Birds of Happiness. “It’s time that will stop me”: Claude Navrot has been helping birds for 59 years
“ I will always remember the blue tits in my first nest box when I was twelve. I even took pictures of them with my Kodak. ” It was in Giraumont, in Meurthe-et-Moselle, in 1962. Even then, Claude Navrot was already connected to flora and fauna. As a teenager, he spent his time in the woods or fields observing insects with his friends from the mining estates. “Between Giraumont, Doncourt-lès-Conflans, Jarny… it was a marvel. Now it’s a desert.”
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In 1992, the LPO 54 branch, of which he is currently vice-president, made its home in the Valleroy nature garden . A little corner of paradise for the little balls of feathers, handmade by Claude and a few dedicated volunteers, which he visits every day. A space shared with the Lorraine Wildlife Rescue Center (CSFL) , which saves more than 2,000 animals a year. " It's always open. People can visit it for free. When they come and want ideas, I'm there. I can show them that you can do lots of things with recycled materials. " And within the four walls of his cramped premises, he never refuses a coffee with anyone who wants it.
For the lover of flora and fauna, this garden is "what we have to do if we want to continue to exist. At my place, everything is laid out like here. I have 15 ares of land. It's a smaller nature garden. I even have deer that come here. "
Not a day goes by without Claude Navrot thinking of his friend Lionel Julita, who died in 2019. Photo Frédéric Lecocq
Suddenly, Claude Navrot changes his tone. He turns around and points to a black and white photograph hanging on the wall of his cramped shelter. It shows his sidekick Lionel Julita and himself installing a birdhouse inside the church in Trieux. He couldn't talk about the nature garden without having a fond thought for his "right-hand man." He remembers that not so long ago, before life decided otherwise, his friend stood by his side to welcome visitors. " My buddy loved showing them around the garden. He was a great teacher ." But on April 21, 2019, without warning, the man who once served as treasurer for the Meurthe-et-Moselle LPO passed away. He was 67 years old.
" I showed up one Sunday morning and saw the emergency services. A walker had discovered Lionel on the ground, dead. He liked to wander alone in the forest. He collapsed in the one right next door. He was there, with me, every day. It stunned me. "
The passing of this other great defender of nature has left an incalculable loss in the Valleroy gardens, and especially in the heart of Claude Navrot.There was Thirty pairs of red-backed shrikes between Hatrize and Les Baroches. Today, there is only one left.
The Giraumontois has been able to count on the unwavering support of his loved ones. And especially his life partner, on whom he has always been able to lean. " My wife has supported me in everything I did. " And he won't be stopping his activities any time soon. Despite a bad knee, the "old thing," as he ironically calls himself, isn't counting on it. Not at all: " I'll never stop. Time will do that."
Having spent his life observing birds, he could only observe the decline. His favorite species has unfortunately not been spared. " There were thirty pairs of red-backed shrikes between Hatrize and Les Baroches. Today, there is only one left. " Claude Navrot is sounding the alarm: " For me, man is nature's main predator. There are still motivated people who are desperate. {…} With the LPO, we will have done like the hummingbird that brings its drop of water to put out the fire. "
Claude Navrot's committed career at the LPO
Claude Navrot was only 16 when he discovered the Society for the Protection of Birds (SPO) based in Briey. It was a turning point for the young Giraumontois, who went to meet Guy Robert, its president. " I used to go see him at home on my moped. And slowly, everything fell into place ." An apprentice at the SNCF (French National Railway Company), he joined the LPO thanks to his first wages. In the 1980s, he founded the local branch of Jarnisy and Pays de Briey with friends. And on February 3, 1990, the first regional LPO in France was built in Meurthe-et-Moselle. " Today, everything has been transformed into departmental structures ," adds the former railway worker and current vice-president of the 54 delegation.
So many memoriesAfter 59 years of service to the winged race, Claude Navrot remembers, as best he can, what he has accomplished. The septuagenarian recalls in particular the creation of the first LPO refuge in France in the grounds of the Château de Moncel, in Jarny, in 1990. Or the opening of their circuit in Valleroy. An 11.5 km route immersed in nature that offers beautiful observations if you open your eyes a little. It's impossible for him to remember every operation undertaken, as he has done so many.
Alexis Vaury
Le Républicain Lorrain
