Le Gite du Pontreau
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  • Welcome
  • The Gite
    • Bedrooms
    • Kitchen
    • Ground floor
    • The Grounds
    • Special needs
    • Baby and child friendly
    • The natural world
  • The Pool
  • Photo Gallery
  • Tourism
    • The local Area
    • Poitou-Charentes
    • La Vallée des Singes
    • The Futuroscope
    • Golf
    • Motor Sports & Microlighting
  • Booking
    • Pricing
    • Calendar
    • Booking Conditions
    • Travel
    • FAQs
    • Privacy & GDPR Policy
  • Visitors Book
  • Contact Us
Le Pontreau is a paradise for nature lovers and bird watchers. Our guests have seen deer, rabbits and hares. Whilst out walking you can also come across foxes, wild boar and numerous birds and wild flowers. We also have a small fishing pond situated well away from the house which is ideal for children to learn to fish and a 300 year old oak tree to explore.


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Pyramid orchid
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Stoat
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Golden oriole

We have taken all these photographs ourselves (including the hoopoe above) except for this golden oriole. Constantly heard but rarely seen we find it impossible to photograph.
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Scarce swallowtail butterfly
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Red squirrell
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The one that got away
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with his girlfriend
We are not experts by any means but here is a list of just some of the birds we have spotted (or heard) in the grounds. We are situated on one of the great European north-south migration routes and there is always something to see throughout the year. The noise from the great V-shaped flocks of Cranes heading north in early March heralds the arrival of spring. They are soon followed by cuckoos and hoopoes and then the swallows begin to arrive in April. By May the surrounding woodland is full of bird song including nightingales that sing all day and night. The first thing most people notice are the birds of prey that can be seen here throughout the year circling the skies, swooping low across the fields or sitting motionless in trees or on posts. If you are in the pool at the end of August and remain very quiet you may be lucky enough to see a swallow skim along the pool surface for a drink.

Barn Owl Black Kite
Black Redstart
Blackbird
Blackcap
Blue Tit
Bull Finch
Buzzard
Chaffinch
Chiffchaff
Cirl Bunting
Coal Tit
Collared Dove
Common Redstart
Crane
Crow
Cuckoo
Dunnock
Firecrest
Garden Warbler 
Gold Crest
Golden Oriole
Goldfinch
Goshawk
Greater Spotted Woodpecker
Great Tit
Green Woodpecker
Greenfinch
Grey Heron
Hen Harrier
Hoopoe
House Martin
House Sparrow
Jay
Kestrel
Lapwing
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Linnet 
Little Owl
Long-eared Owl
Long-tailed Tit
Magpie
Merlin
Melodious Warbler
Montague's Harrier
Nightingale
Nightjar
Nuthatch
Partridge
Pheasant
Pied Flycatcher
Quail
Red Kite
Robin
Rock Sparrow
Serin 
Short-toed Treecreeper 
Siskin 
Sky Lark
Song Thrush
Sparrowhawk
Spotted Flycatcher
Starling
Stonechat
Stone-curlew
Swallow
Swift
Tawny Owl
Turtle Dove
White Wagtail
Wood Lark
Wood pigeon
Wren

and more . . . . 

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We haven't even mentioned the insects such as the praying mantis as we wouldn't want to scare any one away.

Star Gazing

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Finally we must mention that as our area is pretty free from light pollution and clouds of chemical products so is perfect for star gazing. Even guests who have never been interested in star gazing find themselves lying on the sunbeds after dark marvelling at the Milky Way and the planets.


"Particularly enjoyed the peace and the total darkness." August 2005                                                    

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