Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (LPO) – UK branch

Recent News

Recent news about birds in France and LPO activities can be found on a separate page at http://www.kjhall.org.uk/lponews.htm. I'll try to keep it updated! The rest of this page gives some more general background information about the LPO, its publications, subscription rates, and also lists some other useful links.

Wild Birds Know No Frontiers

Every day the world grows smaller. Birds are constantly crossing man-made barriers as well as the natural ones they have had to contend with for centuries. Whether from the Arctic, Scandinavia, Britain or Central Europe, their paths inevitably take them through France on their way to winter quarters in the Mediterranean and beyond.

Ospreys from Scotland, Black-tailed Godwits and Spoonbills from Holland, Cranes and Honey Buzzards from Scandinavia, Brent Geese from Russia, as well as the hordes of Willow Warblers, Swallows, Cuckoos, Tree Pipits and all the other familiar woodland and farmland birds of northern Europe – all need safe havens here if they are to survive from one season to the next.

And it is not just the migrants. France is one of the largest countries of western Europe. Its landscapes range from the high mountains of the Alps and Pyrenees, through the wooded hills of the Massif Central, the plains and lakes of Champagne, to the marshes and estuaries of the Vendée and the Camargue. Habitats like these are the very heartland of the breeding bird populations of western Europe.

Everyone knows of the Camargue – for many birdwatchers it was their first venture into the wider world of European birding. Others have visited the lakes of La Brenne and the mountains of the Pyrenees. More recently the Cranes and White-tailed Eagles of the north-eastern lakes have attracted much attention. But the rest of the country still seems to be unknown territory as far as most birdwatchers are concerned.

And yet, there are some wonderful birds and places waiting to be discovered – Bluethroats in the west coast marshes, White Storks breeding as close as Normandy, Collared Flycatchers in Lorraine, Griffon Vultures in the Cevennes, hordes of raptors crossing the Pyrenees – more than are seen at the Bosphorus. And this in spite of the fact that France is the most popular foreign destination with British holidaymakers, and that French is the most widely taught second language in British schools. If you want to know more about the birds of France, to find out the best places to go to see them, and to help protect them and the places in which they live, join the LPO today, or subscribe to one of its publications – L'Oiseau Magazine and Ornithos

Investing for the Future

The LPO works for the protection of birds and the places on which they depend for nesting, wintering and during their migration.

• In 1912, it created its first bird reserve, 'les Sept-Iles', off the north Brittany coast, to protect the seabirds breeding there, particularly the important colony of Puffins – and hence its adoption of the species for its logo.
• Since then the LPO has purchased several more key nature reserves and visitor centres, as well as being involved in the management of many others – places such as the Basses Vallées Angevines, the Ile de Ré, the marshes of the Vendée and Poitou-Charentes, the Lac du Der-Chantecoq in the Champagne region, etc.
• It is active in the care of injured birds, with centres for victims of oiling at l'Ile Grande in Brittany and for raptors and other birds in the Auvergne.
• By setting up the system of 'Refuges LPO', private individuals and local authorities can declare spaces such as private gardens, school grounds and town parks as nature reserves, where wildlife is protected and the habitat enhanced. Currently over 8000 refuges cover 21,000 ha, and the network is expanding fast.
• There is a continuing programme of protection for individual species – Montagu's Harriers in cereal crops, terns nesting along the rivers Allier and Loire, Peregrines in the Massif Central, Corncrakes in Anjou, White Storks using artifical nesting platforms more and more widely, Lesser Kestrels on the Crau and elsewhere in the south of France, etc.
• A series of Annual Campaigns have raised awareness and funds for specific projects. Among some more recent ones have been those to conserve fragile populations such as those of Little Bustards, Lesser Kestrels and Bitterns, and to raise awareness of threats to still common birds like Swallows and House Martins.
• The LPO also masterminded the petition which raised over two million signatures (over a million in France itself) in favour of restricting the hunting season in France, still one of the longest in Europe. It continues to pressurise the authorities to bring French hunting legislation and seasons into line with the spirit of the European Birds Directive, and to ensure that the law is effectively enforced.
• Since 1980 based in the historic Corderie Royale in Rochefort, the LPO has a network of active local branches throughout France to spread the word as widely as possible, and now includes the FIR (Fonds d'intervention pour les rapaces), for which birds of prey are the special focus of attention.
• It is the French partner for BirdLife International, and is coordinator of the Important Bird Areas programme.

The LPO in Action

The LPO, with the help of its members (ca 37,000) and supporters,

• buys land to protect habitats in key areas
• improves the habitats where birds live, by planting trees, creating ponds, working with industry to reduce the hazards from high-power cables, etc.
• advises farmers on land-management and protection of nest sites
• is active in the reintroduction schemes for former breeding species such as Griffon and Black Vultures
• researches the best ways of caring for injured birds and rehabilitating them to the wild
• educates and raises awareness in the public, especially children, of the importance of birds and the environment
• encourages people to declare their gardens as 'Refuges LPO' – over 10,000 of these now exist
• cooperates with other conservation organisations, particularly via BirdLife International
• publishes the magazines L'Oiseau Magazine and Ornithos, plus booklets, leaflets, posters, etc. for information

Ornithos

Full colour journal appearing six times per year, aimed at the active birder and field ornithologist. In French, but with English summaries of main items. Typical contents include: papers on identification, status and biology of birds in France, annual report of the national rarities committee results of censuses of breeding birds, waterbirds, etc., birding hotspots, notes on bird behaviour and status, news items from France and around the world, book reviews, etc.

Typical item published in recent issues:

• annual rarities reports;
• annual rare breeding birds reports;
• wintering wildfowl in France; wintering gulls survey; scarce migrants;
• birding 'hot-spots': Baie de Somme, Lac de Madine, La Dombes, Baie de Mont-St.-Michel, etc.
• identification and aging of Black Storks, races of Brent Geese; etc.
• Sacred Ibis, Red-billed Chough, Little Bustard, Purple Gallinule breeding status in France; etc.

L'Oiseau Magazine

Full colour magazine published quarterly by the LPO, with reduced subscription rates for members. Aimed at everyone with an interest in birds in France – the best and most lively source of information around. In French, of course, but very approachable and well worth the effort for any birdwatcher wanting an agreeable way of brushing up on the language. There is also a special annual supplement, 'Rapaces de France' produced by the FIR, devoted to birds of prey and their conservation. This costs an extra 4.50 € / £3.60 to the rates tabulated below.

Typical topics covered include:

• birding sites in France: Marais Audomarois, lac de la Prade, baie de l'Aiguillon, le Portel — and overseas: Mongolia, Falkland Islands, Pribilofs
• status of individual species in France – Little Bittern, Hazel Hen, Corsican Nuthatch, Lammergeier
• bird protection stories – Little Bustards, Loire estuary, la Crau, traffic in protected species, hunting seasons
• people involved with birds – Alain Thomas, Hermann Heinzel, Lars Jonsson, artists, writers, photographers, conservationists active in France and worldwide
• practical conservation – local refuges, city parks, improving your garden for birdlife
• recent reports from around the country, including the latest rarities, news items, mystery photographs, book reviews, etc.
   

Subscription Rates for UK Residents (2008)

Individual membership of LPO	18.00 € / £ 16.00
Individual membership plus subscription to L'Oiseau Magazine	38.60 € / £ 31.00
Individual membership plus subscription to Ornithos	55.00 € / £ 42.00
Individual membership plus subscription to Ornithos and L'Oiseau Magazine	75,60 € / £ 58.00
Subscription to L'Oiseau Magazine at non-member rate	24.39 € / £ 21.00
Subscription to Ornithos at non-member rate	42.00 € / £ 36.00
Family membership of LPO	27.00 € / £ 24.00
Family membership plus subscription to L'Oiseau Magazine	47.60 € / £ 38.00

Note that these rates include the cost of postage of the magazines to the UK. This cost may be shown separately on the renewal forms that come to existing members direct from the LPO in France. The UK rates are incorporated in a brochure, available in PDF format, which can be downloaded and printed off here, and forwarded to the UK address below.

To save on bank transfer charges, credit card payments, which will be effected by the LPO in euros at the current exchange rate, are much preferred.

Contacts

If you are resident in the UK, and want more details of the LPO, or wish to subscribe, please contact contact Ken Hall by e-mail on

lpo  (@)  kjhall . org . uk (removing the spaces and brackets)

or write/fax to:

Ken Hall, LPO (UK), The Anchorage, The Chalks, Chew Magna, Bristol BS40 8SN.
Tel: (+44) (0)1275-332980; Fax: (+44) (0)870 478 3150

Those elsewhere should contact the LPO at their headquarters in France:

LPO, La Corderie Royale, BP 90263, 17305 ROCHEFORT CEDEX, FRANCE
Tel: (+33) (0)5 46 82 12 34; Fax (+33) (0)5 46 83 95 86

On the Web

The LPO now has its own central website: http://www.lpo.fr. In addition, several LPO groups in France have individual web sites – the number is increasing steadily, and all can be accessed via the central one. All of these sites give detailed information about LPO activities, bird protection news, places of interest, etc., both nationally and locally. If you wish to purchase anything from the LPO's catalogue, this is now on-line at http://www.lpo-boutique.com – it's well worth browsing.