a refuge for biodiversity and 28 species of birds in the lot

The white traces that line a corner of the facade, between a carved curry of Renaissance style and a mullion window, form irrefutable evidence. The same morning, Émilie Delaby heard the little ones who were piaillary, then she surprised the parents who flew to the Lot sky for a day of hunting. “Each year, this couple of crecerelle hawks returns to nest in this small cavity”, specifies the heritage agent from the grassy courtyard of the Château d’Assier. Built at the beginning of the 16th century by Jacques Ricard de Genouillac, known as Galiot de Genouillac, hero of the Battle of Marignan, the building is a remarkable example of Renaissance architecture in Quercy.

He also hosts bats that are discreet in the attic, a white or frightened lady, martinets or chickadees. “In all, we identify 28 species of birds in the area of ​​the castle,” notes Stéphanie Plaga-Lemanski, director of the territorial delegation of the Lot of the Bird Protection League (LPO).

Located between Figeac and Rocamadour, in the heart of a preserved nature, the Château d’Assier was one of the first buildings managed by the Center des monuments national to become an LPO refuge.

In 2016, the public establishment signed a framework agreement with the ecological association to make several of its sites refuges promoting biodiversity, spaces likely to respond to the “housing crisis” that birds undergo, but also the insects that nourish them.

Tranquility nests

In thirty years, the population of birds has declined 30 % in French campaigns, according to studies carried out by the CNRS and the National Museum of Natural History, which point to the impact of intensive agriculture and the destruction of habitats. In rural areas, the old barns have been transformed into houses and many refuges habitats have disappeared. “As our places are closed at night, wildlife finds a certain tranquility there. The built heritage only makes sense in its natural environment that we must preserve, ”says Sylvie Dusséaux, assistant administrator of the Châteaux d’Assier, Castelnau-Bretenoux, Montal and Puyguilhem.

Concretely, this convention between the center of national monuments and the LPO results in a very discreet fauna inventory, whose presence is often discovered by droppings, nests or rejection balls. Then, the LPO issues recommendations, especially over the periods of work, so as not to disturb the nesting animals. “In Castelnau-Bretenoux (become LPO refuge in 2018, editor’s note) when it was necessary to clog anfracuctuities on the facade, we compensated by the installation of nest boxes in the bin. We have also set up a mud tank so that the swallows can build their nest, ”explains Stéphanie Plaga-Lemanski. Outside, its association also advocates differentiated management of green spaces, with places where the vegetation is developed to develop, thus creating a pantry garnished with insects for birds.

The flight of biodiversity

In Assier, the castle meadows are now dotted with flowers and high herbs. At the foot of the building, a participatory garden was installed, right next to a shelter for hedgehogs. There is a remarkable biodiversity: vegetable and melliferous plants, red Valerian, absinthe, tansy or the allyssum of rocks, a plant that is practically found only to assure. “Before, it was like a golf field lawn. Today, there are butterflies, insects. A real food chain has been reconstituted, ”notes Émilie Delaby. “Since we practice diversified mowing, the number of insects per square meter has been increased tenfold and, with it, the numbers of bat,” adds Sylvie Dusséaux.

Back inside the castle, the small droppings that dot the tomettes, very close to the chimneys, do not allow to hover with doubt. And two floors above, when the attic door opens, the erratic flight of two or three chiroptères confirms the hypothesis. In the dark, it is difficult to know if it is a pipistrelle or a large rhinolopher. Last year, opening the castle early in the morning, Émilie had found a baby stranded at the foot of a staircase. She had collected him in the hollow of her hand. The LPO had treated him.