La Teste de Buch et L’île aux oiseaux

At low tide, Île aux Oiseaux (Bird Island) becomes a 1,000-hectare wilderness that can be seen in the middle of the Bay.

Oyster farmers have built their labyrinth of beds around the island, which is a haven for birds.

Access to the island by boat is restricted by decree.

Un peu d’histoire

in the old days, the island was shared by all the Bay habitants who freely used it for cows and horses pasture. In 1820 it becams state property. Access remained free and hunting allowed. In 1860 Napoleon decided to encoureage oyster farming growth. It's when the first imperial oyster farms appeared.

The Huts

Nowadays, there is 53 huts on the Ile aux Oiseaux including the two famous "Cabanes Tchanquées." Eleven are private. The others, built on maritime public domain are owned by the Conservatoire du littoral which has given administration to the town of La Teste de Buch. Huts are attributed through a temporary authorization which has to be renewed every 7 years.

The island

The island is well named as she has an exceptional ornithological activity : nesting, migratory or wintering, 250 species of birds can be observed on the site throughout the year. The major part of the island is composed by saltmarshes Where hide many La majeure partie de l’île est composée de zones humides où se cachent de nombreuses plant species. Those are the only saltmarshes without human intervention on the whole atlantic coast.