the essential
A major national survey is open this weekend to identify garden birds, rare or familiar. A real snapshot of the health of feathered wildlife in the Gers.
This weekend, relax and watch the birds in your garden, a park… And take the opportunity to count them! An hour or two is enough to be of great service.
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It's time for the big national garden bird count. This event is organized twice a year, during the last weekends of January and May. It makes it possible to collect elements of comparison, at very different periods for birds: wintering and reproduction. The data collected helps scientists to better understand the behavior of birds and monitor the evolution of their populations.
The observant Gers
“There is no results objective, and no obligation,” emphasizes Mathieu Orth, of the Gersois Ornithological Group. Anyone can do this counting, which does not require any particular skills. You can count in your garden, from your balcony, etc. And then, all you have to do is submit your results on an online platform. »
In the Gers, observers are quite numerous, judges the ornithologist. “We are talking about several dozen counts, which, compared to the population of the department, is not bad at all. » In January 2024, throughout France, more than 547,000 birds were counted thanks to the mobilization of 17,033 observers.
-To register, simply go to www.oiseaudesjardins.fr. The site also offers a bird guide, to help novices identify feathered guests in their garden. It is even possible to attach photos or sounds, for those who are better equipped. But the investigation is based on the mass of data collected more than on this visual or auditory aspect.
Goldfinches and greenfinches in bad shape
In the Gers, it has become increasingly difficult to see goldfinches and greenfinches, very pretty little birds once familiar around houses. “Today, they are on the red list of threatened species,” notes Mathieu Orth. In the Gers as everywhere in Occitania. They are granivores, which feed mainly on weed seeds. Agricultural practices, but also those of gardeners and the management of urban green spaces cause their disappearance. Added to this is the lack of trees for nesting. »
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Conversely, the turtle dove is doing well in the Gers, while it is in decline in France. The abundance of natural spaces, whether fields or woods, often close to homes, benefits Gers birds. “In large cities, lack of food and habitat reduces diversity. We are lucky to still have a varied wildlife. » For this study, there is no question of limiting yourself: blackbirds, blue tits, sparrows, everything counts in this census.
How many Gers residents will contribute to this friendly national investigation? The Garden Bird Observatory is today the most important French participatory science system involving the general public.
