Do you say
quietness?

Quietness period : 15/02 to 15/06

The Peregrine Falcon is classified as rare in the Ardennes department. After a drop in numbers in the 1950s, they are gradually recovering thanks to the implementation of preservation measures. Depending on the year, there are between 5 and 10 breeding pairs in the park.

As with many bird species, the female is larger than the male. Her wingspan can reach 114 cm. As a comparison, a Common Buzzard has a wingspan between 113 and 137 cm.

It is easily recognized thanks to the shape of its wings (pointed), the dark rounded moustache which contrasts with its clear cheeks and its plumage having a dark grey and white striated aspect seen from below.

It feeds mainly on birds, with a preference for Pigeons, Blackbirds or Thrushes in our regions.

Its particularity comes from its mode of hunting. It captures its preys in flight by carrying out an impressive dive which can reach more than 200 km/h.

It is a species known as “rupestrian”, which nests on cliffs or rocky outcrops. It does not build a nest but lays its eggs and broods on a basin arranged by scraping the ground on a platform (ledge, fault, hole…) located on the upper part of the rocky wall.

Quietness period : 1/01 to 15/06

The Great Horned Owl is classified as a rare species on the red list of species in Champagne-Ardenne. Having almost disappeared from the territory, the protection measures set up in the 60’s allowed a return of the species with between 10 and 15 nests on the territory of the Park.

The Great Horned Owl, like the Peregrine Falcon, likes rocky walls to build its nest. It can live in a wide variety of environments. On the territory of the Park, it chooses the old quarries or rocky outcrops of the Meuse and the Semoy to settle.

It is the largest nocturnal bird of prey in the world. The wingspan of the female can go up to 168 cm.

It is distinguished from its fellow birds by its imposing size, its clearly visible egrets above the head and its intense orange eyes.

Its diet can vary according to the sectors and the available preys. Its size makes it a super-predator, it can attack mammals such as rabbits, squirrels or other birds and raptors such as long-eared owls or falcons.

Although it has no predator, the populations are still threatened, both by human disturbance and by the decrease of its food resources (agricultural practices, collisions with power lines, outdoor sports…).

Quietness period : 15/02 to 15/08

Emblematic of the forest massif of the Ardennes plateau, the black stork is no less fragile. Although suspected since 1980 in the Ardennes, its nesting is only certain since 1997. The populations are evolving favorably but the Black Stork remains a very vulnerable species.

Contrary to its cousin the White Stork which adapts very easily to inhabited areas, the Black Stork will look for the most remote areas to settle.

Of shy habits, it needs forest with old trees to make its nest. This one can, indeed, measure up to 2 meters in diameter. Its feeding zone can go up to 20 km around the nest. It feeds mainly on fish and amphibians found in ponds and streams of good quality.

Its favorite prey is the sculpin, a small river fish that hides under stones. The installation of rings on the young born in the Ardennes allows to follow their installation. We now know that the Ardennes are the bastion of the Black Stork in France.

Quietness period : 01/11 to 30/04

The Ardennes have many species of bats on its territory. Often poorly known, they intrigue or frighten without reason. All the bats are protected, however at different levels.

These mammals are nocturnal and strictly insectivorous, at least for those occupying our territory.

They all have in common a very particular life cycle. While spring is the time of births, summer is the time of rearing young. At the end of the summer, couples are formed and then reproduction takes place before the long hibernation period (between November and March).

It is often at this time that they are most fragile. An untimely disturbance requires them to draw on reserves that are essential to get through the winter.

These 24 bat species have different habitats and hunting methods. While the Pipistrelle often occupies houses and hunts mosquitoes under street lamps, the Beschstein’s Bat is a forester. The Daubenton’s Murin has the particularity to hunt over water while the Rhinolophes are able to hunt on the lookout!

Quietness period : 15/05 to 31/07 

The little-known Common Nighthawk is a surprising bird. Surveys carried out in 2009 estimated the population at around 20 pairs. The monitoring carried out since 2020 shows a drop in numbers (1 contact in 2020 and 4 contacts in 2021).

This bird is a master of camouflage. Its brown to beige colours make it almost invisible when it is lying on the ground between other branches. It is also very difficult to see because of its crepuscular habits. It appears from sunset onwards to make remarkable parades consisting of singing and wing-flapping.

It has the particularity of feeding on insects (moths) which it catches in flight.

On its return from migration in May, it nests in semi-open, semi-forested areas such as recent cuttings. In the Ardennes it is known to frequent bogs and marshes, although this is not its preferred area. It usually prefers heaths, wasteland and well exposed clearings.

The nest is made on the ground, which makes it fragile. Its stealth does not allow easy location. Known areas must be avoided during the nesting period.