Ile aux Oiseaux (Bird Island)

CDT33 - Yannick Serrano

Located in the heart of the Arcachon Basin, the Island of Birds (Ile aux Oiseaux) once served as grazing land for local farmers’ herds of cattle and horses, which got there by swimming from the nearest villages of Claouey  and Le Petit Piquey  – which is how the northern part of the island came by its name of “Pointe aux Chevaux” (Horse Point).

Nowadays, as its name suggests, this strip of land is a birds’ paradise. It has been a listed Natural Site since 2008, and almost 300 species have been observed there, including egrets, Eurasian curlews, moorhens, teals, ducks and barnacle geese, all of which arrive each year to spend time surrounded by stretches of heath and Japanese acacia. Only a few wooden huts bear witness to the presence of mankind.

Ile aux Oiseaux is surrounded by oyster beds, marked out by tall stakes arising from the water and making access to the island no easy matter. Only a few navigation channels provide safe passage, and it is therefore advisable to get there in the company of a guide, all the more so as the tides can be treacherous and require considerable vigilance.

CDT33

Near the island, the famous cabanes tchanquées  (cabins on stilts) stand overlooking the water. They are private property and not open to the public.