This week the agency wants to meet you at night, to see an emblematic inhabitant of the Alpilles range. The eagle owl
A naturalist guide will have you spend a magical moment, in the open sky, during a walk in the vineyards.
The Alpilles Natural Park has approximately 51 000 hectares, it is a small mountain range of about forty kilometers. With the disappearance of their natural habitat, many species found refuge in this haven of peace classified NATURA 2000. The park is known for sheltering more than a hundred animal and even vegetal species, rare and protected, including several under international protection (such as the Bonelli eagle or the eagle owl) as well as several native species of the region: Ophrys splendida, Scrophularialucida, Galium trimeroyi, Mercurialishuetti, Campanulamacrorhiza.
It is to meet the most elegant of these inhabitants that we take you this week, with our naturalist guide.
With a height of 75 cm, the eagle owl is the tallest of the nocturnal birds of prey of Europe.
This magnificent animal likes to make its nest in the cliffs, protected from being seen and from men who even today remain its only predator.
Long considered as a bad luck bird, just like the crows, it has long been hunted by men.
While all the nocturnal birds of prey have been protected since 1902, one had to wait until 1981 for a ministerial decree to give it total protection on French territory.
With about fifty couples of eagle owls, the Alpilles today boast the highest concentration of this great predator in Europe.
At sundown, its song precedes its arrival.
To hope to see it, one has to be patient and as discrete as it is.
With a specialized naturalist guide, you will be able to observe this protected bird and to discover its lifestyle in its natural environment.
A privileged moment with this very elegant night bird.
Duration: 2H30
Number of kilometers walked: 1 km
Equipment advised: Binoculars, warm clothing adapted to the weather at sundown.
Minimum age: all ages
A meeting point will be given to the participants in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence or depending where you come from, Then the group will walk to the observation site.
Plaisirs et Maisons de Provence proposes for you to stay in one of its vacation rentals in the Alpilles to enjoy this excursion.
If you want to see this beautiful night bird, we invite you to make a reservation for this excursion by clicking here.
