Managed by hunters, this site is the last stop for migratory birds before the Pyrenees

Since 2022, the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Hunters' Federation has taken up residence at the Saligue aux Oiseaux, a site of more than 26 hectares which is home to numerous species

The sun has broken through the clouds and is reflected in the calm water where the water primrose thrives. A light breeze makes the surface of the marsh shiver. Unperturbed, cows grazing with a view chew the freshly grazed green grass, no longer even surprised by nature's spectacle.

A record 129 storks, arriving the day before in overcast weather, took advantage of a favorable weather window to cross the mountain range in the morning. Arranged in skewers on pebbles, cattle egrets play at being lizards. The setting is bucolic and conducive to contemplation.

Since 2022, the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Hunters' Federation has taken up residence at the Saligue aux Oiseaux, between Castétis and Biron. Contrary to appearances, the site is not natural but artificial. Like Lake Orthez, which was created to meet the need for materials for the construction of the A64 motorway, the marsh was dug out. This time, based on an idea from the hunters, who had already created islands for migratory birds.

This was just the first of many developments and restoration works (mostly funded by the Adour-Garonne Water Agency, the Departmental Council, and the Regional Council) that followed to save the marsh from certain collapse and to improve its capacity to support birds before reopening the area to the public. "In this site, we are in our place, in nature," argues Christian Peboscq, director of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Hunters' Federation. "Not just as observers or consumers, but as actors."

"The missions of a hunting federation have evolved. We don't just defend the practice of hunting, we defend biodiversity in general. Our actions benefit all species and don't focus solely on huntable game. Because hunters don't live apart from society; they are sensitive to major social and societal causes. They are not just hunters, but also eco-citizens who appreciate living in a protected environment."

The FDC64 manages this site of remarkable species, which "lives, evolves, and requires maintenance," the director emphasizes. "If it weren't, it would close in and become overgrown. As a result, we would lose habitats and species dependent on wetlands, whether birds, amphibians, or fish."

Wedged to the south by the motorway, to the north by the railway, and to the west by Orthez and its lake, the Saligue aux Oiseaux is just a pond, "a lozenge" seen from the sky. "But above all, it's the last major wetland before the Pyrenees, the last stop for migration, a bit like a rest stage of the Tour de France," explains Christian Peboscq.

"The birds land, eat, rest for a few days or hours, and leave again when they have regained their strength. Some even spend the winter there. Spring offers the same parade of feathers in reverse. The marsh acts like a magnet, because we are in the migratory funnel."

For those willing to wait a little, there are people passing by every day. Visible all year round because the site is open to the public, who can feast their eyes on the observatory with a breathtaking view of the marshland and soon thanks to a museum space.

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