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Plan d'eau de Michelbach

Alsace  >  France

At the foot of the Vosges, south of Thann, the lake of the Michelbach dam hosts a good variety of birds all year long.

Ajouté* par Martin Grienenberger
Dernière actualisation 12 février 2020

Description

At the foot of the Vosges, south of Thann, the lake of Michelbach dam (located in the town of the same name) was created in the 1980s in order to capture water from Doller and Michelbach to regulate the supply of the groundwater from which the Mulhouse conurbation draws its drinking water.

Preservation of water resources and diversity of living things going hand in hand, the body of water quickly became a haven of life. Thanks to its classification as a “voluntary nature reserve”, which includes former plowing converted into meadows as well as small forest portions, colonization by avifauna is steadily increasing there, and its vocation of welcoming migratory birds is asserting itself . Bird watching is interesting all year round.

In spring, it is the nesting of Cygne tuberculé, Foulque macroule, Canard colvert, Grèbe huppé that attracts attention. The Pie-grièche écorcheur is found in orchards south of the water.

Summer is the good season for stopovers of waders and the passage of Sterne pierregarin. At the end of summer and in autumn, with the drop in the level of the water, mud flats appear and are favorable for many species of shorebirds (Bécasseau variable, Bécasseau cocorli, Bécasseau minute, Chevalier guignette, Chevalier aboyeur, Bécassine des marais and rarities are always possible such as Bécasseau de Temminck, ) and herons; Grèbe à cou noir, Guifette noire and Balbuzard pêcheur are also frequent the site.

Finally, in winter, it is easy to observe Grand Cormoran, Harle bièvre, for which the Michelbach site has become the reference extra-Rhine site in Alsace. Rare birds are recorded each year during this season: Harle huppé, Macreuse brune, divers, Fuligule milouinan, ... You can also search for Rémiz penduline among the Bruant des roseaux.

A beautiful walk begins from the parking lot (indicated by a sign), and takes the two dikes; a path goes around the body of water passing through a wood and an orchard. This circuit can be done in any season, except when the water is frozen.

Détails

Accès

The village of Michelbach (not to be confused with Michelbach-le-Bas near Saint-Louis) is a few kilometers south of Thann. Signs lead to the parking lot of the large dyke. Allow around 2 hours for the tour of the large reservoir, circuit marked out by the Club Vosgien.

Note: remind that it is necessary to stay strictly on paths and trails, and that intrusion into meadows and / or fields near the described sites is to be prohibited!

Terrain et Habitat

Forêt , Zone humide , Plaine , Lac , Vasières , Agriculture , Prairie

Conditions

Plat

Boucle

Oui

Avez-vous besoin d'une longue-vue?

Oui

Saison idéale pour observer

Toute l'année

Meilleure période pour une visite

Hiver , Migration automnale

Itinéraire

Route pavée , Sentier large

Niveau de difficulté de l'itinéraire

Facile

Accessible via

A pied , Vélo , Fauteuil roulant

Observatoire/hutte d'observation

Oui

Voir les sites d'observation voisins publiés sur Birdingplaces

Carte

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