Banc d'Arguin terns & Arcachon brent geese
Sandwich tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis), brent goose (Branta bernicla), waders. Bassin d'Arcachon, Gironde, France.
Best time: 15 May – 15 Jul and 15 Oct – 15 Jan (October to January, May to July). Where: Réserve naturelle du Banc d'Arguin, Dune du Pilat (viewpoint), Réserve ornithologique du Teich (France). Time of day: Summer: morning boat trips in the first 3 h after sunrise, before jet-skis.
- Partly on your own
- Entry fee
- 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: 15 May – 15 Jul — Mid May to mid July: Sandwich tern colony on the Banc d'Arguin
- Peak 2: 15 Oct – 15 Jan — Mid October to mid January: brent geese on the eelgrass (18,000+ in 2023); most have moved north again by late January
Active from 15 Apr to 28 Feb (April to February) in a typical year.
Time of day
Summer: morning boat trips in the first 3 h after sunrise, before jet-skis. Winter: brent geese are loudest in the hour around sunrise and the hour before sunset; Le Teich opens 10:00.
- Morning boat / colony: sunrise → 3 h after sunrise
- Evening geese: 1 h before sunset → sunset
What will you hear?
A grating Sandwich tern colony of thousands of pairs on a sandbank in the Atlantic swell; in winter, the rolling 'rronk' of brent flocks on the eelgrass beds.
Binoculars?
Telescope recommended. The tern colony is across the channel from the Dune du Pilat; scope from the dune, binoculars from the boat and Le Teich hides.
Where to go
- Réserve naturelle du Banc d'Arguin — Colony zone is strictly closed; boats may land only on the marked public zone. Access by boat from Arcachon or the Dune du Pilat. Map
- Dune du Pilat (viewpoint) — Looks straight across the channel onto the bank; heavy tourist crowds by day. Map
- Réserve ornithologique du Teich — Hides for the winter brent geese and wader roosts; paid entry, opens 10am. Map
How to go on your own, and what it costs
The tern colony is on a sandbank: boats from Arcachon land only on the marked public zone. The Dune du Pilat (paid car park) looks straight across the channel — free once on the dune, any hour. Winter brent geese: Le Teich reserve (ticketed, from 10:00) or the free shore paths at Le Teich port and Arès.
Cost: Le Teich €9.90 adult (2026); Dune du Pilat car park charge (check); boat trips to the bank from Arcachon (check current prices).
Free or no-guide alternative: Climb the Dune du Pilat before the crowds: the tern colony's roar carries across the 1 km channel on a still morning, free. In winter walk the free shore path at Le Teich port for brent geese.
Field-recording notes
Jet-skis and pleasure boats are the summer background on the bank; early morning and weekdays only. The colony is protected by prefectoral decree — the closed zone is fenced and patrolled by SEPANSO. Winter: the Bassin is open to wildfowling from boats in places; Le Teich is shot-free.
Sources
Similar spectacles
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More: all spectacles in France · wild geese · seabird colonies · France in January · France in May · France in June · France in July · France in October · France in November · France in December