoculars at home, take them with you to get a closer look atnature).

Did you know?

The variety of species changeswith each season, and the fauna is different but so admirable (e.g. Osprey flying over the ponds in spring, Blackbirds nesting in the reedbeds in late spring, Great Black Cormorants in summer, silver plumes on the reeds and Clematis in winter…).

An important reminder: Don’t feed bread to ducks or moorhens… it’s dangerous for their health. Instead, give them seeds or salad, which are much better for them.

Bird song is the closest thing we have to language.

Charles Darwin