Gull, tern and heron colonies of the Grande Cariçaie
Black-headed and yellow-legged gull colonies (largest in CH), common tern, great cormorant and grey heron colonies, bittern, little bittern, purple heron; beaver. Fanel / Chablais de Cudrefin, Grande Cariçaie (south shore of Lake Neuchâtel), Switzerland.
Best time: 1 May – 20 Jun (May to June). Where: Fanel islands and tower (Gampelen/Ins side), La Sauge nature centre trail (Cudrefin), Champ-Pittet (Pro Natura centre, Yverdon) (Switzerland). Time of day: Colonies are loudest from first light to about 09:00 and carry across still water.
- You can go on your own
- Free
- Telescope recommended
- Sound 4/5
Open it in the interactive calendarSunrise and sunset listening times for the day you pick, and the map.
When is the best time?
Peak: 1 May – 20 Jun. May to 20 June (chicks in the colonies)
Active from 1 Apr to 31 Jul (April to July) in a typical year.
Time of day
Colonies are loudest from first light to about 09:00 and carry across still water; noise continues all day; bittern booms and tree frogs from sunset into the night.
- Dawn colonies: 30 min before sunrise → 09:00
- Dusk bittern and frogs: 30 min before sunset → 90 min after last light
What will you hear?
A wall of black-headed gull screaming from the artificial islands, terns overhead, cormorant grunts, reed warbler and Savi's warbler from the largest reed-belt in Switzerland, bittern booming at dusk, tree frogs, beaver tail-slaps.
Binoculars?
Telescope recommended. Colonies are on islands 300–500 m off the tower and hides; scope recommended, binoculars for terns overhead.
Where to go
- Fanel islands and tower (Gampelen/Ins side) — Colonies on purpose-built islands off the reserve; tower views; strict reserve with no entry beyond the path. Map
- La Sauge nature centre trail (Cudrefin) — 500 m trail with four hides; the centre is open Mar–Oct. Map
- Champ-Pittet (Pro Natura centre, Yverdon) — Western end of the Grande Cariçaie; reed and marsh trails; tree frogs at night. Map
How to go on your own, and what it costs
La Sauge: park at the BirdLife centre (Cudrefin) and walk the 500 m trail with four hides — free; the reserve beyond is closed. Fanel tower from the Gampelen side (members' key). Champ-Pittet: Pro Natura centre trails from Yverdon, free at night on the public paths.
Cost: Free (hides and trails); La Sauge centre exhibition CHF 8 adult (2026); Champ-Pittet centre (check current prices).
Field-recording notes
The Grande Cariçaie reserves are closed off-path and the shoreline is closed to boats within a buffer in the breeding season — everything is done from hides and the tower (member key). Colony sound easily carries 500 m across still water at dawn. Noise: military jets from Payerne air base (weekdays, daytime), the Broye canal boat traffic in summer, and the Cudrefin road. Bittern and little bittern breed in the reed: no playback, no approaching the reed edge.
Sources
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