Stork Park

At the west exit of the village, near the campsite, there is an enclosure dedicated to white storks, managed by the Association Les Amis de la Cigogne. Accessible at any time of the day, this space allows visitors to discover these iconic birds through an informative panel detailing their lifestyle, habitat, and migratory habits.

The white stork, a wading bird weighing between 3 and 4 kg with a height of about 1 meter and a wingspan of 1.60 m, lives on average 20 to 30 years. The male, slightly larger than the female, has a more prominent beak. Carnivorous, it consumes up to 500 grams of prey daily. Some, from reintroduction programs, may adopt a sedentary lifestyle.

Its nest, built high on structures like church roofs, is often visible from afar. Flat and wide, measuring 1.20 to 1.40 meters, it weighs about 500 kg. Made of branches and twigs, it is then lined with grass, hay, moss, or leaves. Each year, the stork adds new materials, gradually increasing the nest's size and weight.

Reproduction begins after a month of incubation. Between 4 and 5 chicks, covered in gray down, hatch each year. They take flight after 10 weeks. Their legs and beak, initially black, turn red during their first year. The chicks are banded between 4 and 6 weeks to monitor population development.

Migration, which concerns less than 10% of storks, exposes them to many dangers, notably electrocution. Once declining in France, the species was saved thanks to reintroduction programs in Alsace and Lorraine. Storks released after three years are often sedentary. Their route usually avoids the Mediterranean: they cross the Strait of Gibraltar between August and September to depart and return between February and May.