After ten years of gigantic work, the Lac du Der-Chantecoq – the Marne river reservoir lake – was created in the heart of the Champagne region in 1974. All along its 50 miles (80 km) of banks, quiet zones are reserved for the 310 species of birds that have been recorded to date. In autumn and at the end of the winter, Common Cranes (Grus grus) make a stopover on the lake during their migrations. Tens of thousands of cranes can be seen flying in the early morning. They are joined on the lake by wild birds of all kinds: geese, ducks, swans, egrets, raptors, etc.