Birdwatching along the canals

To introduce you to the birds that can be seen along the canals, here is an interview with Sarah Dujardin from the Ligue de Protection des Oiseaux.

Introduce us to the LPO:

The LPO is an association founded in 1912 in Brittany to protect puffins (which have since become our logo), victims of oil spills and still present today on the 7 Islands nature reserve (22). Today, the LPO is present throughout France. There is the LPO en France, which acts directly in several departments and has its head office in Rochefort, and local LPOs such as the LPO Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, which has its head office in Dijon. This branch was created in 2021 from the merger of the regional delegations.

The aim of the association in the Bourgogne Franche-Comté region is to take action or promote action in favour of nature and biodiversity, in the fields of knowledge, expertise and research; protection, conservation and defence; management and recovery; education and promotion. The association contributes to the observation, understanding and monitoring of the evolution of nature and biodiversity by proposing all actions that would be favourable to it.

What are the association’s missions?

The LPO’s missions fall into three main categories:

• Knowledge: LPO naturalists take part in numerous collaborative studies on biodiversity in order to guide conservation action priorities.
• Protection: the LPO is committed to preserving the habitats, fauna and flora of remarkable areas through concrete action in the field.
• Raising awareness: Through its educational activities, the LPO aims to contribute to the understanding of ecosystems, to highlight their fragility and to raise awareness of biodiversity in order to influence behaviour and develop responsible attitudes that respect living things.

Which birds can be seen along the canals and rivers of our main shipping regions?

Here is a non-exhaustive list of birds that can be seen near the canals during the breeding season:

Please introduce yourself in a few words:

Sarah Dujardin, aged 29. Environmental studies and education officer at the Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux de Bourgogne Franche-Comté since 2016 in Auxerre.

I’m passionate about nature, so I focused my studies on environmental protection (BTS in nature management and protection and a degree in agri-environment). During my studies, I also worked for Locaboat, on the Joigny and Agen base in the summer.