Grands Causses Regional Nature Park

Natural Park · France

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Photo © Daniel Villafruela.

Photo © Daniel Villafruela. — CC BY-SA 4.0 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

Where limestone plateaus fracture into sheer river canyons, the Grands Causses Regional Nature Park unfolds across the uplands of Occitanie around Millau — a country of stone, sheep and sky. This is karst terrain at its most theatrical: vast arid-looking causses grazed since antiquity, deep gorges cut by the Tarn, the Jonte and the Dourbie, and scattered sinkholes and caves that drain the surface into hidden underground rivers. Despite the bare, stony appearance of the plateaus, the Cfb climate brings rainfall spread evenly through the year, with no true dry season, so the landscape is far from desert: beech and oak woods clothe the gorge slopes, box and juniper scrub the drier crests, and damp meadows and streams thread the valley floors. That mosaic of open pasture, cliff and forest supports a rich community of birds of prey patrolling the thermals above the rims, woodland songbirds and small forest mammals in the shaded ravines, bats roosting in the limestone cavities, and insects and reptiles thriving on the sun-warmed rock.

For the wildlife photographer and the birdwatcher, the appeal lies in scale and light. Dawn and dusk are the great hours, when raptors ride the updrafts along the canyon walls and the low sun rakes the striated cliffs, turning the stone to copper and shadow. Spring brings the uplands alive with birdsong and wildflowers, while autumn casts long, clear light and quiet over the gorges. Access is generous but demands respect: waymarked trails and viewpoints let you work the rims and valley floors, yet the terrain is steep and the weather changeable, so plan for early starts and carry water. Come for the drama of the gorges, the sweep of the causses and the chance to watch birds of prey and cliff-nesting species on the wing — a landscape that rewards patience and a long lens.

Bearded Vulture

Gypaetus barbatus

Eurasian Eagle-Owl

Branta canadensis

Aix galericulata

Anas platyrhynchos

Reeves's Pheasant

Syrmaticus reevesii

Common Pheasant

Phasianus colchicus

Red-legged Partridge

European Nightjar

Caprimulgus europaeus

Tachymarptis melba

White-rumped Swift

Cuculus canorus

Common Wood Pigeon

Columba palumbus

Eurasian Collared Dove

Streptopelia decaocto

Tachybaptus ruficollis

Great Crested Grebe

Podiceps cristatus

Eurasian Stone-curlew

Burhinus oedicnemus

Eurasian Dotterel

Eudromias morinellus

Gallinago gallinago

Common Sandpiper

Actitis hypoleucos

Green Sandpiper

Tringa ochropus

Calidris alpina

Chlidonias hybrida

Black-headed Gull

Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Mediterranean Gull

Ichthyaetus melanocephalus

Yellow-legged Gull

Larus michahellis

Great Cormorant

Phalacrocorax carbo

Black-crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Egretta garzetta

Western Cattle Egret

Pandion haliaetus

Black-winged Kite

Elanus caeruleus

European Honey Buzzard

Pernis apivorus

Griffon Vulture

Short-toed Snake Eagle

Circaetus gallicus

Hieraaetus pennatus

Aquila chrysaetos

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Accipiter nisus

Montagu's Harrier

Circus pygargus

Western Marsh Harrier

Circus aeruginosus

European Roller

Coracias garrulus

Common Kingfisher

European Bee-eater

Merops apiaster

Eurasian Wryneck

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Dryobates minor

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Dendrocopos major

Black Woodpecker

Dryocopus martius

European Green Woodpecker

Falco tinnunculus

Red-footed Falcon

Falco vespertinus

Eleonora's Falcon

Falco eleonorae

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Eurasian Golden Oriole

Oriolus oriolus

Iberian Grey Shrike

Lanius meridionalis

Woodchat Shrike

Red-backed Shrike

Lanius collurio

Garrulus glandarius

Eurasian Magpie

Red-billed Chough

Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax

Western Jackdaw

Coloeus monedula

Lophophanes cristatus

Poecile palustris

Eurasian Blue Tit

Cyanistes caeruleus

Lullula arborea

Eurasian Skylark

Alauda arvensis

Eurasian Crag Martin

Ptyonoprogne rupestris

Hirundo rustica

Western House Martin

Delichon urbicum

Long-tailed Tit

Aegithalos caudatus

Western Bonelli's Warbler

Phylloscopus bonelli

Phylloscopus trochilus

Common Chiffchaff

Phylloscopus collybita

Iberian Chiffchaff

Phylloscopus ibericus

Great Reed Warbler

Acrocephalus arundinaceus

Melodious Warbler

Hippolais polyglotta

Zitting Cisticola

Cisticola juncidis

Eurasian Blackcap

Sylvia atricapilla

Western Orphean Warbler

Curruca hortensis

Sardinian Warbler

Curruca melanocephala

Western Subalpine Warbler

Curruca iberiae

Common Whitethroat

Curruca communis

Dartford Warbler

Common Firecrest

Regulus ignicapilla

Regulus regulus

Troglodytes troglodytes

Eurasian Nuthatch

Tichodroma muraria

Eurasian Treecreeper

Certhia familiaris

Short-toed Treecreeper

Certhia brachydactyla

Common Starling

Sturnus vulgaris

Turdus philomelos

Turdus viscivorus

Common Blackbird

Turdus torquatus

Spotted Flycatcher

Muscicapa striata

Erithacus rubecula

Common Nightingale

Luscinia megarhynchos

European Pied Flycatcher

Ficedula hypoleuca

Phoenicurus ochruros

Common Redstart

Phoenicurus phoenicurus

Common Rock Thrush

Monticola saxatilis

Blue Rock Thrush

Monticola solitarius

Saxicola rubetra

European Stonechat

Saxicola rubicola

Northern Wheatear

Oenanthe oenanthe

White-throated Dipper

Cinclus cinclus

Petronia petronia

Passer domesticus

Alpine Accentor

Prunella collaris

Prunella modularis

Western Yellow Wagtail

Motacilla flava

Motacilla cinerea

Anthus campestris

Anthus pratensis

Anthus trivialis

Eurasian Chaffinch

Fringilla coelebs

Fringilla montifringilla

Coccothraustes coccothraustes

Eurasian Bullfinch

Pyrrhula pyrrhula

European Greenfinch

Chloris chloris

Linaria cannabina

Loxia curvirostra

European Goldfinch

Carduelis carduelis

Serinus serinus

Eurasian Siskin

Emberiza calandra

Emberiza citrinella

Emberiza cirlus

Common Shelduck

Tadorna tadorna

Cairina moschata

Northern Shoveler

Spatula clypeata

Mareca strepera

Eurasian Wigeon

Mareca penelope

Northern Pintail

Red-crested Pochard

Ferruginous Duck

Aythya fuligula

Coturnix coturnix

European Turtle Dove

Streptopelia turtur

Rallus aquaticus

Gallinula chloropus

Western Swamphen

Porphyrio porphyrio

Greater Flamingo

Phoenicopterus roseus

Black-winged Stilt

Himantopus himantopus

Recurvirostra avosetta

Common Ringed Plover

Charadrius hiaticula

Northern Lapwing

Vanellus vanellus

Eurasian Curlew

Numenius arquata

Lymnocryptes minimus

Eurasian Woodcock

Scolopax rusticola

Phalaropus fulicarius

Common Redshank

Common Greenshank

Tringa nebularia

Chlidonias niger

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Plegadis falcinellus

Ardeola ralloides

Egyptian Vulture

Neophron percnopterus

Cinereous Vulture

Aegypius monachus

Bonelli's Eagle

Aquila fasciata

Eurasian Scops Owl

Middle Spotted Woodpecker

Dendrocoptes medius

Falco columbarius

Great Grey Shrike

Lanius excubitor

Pyrrhocorax graculus

Corvus frugilegus

Eurasian Penduline Tit

Remiz pendulinus

Galerida cristata

Greater Short-toed Lark

Calandrella brachydactyla

Riparia riparia

Cetti's Warbler

Yellow-browed Warbler

Phylloscopus inornatus

Common Reed Warbler

Acrocephalus scirpaceus

Locustella luscinioides

Moltoni's Warbler

Curruca subalpina

Luscinia svecica

Red-flanked Bluetail

Tarsiger cyanurus

Western Black-eared Wheatear

Oenanthe hispanica

White-winged Snowfinch

Montifringilla nivalis

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Passer montanus

Anthus spinoletta

Carduelis citrinella

Ortolan Bunting

Emberiza hortulana

Branta leucopsis

Anser cygnoides

Greater White-fronted Goose

Anser albifrons

Alopochen aegyptiaca

Tadorna ferruginea

Callonetta leucophrys

Spatula querquedula

White-cheeked Pintail

Anas bahamensis

Marmaronetta angustirostris

Common Merganser

Mergus merganser

Helmeted Guineafowl

Numida meleagris

Great Spotted Cuckoo

Clamator glandarius

Porzana porzana

Common Gallinule

Gallinula galeata

Podiceps auritus

Black-necked Grebe

Podiceps nigricollis

Eurasian Oystercatcher

Haematopus ostralegus

Pluvialis squatarola

European Golden Plover

Pluvialis apricaria

Black-tailed Godwit

Tringa glareola

Spotted Redshank

Tringa erythropus

Ruddy Turnstone

Arenaria interpres

Curlew Sandpiper

Calidris ferruginea

Temminck's Stint

Calidris temminckii

Calidris minuta

Hydrocoloeus minutus

Black-legged Kittiwake

Rissa tridactyla

Larus cachinnans

Parasitic Jaeger

Stercorarius parasiticus

Red-throated Loon

Black-throated Loon

Cory's Shearwater

Calonectris borealis

Ciconia ciconia

Eurasian Spoonbill

Platalea leucorodia

Eurasian Bittern

Botaurus stellaris

Circus macrourus

Short-eared Owl

Grey-headed Woodpecker

Nymphicus hollandicus

Rose-ringed Parakeet

Psittacula krameri

Melopsittacus undulatus

Poecile montanus

Melanocorypha calandra

Eastern Red-rumped Swallow

Cecropis daurica

American Cliff Swallow

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

Moustached Warbler

Acrocephalus melanopogon

Acrocephalus schoenobaenus

Icterine Warbler

Hippolais icterina

Common Grasshopper Warbler

Locustella naevia

Spectacled Warbler

Curruca conspicillata

African Stonechat

Saxicola torquatus

Richard's Pipit

Anthus richardi

Plectrophenax nivalis

Taiga Bean Goose

Western Roe Deer

Capreolus capreolus

Western Red Deer

Lepus europaeus

European Rabbit

Oryctolagus cuniculus

Myocastor coypus

European Fat Dormouse

European Garden Dormouse

Eliomys quercinus

Eurasian Red Squirrel

Sciurus vulgaris

Eurasian Beaver

Long-tailed Field Mouse

Apodemus sylvaticus

Myotis crypticus

Daubenton's Myotis

Myotis daubentonii

Geoffroy's Myotis

Myotis emarginatus

Common Pipistrelle

Pipistrellus pipistrellus

Soprano Pipistrelle

Pipistrellus pygmaeus

European Badger

Mustela nivalis

Genetta genetta

Common Fallow Deer

Eurasian Wild Boar

Przewalski's horse

Equus ferus przewalskii

European Mouflon

Ovis aries musimon

Muscardinus avellanarius

Southwestern Water Vole

Arvicola sapidus

European Snow Vole

Chionomys nivalis

Short-tailed Field Vole

Microtus agrestis

Microtus arvalis

Pyrenean Pine Vole

Microtus pyrenaicus

Clethrionomys glareolus

Ondatra zibethicus

Yellow-necked Field Mouse

Apodemus flavicollis

Eurasian Harvest Mouse

Micromys minutus

Western Mediterranean Mouse

Rattus norvegicus

West European Hedgehog

Erinaceus europaeus

Greater White-toothed Shrew

Crocidura russula

Lesser White-toothed Shrew

Crocidura suaveolens

Suncus etruscus

Eurasian Pygmy Shrew

Schreibers's Long-fingered Bat

Miniopterus schreibersii

Bechstein's Myotis

Myotis bechsteinii

Brandt's Myotis

Myotis brandtii

Long-fingered Myotis

Myotis capaccinii

Common Whiskered Myotis

Myotis mystacinus

Natterer's Myotis

Myotis nattereri

Greater Noctule

Nyctalus lasiopterus

Leisler's Noctule

Nyctalus leisleri

Nyctalus noctula

Kuhl's Pipistrelle

Pipistrellus kuhlii

Nathusius's Pipistrelle

Pipistrellus nathusii

Western Barbastelle

Barbastella barbastellus

Brown Long-eared Bat

Plecotus auritus

Gray Long-eared Bat

Plecotus austriacus

Savi's Pipistrelle

Eurasian Particolored Bat

Vespertilio murinus

Mediterranean Horseshoe Bat

Rhinolophus euryale

Greater Horseshoe Bat

Rhinolophus ferrumequinum

Lesser Horseshoe Bat

Rhinolophus hipposideros

European Pine Marten

Mustela erminea

European Polecat

Mustela putorius

Northern Raccoon

European Wildcat

Felis silvestris

Northern Chamois

Rupicapra rupicapra

Alcathoe Whiskered Myotis

Myotis alcathoe

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