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Alpilles Regional Nature Park

Natural Park · France

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Photo © Christian Ferrer

Photo © Christian Ferrer — CC BY-SA 4.0 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

ABOUT

Limestone ridges rise in pale, serrated waves above a mosaic of garrigue, olive groves and cypress lines, and the whole massif breathes the dry rhythm of a Mediterranean climate with its parched summer and mild, rain-fed winter. This is Csa country: scrubland of thyme, rosemary and kermes oak clinging to thin rocky soils, sun-baked cliffs and sheltered valleys where moisture lingers a little longer. The habitat patchwork — open stony plateau, dense low maquis, cultivated terraces and scattered woodland — supports a correspondingly varied fauna. Birds of prey work the thermals along the ridgelines, woodland and scrub songbirds fill the spring air, and small mammals, reptiles and insects thrive among the stones and aromatic bushes. It is a landscape of texture and restraint rather than abundance, where every creature is adapted to heat, drought and exposure.

For photographers and birdwatchers, the appeal lies in that clarity of light and the sheer legibility of the terrain. Early mornings and late afternoons in spring and autumn bring soft, raking illumination across the limestone, when raptors are most active on the wing and the scrub is alive with movement; summer demands patience and dawn starts, but rewards with hard, graphic shadows and a landscape stripped to its essentials. Access is largely on foot along marked trails radiating from the surrounding villages, so a slow, quiet approach is both practical and necessary. Come for the interplay of rock, aromatic scrub and open sky, and for the chance to observe Mediterranean wildlife communities in a setting that feels genuinely wild yet intimately human-shaped.

WILDLIFE

Month

Type

Greater Flamingo

Phoenicopterus roseus

Aquila chrysaetos

Eurasian Eagle-Owl

Anas platyrhynchos

Common Pheasant

Phasianus colchicus

Red-legged Partridge

European Nightjar

Caprimulgus europaeus

Tachymarptis melba

Cuculus canorus

Common Wood Pigeon

Columba palumbus

European Turtle Dove

Streptopelia turtur

Eurasian Collared Dove

Streptopelia decaocto

Gallinula chloropus

Pluvialis squatarola

Black-headed Gull

Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Ciconia ciconia

Great Cormorant

Phalacrocorax carbo

Egretta garzetta

Western Cattle Egret

European Honey Buzzard

Pernis apivorus

Griffon Vulture

Short-toed Snake Eagle

Circaetus gallicus

Hieraaetus pennatus

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Accipiter nisus

Western Marsh Harrier

Circus aeruginosus

Eurasian Scops Owl

European Roller

Coracias garrulus

European Bee-eater

Merops apiaster

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Dendrocopos major

European Green Woodpecker

Falco tinnunculus

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Eurasian Golden Oriole

Oriolus oriolus

Woodchat Shrike

Garrulus glandarius

Eurasian Magpie

Red-billed Chough

Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax

Western Jackdaw

Coloeus monedula

Corvus frugilegus

Lophophanes cristatus

Lullula arborea

Eurasian Crag Martin

Ptyonoprogne rupestris

Western House Martin

Delichon urbicum

Long-tailed Tit

Aegithalos caudatus

Common Chiffchaff

Phylloscopus collybita

Great Reed Warbler

Acrocephalus arundinaceus

Zitting Cisticola

Cisticola juncidis

Eurasian Blackcap

Sylvia atricapilla

Sardinian Warbler

Curruca melanocephala

Western Subalpine Warbler

Curruca iberiae

Dartford Warbler

Common Firecrest

Regulus ignicapilla

Regulus regulus

Tichodroma muraria

Short-toed Treecreeper

Certhia brachydactyla

Common Starling

Sturnus vulgaris

Turdus philomelos

Common Blackbird

Spotted Flycatcher

Muscicapa striata

Erithacus rubecula

Common Nightingale

Luscinia megarhynchos

European Pied Flycatcher

Ficedula hypoleuca

Common Redstart

Phoenicurus phoenicurus

Blue Rock Thrush

Monticola solitarius

Saxicola rubetra

European Stonechat

Saxicola rubicola

Northern Wheatear

Oenanthe oenanthe

Western Black-eared Wheatear

Oenanthe hispanica

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Passer montanus

Passer domesticus

Alpine Accentor

Prunella collaris

Prunella modularis

Motacilla cinerea

Eurasian Chaffinch

Fringilla coelebs

Fringilla montifringilla

European Greenfinch

Chloris chloris

Loxia curvirostra

European Goldfinch

Carduelis carduelis

Serinus serinus

Eurasian Siskin

Emberiza calandra

Emberiza cirlus

Northern Shoveler

Spatula clypeata

Aythya fuligula

Coturnix coturnix

Great Spotted Cuckoo

Clamator glandarius

Rallus aquaticus

Great Crested Grebe

Podiceps cristatus

Eurasian Stone-curlew

Burhinus oedicnemus

Recurvirostra avosetta

Northern Lapwing

Vanellus vanellus

Eurasian Curlew

Numenius arquata

Eurasian Woodcock

Scolopax rusticola

Gallinago gallinago

Common Sandpiper

Actitis hypoleucos

Green Sandpiper

Tringa ochropus

Spotted Redshank

Tringa erythropus

Common Greenshank

Tringa nebularia

Collared Pratincole

Glareola pratincola

Gull-billed Tern

Gelochelidon nilotica

Hydroprogne caspia

Chlidonias hybrida

Slender-billed Gull

Chroicocephalus genei

Mediterranean Gull

Ichthyaetus melanocephalus

Yellow-legged Gull

Larus michahellis

Plegadis falcinellus

Black-crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Ardeola ralloides

Pandion haliaetus

Bearded Vulture

Gypaetus barbatus

Cinereous Vulture

Aegypius monachus

Bonelli's Eagle

Aquila fasciata

Montagu's Harrier

Circus pygargus

Common Kingfisher

Eurasian Wryneck

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Dryobates minor

Red-footed Falcon

Falco vespertinus

Eleonora's Falcon

Falco eleonorae

Falco columbarius

Iberian Grey Shrike

Lanius meridionalis

Red-backed Shrike

Lanius collurio

Galerida cristata

Greater Short-toed Lark

Calandrella brachydactyla

Riparia riparia

Cetti's Warbler

Western Bonelli's Warbler

Phylloscopus bonelli

Phylloscopus trochilus

Common Reed Warbler

Acrocephalus scirpaceus

Melodious Warbler

Hippolais polyglotta

Western Orphean Warbler

Curruca hortensis

Moltoni's Warbler

Curruca subalpina

Common Whitethroat

Curruca communis

Spectacled Warbler

Curruca conspicillata

Eurasian Nuthatch

Turdus viscivorus

Turdus torquatus

Common Rock Thrush

Monticola saxatilis

Western Yellow Wagtail

Motacilla flava

Anthus campestris

Anthus pratensis

Anthus trivialis

Coccothraustes coccothraustes

Eurasian Bullfinch

Pyrrhula pyrrhula

Linaria cannabina

Carduelis citrinella

Emberiza citrinella

Ortolan Bunting

Emberiza hortulana

Common Shelduck

Tadorna tadorna

Spatula querquedula

Mareca strepera

Northern Pintail

Red-crested Pochard

Porzana porzana

Tachybaptus ruficollis

Black-necked Grebe

Podiceps nigricollis

Black-winged Stilt

Himantopus himantopus

Common Ringed Plover

Charadrius hiaticula

Lymnocryptes minimus

Tringa glareola

Common Redshank

Cream-colored Courser

Cursorius cursor

White-winged Tern

Chlidonias leucopterus

Eurasian Spoonbill

Platalea leucorodia

Eurasian Bittern

Botaurus stellaris

Black-winged Kite

Elanus caeruleus

Black Woodpecker

Dryocopus martius

Rose-ringed Parakeet

Psittacula krameri

Northern Nutcracker

Nucifraga caryocatactes

Pyrrhocorax graculus

Eurasian Penduline Tit

Remiz pendulinus

Melanocorypha calandra

Eastern Red-rumped Swallow

Cecropis daurica

Moustached Warbler

Acrocephalus melanopogon

Acrocephalus schoenobaenus

Common Grasshopper Warbler

Locustella naevia

Troglodytes troglodytes

Eurasian Treecreeper

Certhia familiaris

Luscinia svecica

Petronia petronia

Anthus spinoletta

Common Reed Bunting

Emberiza schoeniclus

Western Roe Deer

Capreolus capreolus

European Rabbit

Oryctolagus cuniculus

Myocastor coypus

Ondatra zibethicus

Common Pipistrelle

Pipistrellus pipistrellus

European Badger

European Polecat

Mustela putorius

Eurasian Wild Boar

Lepus europaeus

European Fat Dormouse

European Garden Dormouse

Eliomys quercinus

Eurasian Red Squirrel

Sciurus vulgaris

Eurasian Beaver

Southwestern Water Vole

Arvicola sapidus

Long-tailed Field Mouse

Apodemus sylvaticus

Rattus norvegicus

West European Hedgehog

Erinaceus europaeus

Greater White-toothed Shrew

Crocidura russula

Schreibers's Long-fingered Bat

Miniopterus schreibersii

Long-fingered Myotis

Myotis capaccinii

Myotis crypticus

Daubenton's Myotis

Myotis daubentonii

Geoffroy's Myotis

Myotis emarginatus

Leisler's Noctule

Nyctalus leisleri

Kuhl's Pipistrelle

Pipistrellus kuhlii

Soprano Pipistrelle

Pipistrellus pygmaeus

Savi's Pipistrelle

Greater Horseshoe Bat

Rhinolophus ferrumequinum

European Pine Marten

Mustela nivalis

Genetta genetta

View Complete List (249 more) →

COMMUNITY

0 Community observations

No community observations yet — be the first to log a sighting here.

Natural environment

Alpilles Regional Nature Park

Generally mild conditions, with noticeable seasonal changes.

Usual climateTemperate with dry, hot summersLowland

Average annual temperature 14.8 °C Average of the twelve monthly means

Average elevation 94 m Lowland

Climate pattern Temperate with dry, hot summers Main environment around this hotspot

A year of temperatures

Monthly means, with the coldest and warmest highlighted

Monthly minimum · January 6.1 °C Monthly maximum · July 24.9 °C

Global temperature scale

−40°−20°0°20°40°

Terrain and elevation

94 m · Lowland

Average terrain elevation estimate across the hotspot; the figure does not represent its highest summits.

Elevation scale

94 m

02,0004,0006,0008,000m

Lowland

Long-term climate averages, not live weather.

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