In La Manche, a sound library of bird songs to raise public awareness

How to discover nature through sound? Since September 2021, members of the Lude Valley Defense Association (ADVL) have been tracking the vocalizations of birds on the cliffs of Carolles near the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel in the Manche department. . The objective is to create a sound library of all the species present on site.

The idea was born between an independent ornithologist-naturalist, Sébastien Provost, and the members ofand the association which has fought for the preservation of Normandy’s environmental sites for almost 50 years.

Using cAudio helmets and microphones equipped with parables, Sébastien Provost and activists from the association roam the field to capture the songs. 150 to 200 species of birds are already in the box. Sound traps installed daily, allow night recording, without any physical presence being necessary.

In the space of eight months, nearly 300 bird songs have already been recorded thanks to these devices. Nature outings are organized by Iare members of the association so that the interested public can enjoy all these songs “by ear”.

It is already possible to listen to some bird songs recorded from the cliffs of Carolles on the Xeno Canto site. Soon, the Lude Valley Defense Association will also offer them free of charge on its website, which is currently being finalized.