When a Milan announces royal cold!
Will we have a real winter? On a right to doubt it!
The recent observations of our official ornithologist, Pierre Foret, seem to go in this direction.
Thank you to him for sharing with the Journal du Gers.
“By sweeping the heights of Bezolles with my telescope, I let myself glide between valleys and wooded edges.
A fleeting laziness in this Saint-Martin summer (since we know that there has never been an Indian summer in the Gers of course!)
I quickly give up a grouped flight of wood pigeons much too common for my taste, to land on the canopy of pedunculate oaks accompanied by about fifteen Milvus milvus (Red Kite).
With her pale face and rusty body speckled with black, her indented line gets the job done by landing smoothly: elegance in its purest form!
I jump in my coach to fix this grace in my box and I ask if climate change is not the essential cause of an early trip to announce (finally!) A winter worthy of the name! Because this noble charnard migrates from North Germany to Pyrenean Piedmont, usually at the end of November! …
But in spite of this summer fall, I think I’m dreaming while counting 16 Royal Kites on the hills of the old feudal city of Bezolla.
An absolute record for this fortified village of barely 150 souls!
But I also know that he likes hilly landscapes intertwined with ponds and groves. The Gers suits him so well.
He has been growing strongly for two seasons in the department.
Almost threatened for 15 years, we are witnessing a decline in European populations.
In France it has enjoyed total protection since the ministerial decree of 1981 and it is listed in Annex 1 of the EU Birds Directorate.
It is therefore strictly forbidden to destroy, mutilate, capture or kidnap.
In addition, it is part of the ecological transition because it destroys vermin with a pronounced taste for our orders!
In addition to being an excellent recycler, it is a significant ally for grain growers since it feeds on field vole or other rodents and reptiles.
At dusk, it is a grandiose spectacle to witness the gathering of the Royal Kites in search of dormitories: trees with often dead branches and sometimes close to homes. Thus a bare oak will quickly be illuminated by the magical presence of this exceptional bird of prey.
A make Halloween turn pale !!! On your glasses!
Text and photos: Pierre Foret