The League for the Protection of Birds calls for counting the inhabitants of hedges and gardens

Les oiseaux du jardin, à compter en janvier et en mai. Midi Libre – Michel Pieyre

La Ligue pour la protection des oiseaux (LPO) de Lozère a présenté son programme pour le premier trimestre 2024, avec le comptage de nombreuses espèces de volatiles en milieu naturel mais aussi la découverte de la biodiversité.  

"Do like the bird…", tells us the song by Michel Fugain, which could also be the adage of the League of bird protection (LPO). And which fits well with the local committee, very active in the field. The members are going back into the countryside this January, with a rich program of counting birds in the natural environment, a day of discovery of biodiversity, while encouraging the observation of the inhabitants of trees and plants. hedges in private gardens. 

Counting garden birds

Claude Lhuillier and Vincent Lhermet are among the fourteen volunteers of the territorial council of the LPO in Lozère: “We have around 140 members locally, with a dynamic that has been put in place, including protocols& ;nbsp;national counts of certain sensitive species." For example, searching for roosts of Hen Harrier "the only species present all year round in Lozère". "They tend to group together to spend the winter on the same site. We made observations on Aubrac, the Méjean Causse, explains Vincent Lhermet. The aim of the operation is to census the population year after year. 

Another major operation, the national count of garden birds, with two dates, at the end of January and in May: "All you need to do is set up a feeder. You have to count the birds that come to peck for an hour. A form must be completed on the internet."  If the robin or the titmouse are easily identifiable, sheets are published on the LPO website to recognize less common individuals. For around fifteen years, this assessment has made it possible to identify trends: "Numbers are decreasing, this is collapsing for certain species like sparrows", the animators rage. The loss of habitats with urban planning, agricultural practices, the slow disappearance of hedges would be the causes, in the eyes of specialists.

The LPO Lozère program for the start of 2024

Sunday January 14, 2024,counting water birds on Lake Naussac, also at La Chazette, Lake Charpal, Villefort dam. Rémi Destre 06 38 28 24 52, rdnature4864@outlook.fr. Saturday 26  and Sunday, January 27, counting  garden birds, to train on Saturday January 27 at 10 a.m. at the bec-de-jeu teaching league center in Balsiège. Héloise Pantel:  07 68 73 08 46, heloise.pantel@laposte.net February 3, biodiversity, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. h at the chalet of the Chapter Teaching League in Mende. François Legendre, fl1973@yahoo.fr. February 11, wetlands at Lake Charpal, 9:30 a.m. to noon. Héloise Pantel: 07 68 73 08 46, heloise.pantel@laposte.net March 23 at 3 p.m. at the Col de la Loubière in Lanuéjols, mountain owls. Vincent Lhermet, 06 70 29 54 57, vincent.lhermet@gmail.com 

 The LPO's fight continues tirelessly: "We are a naturalist lobby, to show that there is not only farmers, hunters, industrialists, says Claude Lhuillier. For example, we monitor local authorities regarding hedges. The latter are undermined. We act for biodiversity in general."  As a reminder, during the nesting period, cutting hedges is prohibited (from March 15 to July 31 for individuals and communities, from March 16 to August 15 for farmers, Editor's note). They define themselves as "environmental sentinels". And, a sign of the times, the LPO is today called upon for recommendations concerning the renovation of old houses or buildings, including by certain architects, even if they are not yet all aware of the animal environment. To revisit, to name but a few, swift nest boxes. The league also participates in public commissions, notably on the preservation of sites, town planning, wildlife, parks and gardens: "We sometimes manage to move things forward", affirm & nbsp;the two experts. Like a breath towards Eden.