Vosges – A second trip to Norway is being prepared to bring back between 30 and 40 Capercaillie and continue the experience

A second trip to Norway is being prepared to bring back between 30 and forty birds and continue the experience. “9 birds is too few to draw conclusions and we must
allow 5 years to see if it works,” explains Fabien Diehl, Grand project manager
Grouse at the Ballons des Vosges Natural Park.

When the 6th bird was found dead at the end of November, it was a real disappointment. One apparently suffered a collision, but 4 of them were surprised at night, in their nest, by martens. “We only found the tag and a pile of feathers, so we have no certainty about the causes of death, but predation is most likely. Predation has always existed”.

We want to save the species.

“The bet of this experiment is that a few birds manage to reproduce,” defends Fabien Diehl, “otherwise it’s extinction. We want to save the species. There are 3 to 5 birds left in the Vosges that we saw in camera trap images. We don't know exactly how many are left, but due to inbreeding, we haven't observed any nesting since 2018..

The birds have adapted well.

“What is amazing is that from the start of the project, we found ourselves facing a divisive and subjective debate, the “for” and the “against” who thought it was ruined”. Opponents of the project argue that the environment is no longer favourable, neither in terms of surface area nor in terms of food, and that global warming is not helping anything. What Fabien Diehl refutes. “The birds adapted perfectly after their release. A hen even nested a few weeks later. It didn't work out. The eggs disappeared, but she felt well enough to make a nest.” says the trainer.

A habitat deemed suitable

“A grouse needs 50 to 100ha. Capercaillie want a patchwork of habitats depending on the times of their life and the seasons. Often we idealize the criteria of the host environment, he continues. The Norwegians told us that they sometimes found Capercaillie in their home in unexpected places that seemed unfavorable to them. They came to see the Grand Ventron and found the habitat very good”.

Dead birds in the fall

“The 5 birds died in autumn, 4 were in the nature reserve. They didn't try to look elsewhere. They have not suffered from tourist traffic either. The only bird that was whole and that we were able to autopsy had not suffered a collision. We found no virus, no trace of avian flu. He had gained 800 grams, had a crop full of blueberry leaves, fir needles and fern leaves..

Protect the nests?

“For us, it is not an adaptation problem that causes their death, but rather predation. 4 suffered nighttime predation. The great owls could also hunt the capercaillie, but we found the tags on site. The eagle owls would have taken their prey, so we tend to lean towards martens. To resist this rate of predation, more birds would be needed. We will think about perhaps protecting the nests”.

Lidar modeling in project

“An inventory of habitat quality was established in 2010 by recognized national experts, which validated 20,000 ha”. A LIDAR study (laser remote sensing which works on the same principle as for radar or sonar) is planned in 2025 which will examine the density of forests, cover and clearings, population, etc. “We can thus obtain reliable modeling of the habitat”.

No hasty conclusions

The program is launched for 5 years as part of a national policy led by the Ministry. “Such an operation takes 15 years. For the moment, we do not have enough population to draw conclusions. The survival rate will improve every year. This is a project to follow over the long term. To date, we are evaluating, we are readjusting but we are not drawing hasty conclusions. For the moment what we can say is that the birds tolerated the translocation well, there was 100% survival at 4 months. They adapted well.”

A long-term operation
“In Germany, they have been working on this reinforcement for 12 years. They release them every year and they reach 150 individuals. If we stop introducing new birds, we have little chance of reaching the 500 birds that represent a viable population. We continue
experimentation to avoid extinction, to push back the deadline and work on the environments, on a forest-game balance, on tranquility and that serves all living species! ».

We started too late!

“We started the efforts too late, the capercaillie species was already below its threshold of viability”. 55,000 ha are classified under the Grouse directive with appropriate silvicultural management, organic trees. The National Forestry Office has an improvement program of 75ha per year.

A risky but virtuous project

“We're working on it (£500K/year) but it's a long process. Behind the grouse, there are beautiful forests with moss and mushrooms which benefit everyone and meet the challenges of biodiversity and ecological awareness. It is a risky project, as we know, ambitious but virtuous, which is supported by a dynamic of preservation of the Vosges forest and its balance”concludes Fabien Diehl.

Share this article on the network of your choice: