This week, the agency invites you to meet an emblematic inhabitant of the Alpilles massif: the Eagle Owl.
A naturalist guide will take you on a magical, open-air walk at the foot of the vineyards.
THE ALPILLES NATURE PARK, A HAVEN OF PEACE FOR ENDANGERED SPECIES.
The Parc Naturel des Alpilles covers some 51,000 hectares, a small mountain range some forty kilometres long. With the disappearance of their natural habitat, many species have found refuge in this haven of peace classified NATURA 2000. The Park is home to more than a hundred rare or protected species of animals and plants, many of which have international protection status (such as Bonelli’s eagle and the Great horned owl), as well as a number of species native to the region: Ophrys splendida, Scrophularialucida, Galium trimeroyi, Mercurialishuetti and Campanulamacrorhiza.
This week, our naturalist guide will take you on a tour of the most elegant of its inhabitants.
THE EAGLE-OWL, A NIGHT BIRD UNDER PROTECTION
At 75 cm high, the eagle owl is Europe’s largest nocturnal bird of prey.
This magnificent animal likes to nest on cliffs, out of sight of humans, who are still its only predator.
Long considered a bird of misfortune, in the same way as crows, it has long been hunted by man.
Although all nocturnal birds of prey have been protected since 1902, it wasn’t until 1981 that a ministerial decree gave it full protection in France.
With around fifty pairs of Great Horned Owls, the Alpilles now has the largest concentration of this large predator in Europe.
MEET THE LORD OF THE ALPILLES, THE EAGLE-OWL, WITH A NATURALIST GUIDE
At dusk, it is its song that precedes its arrival.
If you hope to catch a glimpse of it, you’ll need to be patient and, above all, as discreet as it is.
With a specialist naturalist guide, you will have the opportunity to observe this protected bird and discover its way of life in its natural environment.
A privileged moment with this magnificent, elegant night bird.
Plaisirs et Maisons de Provence invites you to stay in one of its holiday rentals in the Alpilles to enjoy this excursion.
