An island that cannot be visited, that was completed less than a year ago, and that lies in one part of France but is run by another, is unusual to say the least.  Île du Ratier is a bird sanctuary created at the mouth of the Seine near the port of Le Havre, using a huge quantity of granite, gravel and sand provided by the port authority, keen to offset criticism following the loss of natural dunes for development.

The man-made island lies within Calvados but is administered by Haute-Normandie, whose local police have the problem of keeping away keen ornithologists. More than 30 different types of bird, including ducks, egrets and herons, have already been recorded as resident or passing through.