Description
This major site in the department counts no less than 210 bird species among the 344 in the department. The pond is a protected natural area and managed to be favorable for birds and wildlife. The area is mainly composed of open water, meadows, woods and agricultural fields.
The breeding species are obviously waterbirds. Among ducks, the species worth mentioning are Серая утка and Чирок-трескунок, and the well-established Красноголовый нырок. A colonny of nesting herons (Серая цапля, Египетская цапля) and Большой баклан is settled in a few trees around the lake but remains a small colonny. Considering songbirds, you can expect Золотистая цистикола, Камышевка-барсучок, Тростниковая камышевка and Тростниковая овсянка. On the wader side, Малый зуёк, Чибис and Авдотка use exposed banks for breeding.
During migration, a few interesting and regular species use the lake as a stopover: Серый гусь, Турухтан, Фифи, Чернозобик, Белощекая крачка, Береговушка, Колпица, Скопа, Шилохвость, Большой веретенник. It's the time of scarcities and rarities. These species have already been observed here: Кречётка, Плосконосый плавунчик, Каравайка, Белолобый гусь, Чёрная казарка and Белоглазый нырок.
In winter, the site is frequented by many ducks including Кряква, Чирок-свистунок and Красноголовый нырок. Горный конёк is seen foraging on the shores with Белая трясогузка among which ssp. yarellii can be found.
Details
Access
From Angers, aim for Vihiers and Bressuire. As soon as you cross the Deux-Sèvres/Maine-et-Loire border, turn left to Etang de Beaurepaire. From Bressuire, aim for Vihiers. Before the Deux-Sèvres/Maine-et-Loire border, turn left to Etang de Beaurepaire. You can park on the site named "Beach" where a restricted acces is allowed.


