Grassland birds in the Canton of Neuchâtel: an overview.
Series of four lectures (details below).
At 7 p.m.
FREE
See you at the Auditorium
Access via Replat du Dahu 1
Evolution and conservation of the Skylark in the canton of Neuchâtel
Photo. Copyright Mathias Schäf
By Alain Lugon, L'Azuré office
As elsewhere in Switzerland at low altitudes, the Skylark has become rarer in the canton of Neuchâtel. High numbers are still found in the cereal crops of Val-de-Ruz and on summer pastures. Populations nesting in hay meadows, on the other hand, have collapsed. The talk will describe the evolution of the species in Switzerland and in the canton of Neuchâtel, and present several examples of regional projects aimed at conserving or even boosting breeding numbers.
Woodlark and Tree Pipit in the Parc Chasseral
Photo. Copyright Marcel Burkhardt
By Anatole Gerber, Chasseral Regional Park.
In the wooded pastures of the Jura, the songs of the woodlark and the tree pipit often make a strong impression on the soundscape. They are also good indicators of ecological quality. Both on the red list of breeding birds, the Parc Chasseral and the Swiss Ornithological Institute have been monitoring their numbers since the early 2000s. The two species show a very different evolution. Various hypotheses have been put forward to explain these trends. The conservation potential of each of these species will also be discussed.
The meadow sparrow: a peril on the prairies
Photo. Copyright Marcel Burkhardt
By Jacques Laesser of the Swiss Ornithological Institute.
In the mid-twentieth century, meadowlarks occupied the flower meadows of the Neuchâtel Jura in great numbers. Today, the last remaining breeding population of the species in the canton of Neuchâtel, at Les Ponts-de-Martel, is on the brink of extinction. How did we get here? This migratory passerine, which winters in West Africa, will be presented. The reproductive biology of this highly endangered migrant will be confronted with the mechanisms brought about by the intensification of agricultural practices that have led to the virtual disappearance of the species in our canton.
"Turlu" or Woodlark in the canton of Neuchâtel
Photo. Copyright Jari Peltomaki
By Marco Pilati, Swiss Ornithological Institute.
The canton of Neuchâtel is home to a large proportion of the national population of the Woodlark, a rare and threatened grassland bird associated with open, structured habitats. The Chasseral Regional Park and the Swiss Ornithological Institute now have very interesting data on the species, thanks to a long-term monitoring program set up in the 2000s. After an introduction to the ecology of the species and its situation in Switzerland, the presentation will focus on the canton of Neuchâtel and present the results of the latest large-scale censuses carried out in the canton between 2020 and 2022.