Parcours découverte en Loir et Cher- Oiseaux de nos Fermes et de nos Vignobles

Sign 1 - Présentation

Dear Friends
Thank you for deciding to come and take a look around this farm, using a marked path which will allow you to become better acquainted with this peaceful environment in which birds develop and plants grow, some of which are of species which you may not know.

Don’t forget that you are a guest of nature and should respect it by observing a silence which will
enable you to listen to the melodious songs of our friends the birds, getting to know more about their behaviour.

Your host will give you all the information you need to better understand the world of agriculture and viticulture and the efforts being made to work in harmony with the environment.

This action has a number of objectives:

Rebuild the links between the people of town and country
Make the greatest number possible of people aware of the flora and fauna, and improve their knowledge of them.
Make people aware of the fragile equilibrium of biodiversity.
Let people know about the ways used by certain actors in the rural world to conserve the countryside and enable them to discover an agricultural environment which remains little known and possibly much misunderstood by townspeople.
Encourage conventional farmers to embrace the same efforts as used by their colleagues in organic agriculture and “agriculture raisonnée” (in which chemical inputs are used minimally) in order to preserve biodiversity.
Maintain or develop family farms’ direct (‘farm-gate’) sales.

HIRONDELLE DE FENETRE / HOUSE MARTIN

(Delichon urbicum)

Can be easily identified from the white square on its rump.

The Latin name, urbicum, refers to the fact that it likes to live in towns and cities and to nest on the facades of houses.

MORPHOLOGY / FLIGHT

Length: 14 cm – weight: 15-21g – longevity: 15 years

Hovering flight, slow or twirling, often in an arc.

HABITAT

Nests in colonies in towns and villages.

Outside the period of reproduction, they gather in ‘dormitories’ in trees or on electric wires.

FOOD

Feeds on insects which it captures on the wing.

NEST

The nest is built of fine mud found in marshes or on riverbanks.

Small balls of mud are mixed with saliva which cements them together.

Lays 3-5 eggs, which both parents incubate during 14 days.

The chicks remain in the nest for three weeks, sometimes much longer. In exceptional cases may have two broods.

STATUS

Protected species

MIGRATION

Migratory

Sub-Saharan Africa, Arabian Peninsula and in south-east Asia

PRESENCE

March - April - May - June - July - August - September

BECOMING

Species in decline.

Meteorological conditions in the areas where it overwinters or reproduces may explain this long-term decline, while it is also most certainly due to a lack of nesting sites and food resources.

SIZE : Small

Taille-petit

Chant :

Hear the song from the cd "Écouter pour voir les oiseaux" :

Merci au CORIF (Centre ornithologique Île-de-France) pour la mise à disposition des enregistrements. http://www.corif.net/

Read more on Oiseaux.net: http://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/hirondelle.de.fenetre.html

GRANDE BERCE / GIANT HOGWEED

HERACLEUM sphondylium L.

Apiaceae Family = Umbelliferae
Common names: Bear’s Paw - Devil's Grass
Of Greek origin. Heracles: allusion to the large size of certain species.

The plant has a strong friction odour.

The grooved rod is robust, hollow and HAIRY.

The large cut leaves are spiky under the veins; The fruits are smooth-skinned and winged with astrong smell and an odd flavour.

Toxic plant that can cause dermatosis by allergies. Emollient and antispasmodic.

It can be confused with the wild carrot which is smaller and with a faint smell of carrot or with Angelica when it grows in moist ditches. The Angelica is smooth, hairless with a pleasant odour.

Note: The Hercules of the Caucasus - HERACLEUM mantegazzianum Sommier & Levier - Originating in the Caucasus, it was introduced in 1880 and naturalized easily to become invasive. It is much larger than the giant hogweed and can be allergenic.