Situation critique de populations nicheuses de martin pêcheur (Alcedo atthis) après le rude hiver 1984/1985

A census and checking of known nesting sites of the kingfisher were carried out on the Meuse and various watercourses in the south west of the Walloon region during the spring of 1985. This one followed an exceptionnally harsh winter, which was separated from the former harsh winter (1978/79) by five successive bad reproduction seasons (rainy summer 1980, cold spring 1981, humid spring 1982/83/84. Only 10% of the potential sites were occuried, but the survival rate was excellent (7.3 young fledged per adult nesting bird), thanks to an unusual number of third broods, probably in consequence of low intraspecific competition. These third broods were all reared by pairs fishing in the river Meuse itself, a fact that stresses the importance of this river forthe survival of the speies concerned, and pleads for the protection of the few favourable sites still in existence.