Alternating between plains and mountains, Auvergne is the ideal terrain for birds.
The falcon, kite and Jean-le-Blanc short-toed eagle roam along the gorges of the Upper Allier, the Haute-Loire, the Sioule or the Allagnon. Along the streams, kingfishers dive after aquatic insects and small fish. Above the peat bogs, the Northern harrier spreads its wings. The eagle owl is harder to see, given his habits. Although rare, the sandpiper and Tengmalm’s owl can be seen in Auvergne. As can the magnificent hoopoe and the red-backed shrike, which come back from Africa in April. The Allier Valley is a safe haven where sand martins, terns, herons, ospreys, egrets, swans, ducks and the famous “turlu des bourbonnais” (alias the stone curlew) raise their chicks in peace. There are few places like it in Europe.

Auvergne is a strategic area for many migratory birds. The L.P.O. (League for the Protection of Birds) has set up interesting observation points such as Prat-de-Bouc in Cantal, Serre Mountain at Saint-Saturnin, the site at Saint-Gervais-d'Auvergne, Allier Valley or Baracuchet Pass near Ambert. At the Allier Valley Nature Centre in Moulins, Serre Mountain and the House of Birds of the Upper Allier at Lavoûte-Chilhac, specialists will welcome you and offer guided walks. The Cournon-d'Auvergne discovery trail is also well worth the trip. The League for the Protection of Birds of Auvergne offers nature outings year-round for all ages, as well as school activities with such themes as birds, migration, water, etc.

For further information, contact the L.P.O. – 2 bis Rue du Clos Perret – 63100 Clermont-Ferrand - FRANCE
Tél. 33 (0)4 73 36 39 79 – Fax 33 (0)4 73 36 98 74
http://www.lpo-auvergne.org

Far from the hustle and bustle of town and pollution, the Wide-Open Spaces of Auvergne, immense and unspoilt, are home to many wild species. A life-sized nature lesson for the unobtrusive visitor.

Some three hundred mouflon sheep live on the slopes of the Puy Mary and Sancy. These "foreigners" (the species was introduced in 1956) can be viewed quite easily with binoculars. You can even get close to them sometimes, just like the chamois with which they share the hillsides of the Auvergne massifs. Marmots can often be seen as well.

A large population of squirrels, ermines, martens, roe deer and wild boars live in the woods. The majestic stag can be found in the Pinatelle d'Allanche, the gorges of the Upper Allier and in the Tronçais Forest. In September-October, a guide will take you to hear its famous mating call. The fox lives up to its reputation and is not easy to spot. This is also true of the very shy genet, which can be found in western Auvergne.

A land of lakes and rivers, Auvergne has an impressive range of aquatic furry and scaly wildlife.
Brown trout, char and salmon are among the most famous and emblematic species. Like the otter and the beaver, common in the River Allier, they are an indication of the high quality of the water and environment.

> At Vichy, the large bay windows of the observatory of migratory fish (33 (0)4 70 59 80 84) let you watch the species found in the Allier "in vivo".
> At Brioude, the House of Salmon (33 (0)4 71 74 91 43)
tells the story of this king of fishes and explains the River Allier’s ecosystem.

> The ponds of the Sologne Bourbonnaise region are home to the European pond tortoise, a rare species of turtle. Along with the yellow-bellied toad, a funny little wetland toad, it is protected throughout Europe.

Auvergne is home to a wide variety of species: Limagnes butterflies, mountain butterflies and even southern butterflies in the sheltered climate of the Allier Valley.
http://www.parc-livradois-forez.org
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/papillon.vulcain/

These reserves let you get close to animals in their habitat and provide you with all the information you need to gain a good understanding of nature in Auvergne.

> In Allier, the Allier Valley (Moulins 33 (0)4 70 44 46 29)
250 species observed, over 100 species of nesting birds.

> In the Auvergne Volcanoes Regional Nature Park,
Chaudefour Valley (Chambon-sur-Lac – Massif du Sancy 33 (0)4 73 88 68 80)

>and the Sagnes de la Godivelle (La Godivelle 33 (0)4 73 71 78 12)

The Auvergne Regional Federation for Nature and the Environment (FRANE) sells a map and guidebooks :