Le marais du Mès, une étape pour le Phragmite aquatique

The Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola is by far the rarest European warbler. In 2007, the estimated number of singing males was between 11 386 and 13 464, essentially distributed in Ukraine, Poland and Bielorussia. Its wintering zone is not very well known, but appears to be mostly in western tropical Africa. During the last decades, it was found that the main stopover and fattening areas during the post-breeding migration are located in north-western France, along the Channel coast, and further down along the Atlantic. This region is characterised by a string of coastal marshes which are currently suffering from a lack of adequate management. This is further aggravated by the secretiveness of this little warbler and the lack of knowledge on behalf of site managers about its ecological requirements.
France has a major role in the conservation of the species because all, or nearly all, of the global population stop over there on their autumn migration. Within this context, the French Ministry of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Town and Country Planning has decided to set up a 2010-2014 national action plan for the Aquatic Warbler to ensure a suitable network of stop-over sites thus participating in bringing the species back to a satisfactory level of conservation.
Following the results of a 2010 ringing camp, some ornithologists found that the Mès marsh in Western France is one of the stop-over sites for the species. Alain Gentric presents us this spot and the area and the criteria to distinguish sex and ages.