LPO

The LPO (La Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux) in La Brenne in central France is the French equivalent of the RSPB in the UK. Tony Williams works for the LPO in La Chérine Nature Reserve at the centre of the Parc Naturel Régional de la Brenne, a large area south of the River Loire, very sparsely populated with 4000 man-made fishponds mainly used for the rearing of carp and other fish for the central European markets. La Brenne is renowned for its birds and dragonfly fauna and has a butterfly list of nearly 100 species.

• www.lpo.fr La Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux
• www.parc-naturel-brenne.fr Brenne Parc Naturel
• www.berrylindre.com Tourist info covering the Brenne area
• Crossbill Guides guide to the Loire and La Brenne

• www.anglessuranglin.com Tourist information about Angles sur Anglin

Tony Williams

Tony has been the LPO representative in La Brenne since 1995, and has known the area since 1982. He has travelled widely as a guide for Caledonian Wildlife and Naturetrek, especially in East Africa and Madagascar. He has been ringing birds since the 1970s and found Scotland’s first Calandra lark in 1978 when he was assistant warden on Fair Isle.