berger Posted September 19, 2005 Share Posted September 19, 2005 Hi, feel priviliged kicking off this new section !!, can anyone enlighten me as to the exact species of the wonderful birds of prey we have here in france. I have been watching with great delight what i believe are common buzzards and have been lead to believe that red shouldered kites are resident here aswell. Been searching on the web for info and various on line information sources but can't seem to find the correct info, not having great knowledge of ornithology, but a huge general interest in wildlife.many many thanksmonty01 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted September 19, 2005 Share Posted September 19, 2005 First I would like to thank James our Forum -Webmaster for adding this section, I hope that it becomes widely used!There are a number of different Birds of Prey in France, so it does rather depend on where you are as to what you may see.Buzzards are certainly common and these are often the birds that are seen soaring high on thermals frequently in groups.Other birds of prey in Poitou-Charentes where I live are Black Kites, Red Kites, Hen Harriers, Marsh Harriers, Monatagu's Harriers, Osprey, Goshawks, Honey Buzzards, Sparrowhawks, Hobbys and Peregrines. My favourite French bird site is: http://www.oiseaux.net Hope that this gives you a starting point, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berger Posted September 19, 2005 Author Share Posted September 19, 2005 many thanks chris, i live in the charente maritime myself, have been here a year and watched these wonderful birds regularly and just have not been able to put a name to many of them, now thanks to you i can i.d. each species.many thanks againmonty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted September 19, 2005 Share Posted September 19, 2005 Oui, merci James Let's do all we can to respect our environment, especially with the present petrol prices! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaysBasque Posted September 20, 2005 Share Posted September 20, 2005 Good thread! Very informative. I've just been watching a whole group of Griffon Vultures circling overhead. Needless to say that I checked on all my animals.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted September 20, 2005 Share Posted September 20, 2005 No need to panic Christiane - Griffon Vultures only eat dead creatures - honest! Must be great to see them, bit to far for me to make a day trip. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaysBasque Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 Actually, Chris, that's what I thought. However, there is a place not too far from here called Arguibelle, a phantastic climbing site and bird of prey breeding area. Since they've started to protect this particular rockface the bird population has soared, and now there's a problem with feeding the birds. Consequently, there have been attacks by the, predominantly Griffon and Egyptian, vultures on livestock. The farmers did admit however, that it was mainly sheep that got attacked and, quite frankly, I didn't have a lot of sympathy as sheep are truly the dumbest animals, particularly intent on dying as soon as they are born. There is however a bigger picture, which points out the faults in the protection of species, birds in this case. I am a big bird lover and I live in a particularly interesting area, as we have birds of prey, loads of storks and are on the big migration routes. But I think it is most difficlt to find a finetuned balace between protection and over-protection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 It would be interesting to know whether this has been verified by the bird agencies that cover that region, all the information that I have states categorically that neither species takes live food, in fact it seems that the Egyptian vulture actually lands on the backs of "large animals" and removes the ticks. Could the sheep / lambs have already been dead? Protecting creatures from human activity is not exactly disrupting the natural order, more like reestablishing it I would have thought?Should you discover more I would be interested in being kept informed. Thanks, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJT Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 Hi, I am sorry, I really don't want to hijack this thread but , I found what Paysbasque said about sheep very interesting. I have heard this before about sheep being dumb but I have seen a few things on this to the contrary. I have seen where someone had a lamb and kept it indoors and it was trained just like a dog. As it got older was treated and acted just like a family pet, became very cheeky, playful and loyal to the family. Also, another program I saw said that it could prove that sheep (and cows) mourned for their babies when they were taken away. Please tell me it ain't so. Always wanted know if this was true.P.S. I have another question about ducks and geese but will save that for another time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaysBasque Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 Chris,I honestly don't know if the sheep/lambs were already dead, and I haven't spoken to anybody but farmers about this. One did admit that the animal in question was between life and death and pretty immobile in the field. Anyway, if I do get the chance to speak to somebody official I will let you know.In reply to WJT: I'm sure that there are exceptions even in the sheep world, but my remarks were actually based on experience with normal farm sheep. Do they grieve? I have no idea, but then again I don't like to eat very young lamb.Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcazar Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 Just to get this topic back on topic, so to speak, you can also possibly see Short-Toed Eagles, also known as Snake Eagles, and vultures are becoming common in SOME areas, notably Gorges du Tarn, the Causses, and over the tips near Marseille.Alcazar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadeby Posted September 24, 2005 Share Posted September 24, 2005 I find the Collins Guide to Birds of Britain & Europe really good - particularly as it has diagrams of juvenile plumage and birds on the wing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkhunter Posted September 27, 2005 Share Posted September 27, 2005 [quote]It would be interesting to know whether this has been verified by the bird agencies that cover that region, all the information that I have states categorically that neither species takes live food, i...[/quote]Hi , i have a fairly good knowledge of birds of prey, in particular the ones used in falconry in UK being an ex Austringer/Falconer.I have never heard of a Vulture of any kind taking live prey, i may be wrong but i think their talons aren't suited to gripping particularly well, all their power is in their beaks for ripping carrion, also i think due to size if beak picking out ticks would be at best difficult unless they are rabbit sized. This posting is not meant to be anything other than well meant, i have previous experience of this forum and have been villified for previous postings and as such have been wary about posting again, in friendship, hugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berger Posted September 28, 2005 Author Share Posted September 28, 2005 "This posting is not meant to be anything other than well meant, i have previous experience of this forum and have been villified for previous postings and as such have been wary about posting again, in friendship, hugh."Hi hugh, agree with you there, i'm pretty new to this forum as well and think sometimes replies are too harsh. You obviously have experience and should be taken as so, as with others who usually are trying to pass on a bit of experience or knowledge.Your right in that vultures do not usually taken live prey, they are scavengers and usually wait on the dead or as near to it, they cannot risk injury to wings as theirs are very fragile .also in freindship, monty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zo Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 Hello I'm new to the forum and I'm going to be studying an aspect of birds of prey in france for my university course. I was thinking perhaps of endangered species.Unfortunatly I know very little about the birds of prey in france so I'd be grateful for any information you might be able to give me about them. Also weather there are any b.o.p centres that can be visited? I have been told that there is a big centre south of Bordeaux but havn't been able to track anything down.Any information will be gratefully received! Many thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 I have done some further research on the Egyptian Vultures, it seems that they have been observed on the backs of cattle where they remove parasites either with their beaks or sometimes with the use of a talon. In addition, although mainly eaters of dead creatures, they will also eat lizards and insects from time to time - never live animals.Zoe. If you can wait a few days I will be having a meeting with my local LPO Friday and I will try to get some useful information for you.Best wishes to all, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 Welcome to the forum, Zo. Sorry I can't answer your questions as I'm not very knowledgable, though interested. I was wondering if herons can be classed as birds of prey? We have one in our area and you can often see it standing on the jetty of our lake casting a beady eye on the perch and carp. When you approach it takes off in the slowest laziest glide you have ever seen and leisurely flaps away. Fascinating. Pat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcazar Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 BOP centres? There's one at the Chateau de Milandes, south of Sarlat in the Dordogne.Is that the sort of thing you mean?They have Kestrel, Peregrine, harris Hawk, Lanners and Buzzards, AFAIK.Alcazar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ty Korrigan Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 Hello, lived on a farm in the Yorkshire Dales once and I can tell you that when we 'spained' the sheep, which is taking away the lambs, they cried for a day and night. Hundreds of them calling for their lambs...Anyway...there is a hawk preying off the frogs in our local pond which has all but disappeared. Great to watch it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feuillant Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 interesting thread!We keep chickens and I have seen a buzzard come down and attack and kill live ones - fully grown, too. Recently Mrs Roast lost her only chick (don't know how) and although I have never caught her reading Kubler-Ross, she sat and grieved for a couple of days, then shrugged her pinions and got on with life. Interestingly she didn't display any desire to search for it - she just looked thoroughly miserable, and wouldn't leave the coop, although the others - Mrs. Fried, the nuggets and Lewes (a white sussex, of course) all went off without trouble. They will usually stay in if there is a predator around.We have kites, harriers and lammermuirs (well you know what I mean) and the occasional vulture too, and this spring we saw a huge crowd of migrating raptors - perhaps they were honey buzzards?We live about 40 miles from the Pyrenees, so we get a good range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feuillant Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 interesting thread!We keep chickens and I have seen a buzzard come down and attack and kill live ones - fully grown, too. Recently Mrs Roast lost her only chick (don't know how) and although I have never caught her reading Kubler-Ross, she sat and grieved for a couple of days, then shrugged her pinions and got on with life. Interestingly she didn't display any desire to search for it - she just looked thoroughly miserable, and wouldn't leave the coop, although the others - Mrs. Fried, the nuggets and Lewes (a white sussex, of course) all went off without trouble. They will usually stay in if there is a predator around.We have kites, harriers and lammermuirs (well you know what I mean) and the occasional vulture too, and this spring we saw a huge crowd of migrating raptors - perhaps they were honey buzzards?We live about 40 miles from the Pyrenees, so we get a good range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 If you meant Lammergeler, Feuillant, that could be one for Zoe! Didn't think of that, the Bearded Vulture is definitely under pressure and France is supposed to be providing better protection. French Government got a big ticking off from the EU for not doing enough recently Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zo Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 Wow you get such a range of raptors in France...i'm so jealous. On our property we have resident kestrels and some buzzards nearby that we see flying over quite often. Most excitingly this year was a pair of red kites who decided to nest in a tree in our paddock. They raised one chick who fledged succesfully and we havn't seen any of them for months now. I hope they come back next year (despite them mobbing my hawk.)I'll do some research on Chateau de Milandes and Lammergeler. The place I had heard of was called Rocamadore, but i havn't been able to find out any more than the name. Have any of you heard of it?Thanks very much for your suggestions,(P.S. I've never heard of vultures eating anything other than dead, or very nearly dead, animals.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 Zoe, You could mean this link:http://www.rocamadour.com/ Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zo Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 Genius! It would help if I could spell! teehee!That was the place I was thinking of. I'll look up those other places too and see which can give me the best info.You're an absolute star! Thankyou, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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