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 RUSTIQUE / BARN SWALLOW

(Hirundo rustica)

The barn swallow is a chattering bird in flight. With constant rapid twittering. It rarely lands.

MORPHOLOGY / FLIGHT

Length: 18 cm - weight: 16 to 22 g - longevity: 16 years

Its flight is fast and twirling with irregular beating of the wings.

HABITAT

The barn swallow likes open landscapes, especially grasslands, and uses human constructions to nest (barns, stable etc).

FOOD

Insectivorous. The barn swallow feeds on insects caught in flight.

NEST

The nest is composed of a mixture of mud packed with dry twigs and horsehair.

Located very often on a beam very close to the ceiling.

The female lays 3 to 6 eggs and incubates them for about 15 days. In exceptional cases there may be up to 3 nests.

STATUS

Protected species

MIGRATION

Migratory

Sub-Saharan Africa

From Europe to Asia

PRESENCE

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

BECOMING

In decline.

In France, since 1989 numbers have dropped significantly (up to 42%).

The disappearance of extensive traditional livestock farming, the use of insecticides, and the scarcity of hedgerows, ponds and prairies are likely to be the main causes of its decline.

SIZE : Small

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.rustique.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.