Too high and not very green for one blue merle. the
Pyrenees national park announces to have observed, for the first time on its territory, a nesting of this typically Mediterranean passerine, certainly lover of rocky cavities but never seen in the vicinity. It was a park warden who spotted the intriguing presence of a first bluebird in April 2021 in the
Val d’Azun (Hautes-Pyrénées). He was “perched on a rocky peak” at an altitude of 1,500 meters. And as he searched the recesses with his long, thin beak, probably in search of insects or lizards, everything already indicated that he intended to settle on the mountainside, on this south-facing slope. An intuition reinforced in May when a bluebird is again spotted, carrying long lizards.
In June, there is no longer any doubt, since the specialists spot not only a couple but also two chicks, both on land and in flight.
A volunteer has been watching over these new, new inhabitants, whose presence remains incongruous. “Like other species now frequently observed outside their preferred area,” said the park in a press release, carefully asking the question of a possible effect of global warming. Enough to launch great ornithological debates.