|
|
Cranes in
France |
 |
|
Prenuptial migration |
|
|
Cranes in
France |
|
|
Prenuptial migration |
| The first movement heading
towards the north-east was observed on January 3rd in the Haute-Garonne (31)
with 27 birds and on the same day, 20 cranes migrated from the Nièvre (58)
towards their nesting sites. On January 7th, 14 birds left the Allier (03).
The next large flight (150 cranes) was spotted on January 16th, once again
in the Nièvre (58). Another flight was seen over the Puy-de-Dôme (63) at the
end of the afternoon on January 25th. On January 30th, numbers on the Der lake in the Champagne region bear witness to the first movements : 11,880 birds (compared to 5,000 the previous week). Cranes were also observed in the mediterranean region particularly in the Gard (30) with 240 birds during the first fortnight in February. Numbers in Captieux (33/40) gradually decreased as the birds left for the north-east. On February 9th, there remained only 6,415 cranes compared with 14,000 on January 30th. On February 14th, 167 birds were counted in the Aiguillon bay in the Vendée (85). On February 17th, the cranes were noticeably gathering for their migration over the Pyrenees: 22,000 birds were counted in Gallocanta (Spain). Between February 9th and 18th, 4,000 cranes flew over the country, witnessed by figures registered in Captieux (33/40). Arrivals in France increased considarably: the sites in Captieux (33/40) and in Arjuzanx (40) were each hosts to 10,000 birds. On February 20th, there remained only 1,160 cranes on the Der lake main staging point (51/52) almost as though the site has been vacated prior to the first migratory wave. |
|
|
First wave |
The first main migratory wave began on February 21st when the largest flights were observed over the Haute-Vienne (87) amounting to approximately 10,000 cranes. On February 23rd, migratory flights were registered over 10 departments. During this period, at least 25,000 cranes left the Sotonera region in Spain, heading toward France. The following day, 1,500 birds flew over the Nièvre (58), 3,000 over the Cher (18) and 2,200 over the Haute-Vienne (87). On February 25th, after having flowen over the Loiret (45) or the Lot-et-Garonne (47), between 5,000 and 7,000 cranes arrived on the Champagne wetlands. About 4,000 birds flew over the Landes (40) on the 26th. On the same day, 90 cranes landed in a village in the Charente-Maritime (17) and more than 3,000 birds arrived in the Avord staging point (18). On the 28th, 7 cranes were spotted in the Manche (50), while there remained only 2,200 birds on the Captieux site (33/40). On the same day (28th), 960 cranes landed in Etain in the Meuse (55). On March 1st, between 15,000 and 20,000 birds left Spain and flew over France. Flight speed was estimated at 55-60 km/h. The remaining essential data was provided by the Aquitaine, Limousin and Central France regions. On the same day, 6,000 cranes were feeding on farmlands of the Ferme aux Grues in the Marne (51), new record. The following day, numbers remained high, the main wave arriving in Champagne, where numerous flights reached the Aube (10) and the Marne (51). About 8,000 birds also arrived in the Dordogne (24) from Spain. The flights ended on March 3rd in the evening. The few remaining birds (720) in Arjuzanx (40), illustrate the large numbers of cranes heading north during this period. The maximum count registered in Central France during the first week of March was at least 9,500 birds, since poor weather conditions (north-easterly winds and heavy falls of snow) halted migration for 10 days. Between February 21st and March 3rd, at least 66,000 Common Cranes were counted. Map 5 : Total number of
Common Cranes
|
|
Second wave |
From March 7th onwards, approximately 15,000 cranes flew over
the Pyrenees passes with 10,000 more on the 8th . These birds followed the usual
migratory route : 1,800 cranes in the Dordogne (24) on March 8th, whereas some
birds followed a less frequent route, for example 12 cranes in the Var (83) and
17 in the Pyrénées-Orientales (66) on the following day. Over 1,000 birds were
counted in the Haute-Vienne (87), in the Cher (18) and in the Nièvre (58). Large
flights were also observed from March 10th, onwards : between 30,000 and 35,000
cranes were seen in the south of the Charente-Maritime (17) and in the Charente
(16). More than 13,000 migrants were observed in the Limousin region and 5,000
landed on the Lavaud dam in the Charente (16). During this period, the eastern
borders were crossed in the Lorraine region (1,000 in the Meuse (55) and 2,500
in the Meurthe-et-Moselle (54) on the following day). On the 11th, departments
less frequently crossed were involved but with smaller flocks : the Nord (59),
the Gard (30), the Bouches-du-Rhône (13) and the Vaucluse (84). Map 6 : Total number of Common Cranes
|
|
Final wave |
On March 14th, only 100 cranes were left on the Arjuzanx site (40), whereas
approximately 11,000 birds remained on the Der lake (51/52). Migratory flights
included 900 cranes in the Yonne (89) on March 16th. Two days after, 200 birds
flew over the Haute-Vienne (87). On March 20th, 5,000 cranes remained on the Der lake (51/52) and a flock flew over the Aisne (02). 65 migrants were still in the Tarn (81) on March 21th, for the most part, birds in poor condition as well as non-reproductary individuals. For example, 2 cranes in the Haute-Saône (70) during the first fortnight in April, 3 in the Oise (60), 2 in the Ardennes (08) on the 23rd and 1 in the Allier (03) on the 24th. This bird had been observed in the region for about a month. The final group was seen on May 2nd 2005 in the Cher (18) and involved 16 cranes. One bird was still in the Limousin region on May 21st. |
|
2005 prenuptial migration overview |
In all, 96,000 Common Cranes were recorded during this spring. Numbers were lower than those for the previous autumn and illustrate the decrease in data received during the prenuptial season. The “nocturnal flight” factor plays an important part in variations recorded during autumn and spring or over the years. However, two other factors may contribute to the low figures recorded in spring 2005: migration following a more westerly route in the spring than that in autumn may have eluded some networks and above all, adverse weather conditions at the beginning of March which pertubed migration and made sightings less visible (this was borne out by unusual sightings made in Central France, where numbers and turnover appeared to be high but difficult to ascertain despite ringing verification). |
|
Overview 2004/2005 : estimated population |
Thanks to the many observers who provided us with data and the efficient French Crane Network, we were able to ascertain fairly accurately the west European Common Crane population. Approximately 210,000 birds were counted during the 2004 postnuptial migration. Added to this, were the 2,100 cranes which wintered in Germany. During the 2005 prenuptial migration 96,000 cranes were counted, not including the 42,000 individuals wintering in France and the 2,100 in Germany, totalling approximately 140,000 cranes. Very little data is available concerning the migration of cranes wintering in the Spanish peninsula. In conclusion, the west European Common Crane population would appear to be on a regular increase and may be estimated at around 212 000 birds. |
|
|
|
|
Migration in Champagne-Ardenne Saison 2004/2005 |
Migration in the Champagne-Ardenne region was remarkably
early. Record arrivals were observed on the Der lake during the first
fortnight of October. |
|
|
|
|
The French Crane Network |
|
|
|
|
| Observations carried out by the Network throughout France have enabled us to build up an accurate picture of the principal migratory route used by the Common Cranes as illustrated below. During the 2004/2005 season, 74 departments provided at least one recording of Common Cranes, including 33 departments with recordings amounting to more than 10 days of observation. | |
|
Map 7: Number of days’observation of Common Cranes
|
|
|
Design : Aurélien DESCHATRES, Emmanuel LE ROY |
|
|
|
|
2004 :Postnuptial migration Wintering : 2004/2005 Prenuptial migration 2005 |
|
|
|
