Natural surroundings of the watchpoint

La Palle lies in the south-east of the city of Saint-Étienne, between the quarters of Terrenoire and la Métare, in the foothills of the Pilat massif, classified as a regional nature park since 1974. It is located in the middle of an open area with few buildings (considered « natural » in the town planning scheme), including pastures, more or less wooded wasteland, and moors with gorse, near the special area of conservation of the « contreforts nord du Pilat », i.e. northern foothills of Pilat. Its urban situation may surprise but does not constitute a problem for a migration survey. On the contrary, thanks to the easy access, the site can be surveyed on a regular basis.

From the look-out, we enjoy a panoramic view. When the weather is fine, we can see the entire valley of the Gier, with the “Monts du Bugey” in the background, 90 km away! Migratory birds can be detected in the distance and it is easier to count them. In fine weather conditions some birds come really close, down to a few yards, and identification is straightforward.

History of the survey

There is a partial autumn survey since 2010, mostly during weekends from sunrise to noon in October or all day long in August and September. All observers are welcome ! You will find our email address below. Spring migration is also visible here, but the location of the watchpoint is not suitable that time of the year. The survey started from an observer’s balcony ! The flight routes of the birds soon revealed the importance of La Palle. Local people told us that Woodpigeon was hunted here until the early 1960s. Hunting ended when the area of la Métare was built up.

Ornithological interest, emblematic species

The site is a migration bottleneck formed by the Janon and Gier river valleys. The latter ends its course on the right bank of the Rhône. This steep-sided southwest to northeast oriented valley, carved between the  Monts du Pilat and Lyonnais, forms a major flyway to the Central Massif. It acts as a natural funnel for migratory birds between the Rhône and Loire valleys. At the head of the valley, the birds find themselves in the basin of Terrenoire. At this point, they basically have three options: they can either take the wide col de Maugara in the north (with the A72), the narrow col du Pertier in the northwest (N88) or the col de l'Angélus in the southwest (with the ancient roman road from Lyon to Le Puy). The last one has the best orientation for migratory birds. This poorly marked mountain pass is located at the lowest point (625 m) of the crest called « La Palle » between the hill of Montchovet (650 m) and the lower slopes of the Pilat (from 640 m onward), on the divide between the Loire and the Rhône. Nowadays, the buildings of the Faculty of Sciences of Saint-Étienne can be found here.

In fine weather, the birds (mostly passerines) often fly high or cross along the mountain passes in the upper Gier valley (la Barbanche and Croix de Chaubouret). The best conditions are with a moderate southern or western wind and/or low cloud levels (< 1000 m). In that case, the birds will follow the Janon valley along the steep slopes on the westside of the Pilat.  Next, they will fly at a low level over the crest of La Palle, the major obstacle on this part of their itinerary, and the quarter of Métare to join the Ondaine valley en route to the Loire valley.

Thanks to its location, a good diversity of birds can be seen here, including some rare but regular movements of gulls, waders and ducks. La Palle, however, is mainly of interest for raptor migration, songbirds and pigeons. Sometimes, locally important numbers of Woodpigeon can be counted here, e. g. 3500 on 19 October 2010. Although most of the birds in active flight will pass close to the observers, passerine numbers tend to be underestimated as they migrate over a wider front. Soaring birds are numerous and many will switch from slope to slope in search of thermals. Insectivorous birds migrate from bush to bush.

Some rarities have been observed in the area, e. g. Greater of Lesser Spotted Eagle, Pallid Harrier, Red-footed Falcon, Booted Eagle, Griffon Vulture, Crane, Black and White Storks, Lesser Black-backed and Common Gull. Such observations are always great moments for the lucky observers !

Visitors

There is no visitor accommodation nor is there a permanency. One or more observer can be found at the site between late August and mid November, in their free time (mostly during weekends) and depending on weather conditions.

Access 

For optimal viewing conditions, the watchpoint is located slightly below the ridge of La Palle. This urban site is easily accessible by car or by bus!

By car, follow the N88 and take exit 20 (Beaulieu-Montplaisir). Turn right at the traffic lights in the direction of ENISE (signposted). Once you crossed the motorway, continue to follow the signs and climb the hill of Montchovet along the long rue Jean Parot. At the end of this street, turn left in the rue Paul Michelon. Drive past the university buildings and turn left in the rue Léon Jouhaux towards the IUT. Park in the lower part of this street or on the car park of the university students near the IUT roundabout. During the week, a there is a regular bus service to this point: nr 19 stops every 20 minutes here. Continue on foot along the tarred track between the car park and the old tennis courts until a big black rock with the shape of Napoleon’s hat. The watchpoint is at the foot of this rock, along a dirt track.

Contact

For any additional information or observations at the site, please contact LPO Loire (mailto:loire@lpo.fr).