Christian Moullec has always been a birdwatcher. Today, at 58, he is also a birdman, i.e. a man who flies with birds. Literally.
Almost every day, from March to October, Christian takes off with his ultralight aircraft from Saint Flour, in central France’s Cantal department on the slopes of the Massif Central, for a truly out-of-the-ordinary experience: flying with a flock of birds.
Moullec says that it’s a bit like ‘touching eternity’ - and no doubt taking part in a ritual that, despite being as old as the Earth, has always been inaccessible to humankind, must be somewhat magical. Christin’s purpose is to spread love and respect for animals in general and for birds in particular, raising awareness on the risks connected with our impact on the life of wild bird species in Europe, whose population has suffered a dramatic reduction over the last 30 years due to pollution and the disappearance of their natural habitats.
The experience of Voler aver les oiseaux (“flying with the birds”) was born in the mid-1990s. In his studies, Christian Moullec had focused on the migratory routes of lesser white-fronted geesethrough central France bound for Lapland. Because of human activity, the migration was becoming increasingly difficult and the destination did not always offer the protection and food that the birds needed in order to survive.