5. From Chorges to Embrun

13 points of interest

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  Vernacular heritage

  Chapel of St-Jacques

  Located in Chanteloube, this church is through to date back to 1510. It has retained all its authenticity, with its exposed stone. It is dedicated to Saint James, one of the 12 apostles and one of the first martyrs of the Catholic church. Its recent restoration has made it possible to hold the traditional celebrations there, in honour of Saint James. The purpose of each one is to commemorate a historical event connected with the saint. When he died, he was taken to Compostella in Spain, hence the name of the pilgrim's Way of Saint James to Santiago de Compostella, a religious route passing along the shores of the Serre-Ponçon lake.

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  Fauna

  Common magpie

  This bird can be identified by its black and white plumage with blue-green tints on the wings and tail. Its tail is remarkably long. It can be found all year round in varied open environments. Its omnivorous diet consists of invertebrates, seeds and berries, small rodents, eggs and nestlings and even human rubbish. Except during the nesting period when it is solitary, the magpie is gregarious species which gathers into rather raucous groups in the winter.

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  Flora

  Common juniper

  This bush is a resinous evergreen conifer. It is characterised by its greenish to blue (glaucous) needles with a white line on their upper side, and fruits resembling blue-black berries. It usually tends to grow in warm environments receiving plenty of sunlight. It grows in grassy or scrub covered areas up to 2,000 metres above sea level.

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  Fauna

  The field cricket

  Just 18 to 26 mm long, this little insect has a black head which looks a little like a helmet. The female can be told apart from the male by the presence of a third long appendage at the rear of the body. The cricket’s song is heard from April onwards. The male sings his chirping song from the entrance to his burrow. The fertile females lay their eggs in the ground, which remain there for two weeks before the larvae emerge.

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  Flora

  Messicole plants

  A feature of messicole plants is that they live among crops, even though not sown there deliberately. They are biologically adapted to open areas, and in particular areas that are regularly worked, such as fields. In fact, they use various strategies such as adapting their life cycle and producing large amounts of seeds in order to make up for the disturbance that occurs in their germination area. Many of them are common, such as the poppy, the cornflower and the corn buttercup...

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  Panorama

  Panorama of the Baie Saint-Michel

  This area, which has been provided with picnic amenities, offers the most picturesque panorama over the Lac de Serre-Ponçon. In fact, the lake is 2 kilometres wide at this point, and in front of you are the Chapelle Saint Michel and the Pic Morgon, an iconic view of the lake. On your left, to the east, you can see Savines-le-Lac and its bridge. On the right, you can see the secret île de la Tortue.

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  Fauna

  The Occellated Lizard

  This shy lizard is familiar with dry, scrubby environments. It is hard to track down and flees noisily at the slightest danger. It can run very fast, standing up on its legs with its tail raised. Its burrow serves as a refuge and hibernation site, as it is particularly sensitive to the cold. It devours whatever it can find: insects, fruit, molluscs, eggs; small mammals can even be on the menu. It has blue eye-spots on its flanks.

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  Fauna

  Great Cormorant

  Size: 90 cm

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  Fauna

  Yellow-legged Gull

  It has travelled up the Durance and settled on the lake, where it finds propitious conditions for its survival (open water). This gull, a cousin of the seagulls, is omnivorous. The colony can be seen around the lake all year round. They are generally grey or white, with black markings on the wings. They have a long, thick beak and yellow webbed feet. The young are grey in colour and take two to four years to acquire adult plumage.

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  Fauna

  Grass Carp

  This fish takes its French name (Amour Blanc) from the river it originates in, the “Amur” River, which forms the border between China and Siberia. Its powerful body resembles that of the carp, but its low-set eyes are very different. The well-thought-out and reversible introduction of this species by the town of Embrun and the fishermen is a gentle, ecological and controlled way of solving the problem of plant proliferation in the Embrun water body.

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  Fauna

  Mallard

  Not known to be shy, this dabbler prefers to feed on the surface or at shallow depths by moving forward with alternating circular strokes of its legs: it dips its head into the water and tilts forward. It nests on the banks of the Durance and is omnivorous, feeding on invertebrates, small fish and grasses... The male is easily recognisable during the breeding season by its bright green head. After this period, they moult and adopt a grey-brown colour close to that of the females and young.

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  Fauna

  The fry

  This is one of the most common 'white' fish. It has a spindle-shaped body, compressed laterally and covered with large silvery scales. Its lower fins and eyes are tinted red. Opportunistic, it eats both plants and tiny prey such as larvae and mosquitoes. It forms large shoals and most of the lake's anglers take their first steps on the water by catching them.

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  Fauna

  Common Perch

  The Perch has a grey-green body with dark stripes. Its scales are rough. It has two dorsal fins, one of which has spiny rays. Its lower and caudal fins are orange. It can grow to around forty centimetres. It is a gregarious and opportunistic carnivore. It feeds on invertebrates and crayfish, but also hunts fish in organised packs. It is a chance for many novice anglers to get their first taste of carnivorous fishing.

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