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The bay - The birds - The seals - Discover the Somme bay by kayak - Discover the Somme bay by outrigger canoe - Accomodations - Contact us |
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 THE BAY 
top of the pageThe Somme Bay twinned with Rye Bay(in England)is known worldwide for its ecological wealth. Its northern section has been listed as a nature reserve. It is a member of the club : "the most beautiful Bays in the World". The Somme river, empties into the English channel forming a wide indentation in the coast line measuring 72 km. This estuary which we propose to visit extends from Pointe du Hourdel to Saint Quentin in the North. There is a large fluctuation in the sea level due to the amplitude of the tides. At low tide, the sea can go out as far as 14 km from Saint Valery sur Somme. The way in which animals, plants and humans live in the bay area is greatly influenced by the tides. There are three distinct zones : - the lower part of the estuary from which the water recedes only during the spring tides - the middle area called 'le slikke"(area covered and uncovered by the sea twice daily regardless of the season) is composed of mud floats which provide feeding ground for wading birds and several species of ducks - the area just beyond the bay, "le schorre" known locally as "mollieres" is covered in vegetation,. The salt meadow sheep can graze there peacefully, as these meadows are only flooded during the spring tides. |
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| THE BIRDS
top of the page The Picardy Coast is considered to be one of the largest ornithological sites in France, boasting over 360 listed species of birds. The most commonly found inhabitants are oystercatchers, little egrets, shelducks, pintail ducks, northern lapwings, avocets, sandpipers, curlews and golden plovers. Every season is different : |
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| - In the spring, nature comes to life : (courtship
displays and mating) You can see avocets, black-headed gulls, northern lapwings..
- In the summer, migration begins : It is already time for those nesting in the North to leave. - In the autumn, migration continues : the teals arrive in great numbers, the grey heron can be found in many different areas, raptors such as sparrowhawks, harriers and kites can often be spotted as they pass through the area. - In the winter, there are thousands of shelducks, which have the distinctive habit of nesting in rabbit burrows. The greylag geese, forerunners of domestic geese, pintail ducks, cousin of the moorhen, meet together in the feeding zones |
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| THE SEALS
top of the page Most of the colony is made up of sea calves but the grey seal can also be found. These lovely creatures spend their days swimming in the estuary at high tide in search of food and relaxing in the sun at low tide. Today, over seventy seals can be counted in the colony which is studied and protected. We propose to meet them by sea kayak or outrigger. You can observe the seals with binoculars when they are relaxing on the sand. You may even come closer to a seal as they can sometimes approach out of curiosity. |
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