Here we are in the middle of winter, during the lookout sessions, we will meet two types of birds :

• the winterers, which we will meet from September to March, in particular the ducks. These come from central and northern Europe, seeking a milder climate. We can observe them from the month of November.
• sedentary ones, such as the Bearded Reedling and the Cetti's Warbler, which can be observed in the Camargue throughout the year.

Goldcrest

The Goldcrest is one of the smallest birds in Europe with a size of around 9 cm and a weight of 4 to 7 grams. The bill is black, thin and pointed. The light brown legs have strong toes allowing the bird to stand upside down when feeding. In the Camargue it is found near tamarisk trees fluttering in search of insects.
The Goldcrest are very vulnerable during cold winters.

Eurasian Teal

The Eurasian teal is the smallest freshwater duck in Europe. It is one of the ducks that are most often found in the Camargue with the Colvert. Its breeding plumage is very attractive: the head is red with a broad green stripe on the cheeks. The breast is cream spotted with blackish, extended by a white belly and a yellow underside of the tail edged with black.
It is a partial migratory species. It is indeed very sensitive to frost and snow, which can prevent it from feeding. During great cold waves, it is especially present on the southern coasts, in the Camargue, in particular.

Black-headed Gull

The Black-headed Gull is a bird of the Laridae family which includes Seagulls and Gulls. The black-headed gull is white with pearl gray wings except the black tip. The head is dark brown (in breeding plumage) except in winter when it is white with a blackish patch behind the eye. The legs are orange or red-orange. The bill is orange to dark red.
The Black-headed Gull is often confused with the Yellow-legged Gull. The latter is more imposing than the Black-headed Gull, and several species of Yellow-legged Gull have a red spot on each side of the bill, which allows them to be differentiated.

Common Kingfisher

The European Kingfisher is a species of birds, a type species of the Alcedinidae family. Its presence is a good natural indicator of the quality of an aquatic environment. This one feeds on small fish and small aquatic animals (dragonfly larva, tadpole, etc...).
The Kingfisher travels a circuit on its territory by landing on perches that it knows, well prepared to watch for its prey. (hence the importance for the photographer to spot these perches beforehand ...). The sex of kingfishers is differentiated by the color of the beak: almost completely black in the male; in the female, the mandible is the same orange as the legs.

Greater Flamingo

The greater flamingo is the emblematic bird of the Camargue. These gregarious birds live in groups in wetlands. This large web-footed bird is fond of open, shallow salty or brackish water areas in marshes and ponds, which explains its strong presence in the Camargue.

Great Egret

The Great Egret is a wading bird of the Ardeidae family. The Great Egret is the largest of all the herons and egrets present in Europe. Its very long neck forms a characteristic S at rest, in flight, it is folded into the shoulders, like that of a gray heron. Its plumage is entirely white.

Other birds

Some photos of birds belonging to the sedentary category, which we meet in Camargue all year round...