Séo Pond

Other bodies of water - Sainte-Anne

A prime example of a water attraction too often ignored, Mare de Séo is worth going out of your way for. Ponds are a common feature of the limestone island of Grande-Terre. Most are natural pools formed by rising water tables or rainwater runoff in impermeable clay depressions, but others are artificial, created for domestic or agricultural purposes. They once were central to island life, used as cattle watering holes, makeshift reservoirs, washing-places, picnic grounds, and nighttime gathering spots. Whether permanent or temporary, the ponds give sanctuary to many birds—moorhens, kios (a protected species), and the snowy egrets (“kios blancs”) often associated with cattle egrets, common in Guadeloupe since the 1950s—who nest near them to feed on small fish or invertebrates.