
Jardin Botanique Le Maurier
Jardin Botanique Le Maurier

This garden is registered as an official Refuge by the LPO (French national society for the protection of birds).
Garden birds include:
Residents: Sparrows, Ringed doves, Magpie, Starlings
Regular migratory birds: Black redstart, Common redstart, Swallows, Bluetits, Coaltits, Crested tit, Great tit, Goldfinches, Scops owl
Occasional visitors:
Wren, Jay, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Lesser Kestrel, Hupoe
Regularly seen overhead: Golden Eagle, Buzzard
See below for some of our own photos
Nous sommes ici dans un Refuge de la LPO
Les oiseaux résidents sont les moineaux, une pair de tourtourelles, la pie, les étournaux
Les migrateurs qui nichent ici ou qui fréquentent régulièrement le jardin sont les rougequeues, les hirondelles, une pair de chardonnerets, les mésanges bleues, les mésanges noires, la mésange huppée, mésange charbonnière, le petit duc
Observés occasionellement : le troglodyte, le jai, le pic épeiche, le faucon crécerellette, la huppe
Rapaces qui survolent le jardin régulièrement : l'aigle royal, la buse
Voici une sélection de nos propres photos
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Mésange noir Periparus ater Coal tit

Pic épeiche Great spotted woodpecker
Dendrocopos major


Hirondelles Hirundo rustica Swallows
De moins en moins chaque année ! Ici les jeunes perchent sur la pergola en attendant d'être nourris.
The swallows breed in the barn of a dairy farm opposite my garden and bring their young into my garden to practice flying and get extra food. Here the fledgelings perch on the pergola over the terrace. Sadly, each year their numbers diminish. I like to imagine that their other home is in East Africa, where I grew up!
1. Parent feeding young on the arch over the roses 2.. Fledgelings on the front balcony
Oisillons hirondelles en train d'être nourris dans le jardin et sur le balcon de la maison


Fledgling redstart on the railing of the front steps
Oisillon rougequeue à l'entrée de la maison


Tourtourelle Streptopelia decaocto Eurasian collared dove
Tourtourelle Streptopelia decaocto Eurasian collared dove
Ici sur leur perche favorite, le toit de la grange. La pair niche dans les hautes branches du sapin bleu ; de ce toit ils peuvent surveiller les oisillons.
A pair of collared doves (or ringed doves) was attracted to this garden one year when I was reseeding the lawn. They have since made their home in the blue fir tree and like to perch on the western gable of the barn to observe their nest and the landscape in general. Their characteristic cooing accompanies us all through the spring and summer. (Yes, the sky is nearly always like this, winter or summer!)


Un nid de qui ? Bird's nest spoof
Un nid de qui ? Bird's nest spoof
Quel oiseau rare a construit ce nid ? L'oeuf ne s'accorde pas avec le nid et l'endroit est ridicule !
Qu: What's wrong with this nest?
Ans: 1.It's built by a sparrow but a sparrow would not place it at that angle
2. A sparrow would not build in an open place in a lilac bush
3. The broken egg does not belong to a sparrow - it's a pigeon's egg.
This nest actually fell out of a cypress tree last year (2020). The construction is quite beautiful: perfectly round, the outside is woven of grass stalks and moss (good reason for not removing all the moss from your garden), strengthened by dog's hair and the inside is softly lined with down under-fur from my cat! The whole thing is weightless. The arrangement of the outer twigs means that the nest holds fast on almost any branch.
Un assortiment de nids Various bird's nests
1. Sparrow, using grass and chicken feathers
Un assortiment de nids Various bird's nests
1. Sparrow, using grass and chicken feathers


Étourneau Starling
Étourneau Starling
Une belle chenille sous le bec. Mais qu'en faire ?
A pair of starlings have stolen the Ringed Dove's perch and now seem unsure what to do.

Mésange charbonnière Parus major Great Tit
fam: Paridae
Plutôt rare dans ce jardin. Vu en septembre 2021.
A passerine bird not often seen in this garden. Here it blends with the autumn roses, September 2021