How can we give a little comfort to the birds of our cities and our countryside which, for many, have suffered and have seen their populations fall for several decades?
Protection associations are calling for strong measures: stopping the use of pesticides in agriculture or even more drastic rules against pollution.
At the citizen level, we can, thanks to simple gestures and easy-to-use attentions, make their lives a little more pleasant and conducive to reproduction.
1. A piece of wild garden.
Gardeners who are fond of straight flowerbeds and perfectly mowed lawns are not bird's best friends. "The ideal is to let nature take its course on as large a plot as possible," advises Benoît Fontaine, biologist at the National Museum of Natural History and at the French Biodiversity Office. It is a fairly easy habit to take since it does not require any effort. It is also one of the most effective. Leave leaves on the ground in the fall and, all year round, weeds that are wrongly called
weeds
or small bushes well supplied in this corner of wasteland allow birds to find their natural food: the small insects that take refuge there or the seeds produced by plants that are allowed to live and then die. »Another advice: avoid at all costs the use of pesticides and fertilizers in a garden, landscape or vegetable patch, to avoid poisoning the animals which do not make the difference between a good seed to eat and one coated with products toxic.
2. A nest box and food perched.
These small huts can serve as alternatives, especially in town, to the cavities sought after, for example, by sparrows in ancient walls, which are increasingly rare, as a nest. There are tutorials to make them, from a few pieces of wood, on the Internet in a few clicks. When it comes to food, which goes hand in hand with the habitat, sunflower seeds placed in a hanging feeder are ideal for satisfying small-sized bird species ... and not pigeons, which do not need additional nutrient input . We can also, in winter, offer a ball of fat, to hang without its net so that the birds do not injure themselves by getting their legs stuck in it.
Read alsoSparrows, bats ... how Paris wants to "preserve and enrich biodiversity"
3. Watch out for bay windows.
Owners of lodges with floor-to-ceiling windows or verandas with large glass openings can avoid stupid accidents that cause injuries that can sometimes be fatal.
These panes can have a mirror effect (the male bird sees its reflection, interprets it as that of a rival and throws itself on it to make it leave) or a transparency effect (the bird thinks it can pass through or sees the reflection of a tree or a plant on which it could land).
To avoid mistakes, we stick a few stickers or children's drawings to limit the glazed effect.
4. Consume organic and local.
This advice may not seem to have an immediate effect on bird welfare ... wrongly.
“The way we consume and the power of the bank card are essential weapons in the long term,” believes Benoît Fontaine.
Preferring short circuits, local and organic means starting to transform the way in which the products we consume are made.
The less pesticides the better for field birds.
The more short circuits, the less atmospheric pollution which, as with humans, disrupts the health of city birds.
5. Become a bird counter.
As it is impossible to count all the birds everywhere in France, the STOC program (temporal monitoring of common birds) calls on volunteers to establish a statistical estimate of their population. A thousand of them mobilize, the time of two mornings a year, to observe, identify and count the birds that they spot by ear or by glance within a radius of 10 km around their home. “You need a little experience to be able to recognize the song of such and such a species,” recognizes Benoît Fontaine. But you can acquire this knowledge by participating in outings organized by associations for the protection of nature and wildlife. "To take the plunge and become a bird counter, and thus participate in raising public awareness of the evolution of their populations,the easiest way is to get closer to the LPO (Bird Protection League) of his department.