parc du marquenterre

A great birdwatching visit at this well organised but busy Parc in the Baie du Somme. We saw over 40 spoonbills, 10 great egrets and a crane as well as numerous waders and ducks. The Parc has well defined routes with the longest at 6 kilometres by far the best. Visiting at high tide is recommended as there are more birds about then. In late October, we were lucky to have glorious sunny weather and one of the highlights was to watch the bearded tits were feasting on bullrushes. The spoonbills were close and very impressive too.There are 12 hides dotted around the Parc; each has many small viewing openings cut at various heights and in odd shapes in the wooden structure. These can be annoying as there is really nowhere to sit down and you can easily get a stiff neck from crouching or stretching to see out of the small holes.Overall, a great Parc but they could learn something from the RSPB in how to construct hides that are more birdwatchers friendly!

We last visited 20 years ago when it was pretty empty of people. This time, mid-week, there was a queue of all sorts and ages. Good for a general naturelover who wants a stroll, or for keener birders who are prepared to walk a bit further. Reasonable cafe and toilets.

For a closer look at the beautiful amphibic landscape of the Somme Bay, I would avoid the parc ornithologique and choose the Domaine Marquenterre next time. Basically, you will see more or less the same fauna and flora, minus the entrance fee. The only crucial point is: you have to check the tidal hours. We were rather disappointed about the parc. First, the entrance fee is much to high for what you get. Maybe it's been the wrong time of the year (September), for there were a lot of rather well-known animals like ducks, swans, herrons, swallows etc. so that we could see only a few unique species of the Baie. Second, you really need binoculars, which you can luckily rent for another 4,00 € per person. Then: there is no chance for a picnic inbetween: the benches along the way are not inviting and all are without a view. The reason seems obvious: there is a huge cafeteria at the entrance with inside and outside catering.... This is not the place to criticise the visitors, but it should be mentioned that quite a lot of them walk through the parc, talking loudly, despite the many signs reminding people of being quiet in the parc (because of the animals). Finally, the shop isn't much more than a selection of kitsch. In a place like that you could really do much better. To be fair: for people with a physical handicap it might be an option (easy low level walking) and for families with children (because of numerous tableaus teaching natural landscapes & techniques). The others will be happier in the domaine nearby.

Amazing in this day and age that there is so little effort put into making the place disabled friendly, other than a couple of hills one at the start and another half way it pretty flat but the path could be much better and the hides are impossible to enter and have no low level windows for wheel chair viewing. No deduction for helper for disabled persons. Not a lot outside of migration and breeding seasons to sea, not value for money at all

Great wetland landscapes, and so many different and interesting birds as to enthrall even casual visitors like us. We tried the Wednesday evening after-closing special visit. It starts at 6 PM, lasted almost 3 hours with an enthusiastic guide pampering us around, spotting and helping us see quite rare birds and telling interesting stories - in addition to such a wealth of bird sightings as to make even younger children more than happy. And, of course, no crowds at all - less then a dozen of us with the whole park to ourselves.The 30 Euro fee results in a very good deal since the "dégustation du terroir" (local food tasting" turns out to be a nice and plentiful if cold dinner with the guide and the rest of the party, another hour or more in extremely pleasant company with all-round discussions on what brought us here.

For someone who's not a bird watcher the entrance fee of 10,50 euro is quite steep because a visit to the Marquenterre basically comes down to a nature walk. However, if you're interested in birds this is an incredible place. You can choose from three colour-codes walks (on wooden paths) that lead you past a total of 13 cabins that overlook the ponds where swans, spoonbills, ducks, cormorant, herons and other waterbirds gather. There are also storks and horses. Make sure to hire binoculars ((very decent, by the way!) at the entrance!!! Park rangers are present on the site with heavy monoscopes to get an even better view and give all the explanation you want or need. We met the head ranger who's extremely passionate about his job. Mind you: dogs are not alowed in the park.

Visited late afternoon and were treated to a variety of birds including white storks, herons and spoonbills. Site well laid out with plenty of hides and helpful staff in some of the hides with telescopes available to use. 3 trailers all well laid out. A must for any nature lover, place teaming with dragonflies and damselflies. Site as special car park for camping cars.

We are not bird watchers but think this is a marvellous place. The routes are well laid out and the number of birds to see is fantastic. We saw so many avocets and more than fifity spoonbills. You need to take binoculars. The only problem is that all the information, including bird names, is in French. It would be really good to have the booklet translated in to English, rather than just a tiny leaflet. Afraid this is a common problem in France (but I do speak a certain amount of French!) Hope the tourist information people are reading this !!! The cost is 10,50 euros for entry so take your time and spend several hours here.

Whilst touring the area in our motorhome we visited this excellent nature reserve. Easy free parking available, even for our large motorhome. Entry was quick and easy with a small discount for our RSPB membership. We chose the longest of the three walks ( 3 hrs ) which turned int 4+ and had a great time. We are not twitchers but with good binocs. and decent camera we had plenty to see and enjoy. There are plenty of creatures to see, some 13 hides and were helped in English by the resident guides. Would definately recommend and revisit.

Located near Le Crotoy, the Parc is a nature reserve with 3 paths (from 1,5 to about 6kms) with hideouts and local nature guides that will help you observing new species, and who will tell you about their life, uses, etc. I noticed that the guides that we met were all very motivated and skilled.The 6km path is very pleasant and very well kept and clean; I am usually not very keen on birds (my wife is), but I have to admit that I really enjoyed my afternoon in this Parc. The ticket was about 10 or 11 € and definitely worth it.Try to go there when the tide is high (at low tide many birds go eating outside in the Baie de Somme; at high tide they come back hoem in the Parc)

I was quite excited about going to this park, it looked charming in the beginning with the pine-tree forest and birds you could watch in the lake nearby. But as we moved forward we realised it is just worthless being there without a pair of really good binoculars! I maybe should have read more about the park in advance. But for the price of £12 there could have been some information at the ticket office! The lady at the ticket office did not seem to be speaking english and she did not even offer us to rent the binoculars! Just incredible!.. When we realised that it was a total waste of money it was just too long to walk back.Well, there were some guides on the way with really good zoom video cameras (I am not sure what those telescopes are called), so we managed to see a couple of birds in the end. But not much.Also, there's a nice cafe at the reception, which served mussels for bargain price. We were hoping to enjoy them after the walk, but they finish serving food at about 3pm (seems it's just the time everywhere outside Paris). So, grab your moules frites when you see them there! :)

We did the longest circuit of the Parc and spent about 4 hours watching a huge variety of birds in a series of hides. It was all very well organized and there were guides and notices to give information. Ticketing was a bit slow and the restaurant was somewhat overwhelmed on a sunny day of the Easter holiday but these are small niggles as we had a great morning's bird-watching.

Another fantastic trip to Marquanterre. We added three new birds to our list and enjoyed seeing many more that were familiar to us.The guides are very knowledgable and helpful and will show you birds through their excellent telescopes. We love Marquanterre and will be back again as soon as circumstances allow.One of the highlights this year was seeing dozens of nesting Storks and Spoonbills.

Beautiful. The walks were color coded and extremely easy to follow. It was a well planned layout with winding paths that took us very close to the birds. It was a fascinating experience for all of us, especially for our 16 month old daughter, as we got to see swans, different types of ducks and storks. The tranquility of the location and it's scenic beauty make it a welcome haven for the birds. We hope to go back.

This is a super location, well worth the short drive from where you might be staying in the Somme estuary. There are a variety of waymarked, easy to follow walks between the dozen or so hides situated around the site. Binoculars are essential and may be hired if you do not have them, though several hides were staffed with friendly volunteers equipped with high powered monoculars to use. The footpaths between the hides are fairly sheltered with bushes and trees, so even on the wet day when we looked around it was still very worthwhile. Highly recommended.