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Massif des Bauges Regional Nature Park

Natural Park · France

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Photo © Rémih

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

ABOUT

Limestone cliffs and folded ridges rise out of a green mosaic of beech and fir forest, open pasture and scattered hay meadows — the unmistakable signature of the Massif des Bauges Regional Nature Park around Le Châtelard. This is a mid-mountain landscape shaped as much by centuries of grazing and mowing as by geology, where wooded slopes give way to flower-rich grassland and rocky escarpments in a tight, layered patchwork. Under a Dfb climate with no dry season, moisture is reliable year-round: springs feed shaded ravines, soils stay deep and cool, and the vegetation reads as temperate montane forest and meadow rather than anything arid or Mediterranean. Wildlife follows that structure closely. Woodland songbirds and small forest mammals occupy the canopy and understorey, birds of prey work the thermals along the cliff edges and open ridges, and the mosaic of mown meadow and rough pasture supports insects, reptiles and the open-country birds that depend on them. Seasonal change is pronounced, with a long, cold winter and a green, productive summer.

WILDLIFE

Month

Type

Aquila chrysaetos

Eurasian Eagle-Owl

Anas platyrhynchos

Red-crested Pochard

Aythya fuligula

Melanitta fusca

Common Merganser

Mergus merganser

Common Pheasant

Phasianus colchicus

Tachymarptis melba

Cuculus canorus

Common Wood Pigeon

Columba palumbus

Eurasian Collared Dove

Streptopelia decaocto

Gallinula chloropus

Tachybaptus ruficollis

Great Crested Grebe

Podiceps cristatus

Eurasian Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus

Common Sandpiper

Actitis hypoleucos

Black-headed Gull

Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Yellow-legged Gull

Larus michahellis

Ciconia ciconia

Great Cormorant

Phalacrocorax carbo

Bearded Vulture

Gypaetus barbatus

European Honey Buzzard

Pernis apivorus

Griffon Vulture

Short-toed Snake Eagle

Circaetus gallicus

Western Marsh Harrier

Circus aeruginosus

Common Kingfisher

Eurasian Wryneck

Middle Spotted Woodpecker

Dendrocoptes medius

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Dryobates minor

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Dendrocopos major

Black Woodpecker

Dryocopus martius

European Green Woodpecker

Falco tinnunculus

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Red-backed Shrike

Lanius collurio

Garrulus glandarius

Eurasian Magpie

Northern Nutcracker

Nucifraga caryocatactes

Red-billed Chough

Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax

Pyrrhocorax graculus

Western Jackdaw

Coloeus monedula

Corvus frugilegus

Lophophanes cristatus

Poecile palustris

Poecile montanus

Eurasian Blue Tit

Cyanistes caeruleus

Eurasian Skylark

Alauda arvensis

Eurasian Crag Martin

Ptyonoprogne rupestris

Western House Martin

Delichon urbicum

Long-tailed Tit

Aegithalos caudatus

Western Bonelli's Warbler

Phylloscopus bonelli

Phylloscopus trochilus

Common Chiffchaff

Phylloscopus collybita

Eurasian Blackcap

Sylvia atricapilla

Common Firecrest

Regulus ignicapilla

Regulus regulus

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

Saxicola rubetra

European Stonechat

Saxicola rubicola

Northern Wheatear

Oenanthe oenanthe

White-throated Dipper

Cinclus cinclus

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Passer montanus

Passer domesticus

Alpine Accentor

Prunella collaris

Prunella modularis

Motacilla cinerea

Anthus trivialis

Anthus spinoletta

Eurasian Chaffinch

Fringilla coelebs

Fringilla montifringilla

Coccothraustes coccothraustes

Eurasian Bullfinch

Pyrrhula pyrrhula

European Greenfinch

Chloris chloris

Linaria cannabina

Acanthis flammea

Loxia curvirostra

European Goldfinch

Carduelis carduelis

Carduelis citrinella

Serinus serinus

Eurasian Siskin

Emberiza citrinella

Emberiza cirlus

Branta leucopsis

Common Shelduck

Tadorna tadorna

Spatula querquedula

Northern Shoveler

Spatula clypeata

Eurasian Wigeon

Mareca penelope

Northern Pintail

Somateria mollissima

Common Goldeneye

Bucephala clangula

Tetrastes bonasia

Coturnix coturnix

European Nightjar

Caprimulgus europaeus

Rallus aquaticus

Podiceps auritus

Black-necked Grebe

Podiceps nigricollis

Black-winged Stilt

Himantopus himantopus

Pluvialis squatarola

Eurasian Dotterel

Eudromias morinellus

Common Ringed Plover

Charadrius hiaticula

Northern Lapwing

Vanellus vanellus

Eurasian Curlew

Numenius arquata

Lymnocryptes minimus

Eurasian Woodcock

Scolopax rusticola

Gallinago gallinago

Green Sandpiper

Tringa ochropus

Common Greenshank

Tringa nebularia

Calidris alpina

Chlidonias niger

Hydrocoloeus minutus

Mediterranean Gull

Ichthyaetus melanocephalus

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Red-throated Loon

Black-crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Egretta garzetta

Ardeola ralloides

Pandion haliaetus

Cinereous Vulture

Aegypius monachus

Circus macrourus

Montagu's Harrier

Circus pygargus

Western Barn Owl

Aegolius funereus

Eurasian Pygmy Owl

Glaucidium passerinum

Eurasian Scops Owl

European Bee-eater

Merops apiaster

Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker

Picoides tridactylus

Red-footed Falcon

Falco vespertinus

Falco columbarius

Eurasian Golden Oriole

Oriolus oriolus

Eurasian Penduline Tit

Remiz pendulinus

Bearded Reedling

Panurus biarmicus

Lullula arborea

Riparia riparia

Great Reed Warbler

Acrocephalus arundinaceus

Common Reed Warbler

Acrocephalus scirpaceus

Acrocephalus palustris

Melodious Warbler

Hippolais polyglotta

Common Grasshopper Warbler

Locustella naevia

Common Whitethroat

Curruca communis

White-winged Snowfinch

Montifringilla nivalis

Anthus campestris

Anthus pratensis

Ortolan Bunting

Emberiza hortulana

Branta canadensis

Aix galericulata

Ferruginous Duck

Red-breasted Merganser

Mergus serrator

Reeves's Pheasant

Syrmaticus reevesii

European Turtle Dove

Streptopelia turtur

Red-necked Grebe

Podiceps grisegena

Tringa glareola

Common Redshank

Eurasian Bittern

Botaurus stellaris

Great Grey Shrike

Lanius excubitor

Cetti's Warbler

Zitting Cisticola

Cisticola juncidis

Common Reed Bunting

Emberiza schoeniclus

Marmota marmota

Western Roe Deer

Capreolus capreolus

Lepus europaeus

European Fat Dormouse

European Garden Dormouse

Eliomys quercinus

Muscardinus avellanarius

Eurasian Red Squirrel

Sciurus vulgaris

Eurasian Beaver

Microtus arvalis

Clethrionomys glareolus

Long-tailed Field Mouse

Apodemus sylvaticus

Rattus norvegicus

West European Hedgehog

Erinaceus europaeus

Kuhl's Pipistrelle

Pipistrellus kuhlii

European Pine Marten

European Badger

Mustela erminea

Mustela nivalis

Northern Chamois

Rupicapra rupicapra

Western Red Deer

European Mouflon

Ovis aries musimon

European Rabbit

Oryctolagus cuniculus

Myocastor coypus

Yellow-necked Field Mouse

Apodemus flavicollis

Eurasian Harvest Mouse

Micromys minutus

Sorex antinorii

Bechstein's Myotis

Myotis bechsteinii

Brandt's Myotis

Myotis brandtii

Daubenton's Myotis

Myotis daubentonii

Geoffroy's Myotis

Myotis emarginatus

Common Whiskered Myotis

Myotis mystacinus

Natterer's Myotis

Myotis nattereri

Leisler's Noctule

Nyctalus leisleri

Nyctalus noctula

Nathusius's Pipistrelle

Pipistrellus nathusii

Common Pipistrelle

Pipistrellus pipistrellus

Western Barbastelle

Barbastella barbastellus

Savi's Pipistrelle

Greater Horseshoe Bat

Rhinolophus ferrumequinum

Lesser Horseshoe Bat

Rhinolophus hipposideros

View Complete List (249 more) →

COMMUNITY

0 Community observations

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

Natural environment

Massif des Bauges Regional Nature Park

Strong seasonal contrast, with cold winters and warmer summers.

Usual climateCold humid with mild summersUpland

Average annual temperature 6.9 °C Average of the twelve monthly means

Average elevation 1,081 m Upland

Climate pattern Cold humid with mild summers Also: Humid temperate with mild summers

A year of temperatures

Monthly means, with the coldest and warmest highlighted

Monthly minimum · January -2.2 °C Monthly maximum · July 16.3 °C

Global temperature scale

−40°−20°0°20°40°

Terrain and elevation

1,081 m · Upland

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

Elevation scale

1,081 m

02,0004,0006,0008,000m

Upland

Long-term climate averages, not live weather.

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