Hi Tweets,

We just returned from another Earthwatch volunteer research project,
this time in France and what a wonderful experience it was. The
project involved monitoring the European Roller (Coracias garrulous)
nesting in the area around Arles in Provence. This charismatic pale
blue bird with a brownish back is in the Bee-eater family, Meropidae,
about the size of a Jackdaw ( Stellar?s Jay for comparison)
Unfortunately the status of the breeding population of the Roller is
declining primarily due to habitat loss.

Farmers in the Vallee des Baux have been encouraged to provide more
nesting resources for the bird including placing nest boxes in
favorable locations. In order to monitor the breeding population, the
Principal Investigator had organized circular transects about 10
kilometers in length in agricultural fields. The transect route was
along tractor paths separating fields of various grains or grasses and
along irrigation canals. Observation points about 1 kilometer apart
in each transect were established in order to check for the presence
of individual Rollers or breeding pairs. We also checked another area
along the Rhone River as a potential site for a future transect.

Two teams of 4 Earthwatch volunteers and the PI or her assistant rode
mountain bikes around different transects stopping for 10 minutes at
each observation point to check for the presence of Rollers.
Binoculars and spotting scopes were used to search for the birds at
each stop. Rollers that were found were recorded on a map of the
transect indicating perched birds, flying birds, direction of flight,
feeding and breeding behavior. Favorite spots for the Rollers were on
utility wires, snags and in windbreaks of White Poplars.

The birds are insectivorous, eating a variety of Orthopterans and thus
a valuable asset in agricultural fields. To determine what species of
insects the Rollers were feeding on, we volunteers also checked
contents obtained from cleaned nest boxes from the previous year
(2008). The nest box contents were screened and sorted with tweezers
to obtain undigested insect parts such as heads, mandibles, legs and
pieces of carapaces. Entomologists are then able to determine from
these fecal remains, the species of insects the Rollers were feeding on.

Volunteers were housed at a field station about 5 kilometers east of
Arles at Les Tourades, established by A Rocha France. The food was up
to Provencal standards of slow food; 3-4 hours for our three meals a
day and was outstanding.

We were also able to spend a couple of days birding in the Camargue,
the wildlife refuge at the delta of the Rhone River. One highlight
was observing a breeding colony of several thousand Greater
Flamingos. A briefing for volunteering with Earthwatch on this
project, titled ?Birds, Biking and Biodiversity in Provence? can be
obtained at Earthwatch.org.

Don and Sandi McVay
Seattle
dmcvay at cmc.net