The Camargue

Day 9 of our holiday.

Today we drove north-eastwards past Montpellier to the Camargue area situated on the River Rhone delta.

Once famous for its wild white horses and wild bulls, most are now domesticated, you can still see a huge range of bird species including these flamingoes on the Etang de Vaccares part of protected Parc Regionel de Camargue.

Unlike those kept in zoos these flamingoes are not fed crustaceans to maintain an unnatural pink colour. These have beautiful pink wings and some pink on their necks.

A large area of the Camargue is under cultivation; crops include grape vines and rice. About 20% of the area under cultivation is given over to rice, and irrigation from the River Rhone reduces the salinity of the fields where the crops grow.