Species
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Have you ever seen
A Hen Harrier ?
We all know seagulls pigeons and falcons … but what about the Hen Harrier! This little-known raptor is our jewel in the crown and the mascot of the LIFE Avaloirs project.
Why?
The moorland is the preferred environment of the Hen Harrier. It uses it for reproduction and to build its nest on the ground but also to sleep on winter evenings. The actions undertaken by the LIFE Avaloirs Project to restore this environment are therefore closely linked to the life of this diurnal raptor.
How to spot it?
Keep an eye out when you pass "open" areas (i.e. a place with very few trees and a clear horizon)! The Hen Harrier loves to hunt small rodents (voles, field mice ...) and flies at low altitude.
How can you be sure it is a Hen Harrier?
It's true that if it's a female, you could easily mistake her for a Buzzard. Here are some tips:
- The Hen Harrier always has a bar of white feathers on its back, just above its tail (this applies to both males and females).
- The tail of these raptors is long and fine unlike the Buzzard which has a short and rounded tail.
- The flight of Hen Harrier is characteristically light and acrobatic, they always soar with the wings held in a V-shape.
If you can manage to observe it, you are among the lucky ones. The Hen Harrier is indeed an endangered species.
There are only three breeding pairs left on the LIFE Avaloirs Project territory compared to eleven in 1985.
What is the reason for this decline?
- The disappearance of its breeding and wintering sites such as the moorland.
- The scarcity of its food resources, especially rodents
- The search for new breeding sites that prompts them to settle in wheat or rapeseed crops
- Disturbance by humans, especially during the breeding season
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Have you ever seen
A European Nightjar ?
The European Nightjar is a master in the art of camouflage! With plumage that merges with its environment and active only at dusk to hunt ... it is in short, difficult to spot!
So how do you spot it?
Preferably during the period from May to September since this is the only time it is present in Europe. This small migratory bird spends its winters in warm tropical Africa.
Keep your eyes open when the sun goes down as this is when the European Nightjar begins to hunt small insects and butterflies. It is a clever bird with a stealthy flight, difficult to observe in the dark.How can you be sure it's a European Nightjar in this case?
Listen carefully!
The European Nightjar has peculiar song that sounds liked "purring". Yes, you read that correctly! It has an atypical song that resembles a small moped or a cat purring. If you can hear it and you’re in the middle of nowhere, then you can be in no doubt that it will be a male European Nightjar signalling his presence to his fellow males.
You can also hear it "snapping" its wings together. The males use this noise during their courtship displays to impress the females.
If you do manage to observe it, you are among the lucky ones. The European Nightjar is indeed an endangered species:
There are only 20 breeding pairs on the LIFE Avaloirs Project territory, compared to 50 in 1985.
What is the reason for this decline?
- The disappearance of its breeding sites such as the moorland
- The predation of its eggs, which it lays on the ground just like the Hen Harrier
- The scarcity of its main food resource: insects
- Road accidents
- The reduced number of young per year, the European Nightjar only produces 2 eggs per clutch