Rural riddles
IT’S A WHITEWASH!
Jeremy Hobson solves more of your pastoral problems
Q Sunny side up Why do sand martins sunbathe? Q
We live in the Vendée. In conversation, my
sister (who lives in the UK) recently mentioned that, in early August last year, she had been following a social media thread (appropriately enough, given the topic ‘Twitter’!) about “100s and 100s of sand martins spread out on the quiet roads of the Marais-Breton-Vendéen”. Knowing we live where we do, she wondered if we’d observed any similar activity? In our seven years of being here, we haven’t
and as my sister doesn’t read French Property News (shame on her!), I said I’d write to you and see if it was a ‘rural riddle’ you might be able to solve? James Crowther
A
Although flattered to be consulted, I’m afraid I
have no definitive answer. I do, though, have one possible theory to put forward: I wonder if they might simply have been sunbathing? Hopefully, that is not as flippant a reply as might be first thought as, unlike when humans ‘soak up the
RAGONDIN? Q
A
One day we’ll purchase a house in France! For the moment
we are using our holidays to stay in gîtes around the rural parts to see in which area we would like to buy. Last September we stayed near Angles-sur- l’Anglin (Vienne). Out walking along the river, we saw either a coypu or a beaver. The people where we stayed said it was most likely a coypu but we think it was a beaver! Are there beavers in that area? Hayley King
rays’ for the simple pleasure of it, birds sunbathe (and dust- bathe in dry, fine soil) in order to help rid themselves of any tiny parasites in their feathers. A sunny road surface in August will obviously intensify the heat – which may also assist in creating extra ‘oil’ from their preening gland. If any reader has any specific
ornithological knowledge and can supply more information, I should be grateful to hear from them, especially regarding the large numbers of birds seen on the occasion described.
Without photos it is difficult to say, it could have been either. Generally,
coypu (Ragondin) are considered a nuisance in France but, in some places, the European beaver (Castor d’Europe) is encouraged and, as in the UK and other countries, has been reintroduced to the French countryside. In France, various re-wilding projects have been undertaken – including at least two releases of beaver into the River Loir during the 1970s and 1990s. Those original beavers bred well and their descendants have formed colonies in rivers such as the Vienne, Creuse, Thouet, Argenton, Salleron and the Anglin.
104 FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: January/February 2024 A
In the Occitanie region of the south of
France, we saw an avenue of roadside trees painted white up to a height of a metre or just over. Might you have any idea why? Shirley Miller
Whitewashing or painting the bottom part of trees
white is something more likely to be encountered in countries such as Greece, Spain and other places where the summers are almost always hot. Believe it or not, it’s a way of protecting the bark from ‘sunburn’ or ‘sun-scorch’ as it’s thought that the white reflects heat – and in doing so, makes the tree less attractive to wood- boring insects. A whitewash mix of lime,
chalk and water also acts as a repellent and, according to some, is sufficient to do away with the need for any chemical solutions which might otherwise be necessary to prevent insect damage. White paint used is generally of a water-based latex type diluted 50/50 with water.
Busy beavers!
© IKE PRINCE/CREATIVE COMMONS
© RAY SCOTT
© SHIIRLEY MILLER
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