Nature

RomanescoPink flowersPlants

Plants page: vegetation and flowers.

Mallard ducklingsMallard ducks Birds

Two mallard ducks on the still water of a pond.
A nice brood of mallard ducklings.

Fluffy chickenSwanSwan A majestic swan, inquisitive, spreading its wings.
Fluffy chicken from the Jardin d’acclimatation.

Black-headed gullCormorantSeagull A seagull on a blue sky background, a cormorant basking in the sun, and a european shag scratching its back. A black-headed seagull at sunset, its footprint and the footprint of a dog on the beach.

RobinMeadow pipitHeron A grey heron lying in wait along the Vilaine river, a very small meadow pipit enjoying the harbour view, and a robin in shrubs.

PenguinGullGull A herring gull in flight, another one interested in my sandwich.
A penguin in Océanopolis.

European shagEuropean shagEuropean shag A european shag exploring the shore, not afraid of coming close to the camera, then drying in the sun, and going back hunting.

GullTern A tern surveying sand and seaweed at low tide. A herring gull turning its back.

Great black-backed gullsGreat black-backed gull A juvenile great black-backed gull. Two adult great black-backed gulls fighting over a flatfish.

EgretTurnstoneSanderlingSanderlings lining the edge of the water to look for food, turnstones and an egret do the same.

WadersWaders At high tide, the space gets restricted and the waders finally fly away.

SeagullMonk parakeetsSwallowsYoung swallows have just left the next and await the next meal. Two numbered parakeets and two seagulls seen from underwater.

Red-billed choughEgretCommon moorhen chicks Two young common moorhen chicks on a branch. An egret among green seaweed. Red-billed choughs on a cliff.

Brent geeseBlue titSparrow A parisian sparrow asking for a scrap of cake, a blue tit pecks at a grease ball. Brent geese eating in shallow water.

SwallowsSpotted flycatcherCommon ternsWaders Waders, ducks and a goose on and around a pond. Two common terns on a buoy. A spotted flycatcher and swallows start leaving the nest.

WadersSandwich tern Sandwich terns on a buoy and on a boat. Waders foraging on the edge of water.

GreenfinchRobinBlue titBlue tit The manger

Winter visitors on my balcony: an acrobat blue tit is a regular visitor, a watchful robin, turbulent greenfinches and sparrows.

TitStarling and sparrow At the end of the season, starlings have found how to attack the grease ball and the blue tits get the last scraps.

CatsRed pandaCat Mammals

A black cat on a green lawn, and a red panda. Two yin-yang cats.

SealsSealsSeals The common seals in Océanopolis, with Lilou (2006 baby), swimming and splashing.

SealsSealsSeals The father and Nat (2005 baby), and Lilou resting on the bank. The 2007 baby, Sanna, shot while being breast-fed.

SealsFeeding the seals.

Gery sealDolphinsDolphins In the Iroise sea, spotting dolphins is a magical moment. The grey seals are the other big sea mammals of these shores.

Fox kitRectangular catGrey squirrelA grey squirrel in a London park. A rectangular cat. A fox kit exploring gardens.

GoldfishGoldfish Fish & sea creatures

Colored fishes, white and yellow or speckled red.

Océanopolis

The fish in Océanopolis:

Bullhead sharkBullhead sharkSea robinJohn doryGilt head The gilt heads, the john dory, the sea robin and the bullhead shark with its funny nose.

BurrfishPorcupine fishTropical fishRed lionfish A red lionfish, tropical fish, a porcupine fish, and a burrfish.

SeahorseSand eelsBanggai cardinalfishRaysRays and banggai cardinalfish in the tropical pavilion. In the temperate pavilion, the strange sand eels and the seahorses.

At sea

SaupesSaupes looking for food.

Hermit crabAnemoneYoung fishTrou d’eau In the tide pool, there are not only shellfish and very young fish, but also sea anemones and hermit crabs.

FlatfishSea anemoneShore crab In another tide pool, a shore crab and a sea anemone. In a harbour, a juvenile flatfish.

AnemoneShrimp Another tidepool, with shrimp, small fish and a pink-tipped sea anemone.

InsecteLadybirdSpider Insects & arthropods

The silhouette of a spider at dusk, a ladybird, and a green insect.

InsectHoney beeBumblebee A bumblebee exploring pink flowers, honeybees and other insects harvesting blue flowers.

SwallowtailRed admiralPeacock butterfly and small tortoiseshell In the middle of summer, butterflies collect nectar: a peacock butterfly and a small tortoiseshell, a red admiral, a swallowtail.

Tiger mothCabbage white There’s also lots of cabbage whites, a brimstone and a tiger moth.

Bee-flyHummingbird hawk-moth A hummingbird hawk-moth is a special visitor, and this bee-fly is also surprising.

European garden spiderEuropean garden spiderEuropean garden spiderCaterpillar A green caterpillar.
European garden spiders, hunting or waiting patiently.

Gatekeeper butterflyGatekeeper butterflyDragonfly A dragonfly has landed on pebbles, a gatekeeper butterfly on a daisy, its wings are velvety and they make the light iridescent.

Peacock butterfly caterpillarSpeckled wood butterflyBumblebee A bumblebee gathering nectar on a broom flower, a speckled wood butterfly resting on a leaf. A peacock butterfly caterpillar.

CaterpillarDarter dragonflySouthern hawker dragonfly A southern hawker dragonfly rests in an oak tree, a vagrant darter dragonfly on a twig. A black, red and white caterpillar.

InsectBrimstone butterflyBloody-nosed beetleCrab spider A crab spider on a yellow rosem and a bloody-nosed beetle on a wall. A brimstone butterfly. An insect on a window pane.

Insect with fluffy antennas on a windowDamselflyOld world swallowtail An old world swallowtail butterfly in the grass. A damselfly on a green leaf. Another insect on a window pane, this time with fluffy antennas.

Orange tip butterfly An orange tip butterfly on pink flowers.

LizardsGreen lizardLizard Reptiles & mollusks

A small lizard warming itself on rocks, and a green lizard. Other lizards hiding on the cliffs.

Green lizardSnails on a wooden postSnails gathered on a wooden post in the dunes. Another green lizard.

Vegetation-topped duneShadow of the vegetation Dune

A sand dune in Le Touquet, with vegetation (oyats) at the top, under the setting sun which underlines the sand ripples.

Crisp snowy day Snow

Photos from a week spent in Cerniébaud, Jura.
The first day was very clear and crisp, we walked in the snow and I discovered cross-country skiing.

Blue shadowsTrees At this altitude (about 1000 m), the vegetation and landscape change. In the pastures, the shadows on the snow are blue, and the light is glittering on snow flakes.

BirdGrid One morning, I woke to find more snow had fallen, creating odd shapes around the most simple objects, catching the trace of a bird.

Snow on logsSnow-covered branchesFirs under snowFresh snow I started walking in the fresh unspoilt snow, on paths under the trees, between snow-laden firs. The snow had piled up on branches and even on vertical logs.

Snow on branchesSnow flowerFirs under snow The firs, covered in snow, pointed “fingers” towards the ground. Dry stems had been turned into snow flowers, and the branches into sculptures.

Mark on a tree All the landscape seemed black and white, giving it a Christmas mood. Only a few dots of colour remained in some places.