On Sunday 8 May, around 40 volunteers helped us by taking part in a morning of bird counting in the Crau plain.
© Perrine Turiez - 13
Insectivorous birds, and in particular species linked to flocks, corvids (jackdaws, crows, ravens) and the cattle egret, are potential predators of the Crau Plain Grasshopper.
Thus, an operation to count these birds was organised on Sunday 8 May 2022. About forty volunteers participated. While some observed the birds from a fixed point (23) on the edge of a grazing area, others followed a shepherd and his flock (6) within their grazing area. All of them met at noon at the Ecomuseum in Saint-Martin de Crau to share their experience and observations over some regional specialities.
The objective was to gain a better understanding of the distribution and abundance of these birds in the coussouls, in order to characterise the risk of predation in each grazing area concerned. These data are one of the parameters that will influence the choice of sites for the reintroduction of the Crau Plain Grasshopper.
In addition, this count also enabled us to introduce the volunteers to the emblematic species of the Crau, to strengthen the links with the shepherds and to help certain novice naturalists to progress.
Thank you to all the participants for their motivation, their curiosity and their good humour!
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