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Possible France trip (1 Viewer)

Birdbrain22

Well-known member
Hi Folks,

I might have a business trip to France coming up in the next few months(i'm thinking March or April most likely). I will definitely get some birding in at some point. I have never birded France or any of Europe for that matter... so I am kind of clueless as to what to even expect. I will be in or near Asnières-sur-Seine, France which looks to be a little north of Paris. Can anyone help with providing good birding locations in that area/surrounding areas and what to expect there?

I may or may not have a car during the business portion/ but will most likely have one afterwards when I am on my own time so I will be able to drive around a bit.

This came about all of a sudden and I have not had a chance to even begin looking into birding there... I've got some time so perhaps this weekend I can spend some time on it. I figure waterfowl, Storks, herons, and the like would be the easiest to pick up (and Great Crested Grebe and Smew have always been a want from long ago). I don't even know what species would be around, are to be expected or are common. Any chance at Hoopoe, Euro Roller or any Bee eaters? Other passerines including the various Thrushes...so much to plan.
So again any advice/suggestions will greatly help as I am not sure where to even start. Thanks in advance.
BB22
 
Hi, I've never been birding in this area but you should check this website : it shows the latest sightings in the Paris area : http://www.faune-iledefrance.org/.
This other website shows good birding spots around Paris : http://www.corif.net/?pg=do&sj=34&ar=237.They are both in French though...
If you have a car maybe you should consider a trip to the foret de Fontainebleau, I think it has most of the French woodpecker species and march/april is a good time to see these.
As you have never been in Europe you should find an urban park close to were you stay and look for the common species such as : Great, Blue and Long-tailed tits, Song thrush, Goldcrest, Firecrest, Eurasian Nuthatch, woodpeckers...Paris also has a pretty big feral population of Ringed Parakeets...
I think hoopoe (I'll try to check what are the good places to see it) is do-able but Bee-eater and roller are less likely in this area.
Hope this helps and that someone with better knowledge of this region will answer your post !
 
Thanks for the info Val35... I will definitely check those sites.

At least I can test myself on the pics... and maybe learn some French.

Why is everything for Paris birding in French? 3:)
 
Bee-eater and Roller breed in southern France, along the Med. Hoopoe is a summer visitor, so in March/April it should be migrating throughout most of France.

Check out this site and select Hoopoe for one of the maps to see its summer distribution.

http://www.eurobirdportal.org/ebp/en/#home/UPUEPO/r2000/LANCOL/r2000/

Thanks BrittanyBirder. That site is really helpful. According to that site... there seems to be some species that were not even on my radar based on my limited research to this point. Another question though since you are from France... do you know of any personal birding guides? Finding info in that regard is pretty tough. Thanks again.

I did get an update as to my dates of travel... will be end of May into first few days of June. Unfortunately, I think South France will not be an option... but I would say North to Central France is probably doable. I will have at least 4 free days of birding.
I have to say I am a bit nervous about having to drive, which is why I am looking into a birding guide.
 
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Thanks for the info Val35... I will definitely check those sites.

At least I can test myself on the pics... and maybe learn some French.

Why is everything for Paris birding in French? 3:)


You can hardly criticise a local bird site for posting in their own language but if that were e.g Holland or Belgium, it would be at least in part, in English too.



A
 
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Hi Folks,

I might have a business trip to France coming up in the next few months(i'm thinking March or April most likely). I will definitely get some birding in at some point. I have never birded France or any of Europe for that matter... so I am kind of clueless as to what to even expect. I will be in or near Asnières-sur-Seine, France which looks to be a little north of Paris. Can anyone help with providing good birding locations in that area/surrounding areas and what to expect there?

I may or may not have a car during the business portion/ but will most likely have one afterwards when I am on my own time so I will be able to drive around a bit.

This came about all of a sudden and I have not had a chance to even begin looking into birding there... I've got some time so perhaps this weekend I can spend some time on it. I figure waterfowl, Storks, herons, and the like would be the easiest to pick up (and Great Crested Grebe and Smew have always been a want from long ago). I don't even know what species would be around, are to be expected or are common. Any chance at Hoopoe, Euro Roller or any Bee eaters? Other passerines including the various Thrushes...so much to plan.
So again any advice/suggestions will greatly help as I am not sure where to even start. Thanks in advance.
BB22

Bonjour Mr birdbrain.

Please check your private messages.

All the best,

Jonathan
 
Coming along with the planning... but I have a question.What is the take on "countablility" of some species over there?
1) Mandarin Ducks... considered escapees or established & countable?
2) Sacred Ibis... seems to be established in Camargue???
3) Reeve's Pheasant???
4)Ruddy Shelduck???
5) Fisher's Lovebird, Masked Lovebird and Indian Silverbill... I think established in localized areas around Nice...probably not getting there anyway?
Are there any others? Should I count them if I happen to see them? I know the whole my list/my rules thing, but would a local birder count them?

In my US birding for example, I've counted only the accepted exotics in Florida and Hawaii while I have seen a lot more species that are maintaining/breeding in the wild.
Thx folks.
 
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Well I recently returned from France with a week of birding with an excellent guide in Provence. We managed to get 144 species with a total of 116 Lifers for me. Visits were to the Baronnies, Mt. Ventoux, the Vercors, the Camargue, the Crau and some other local spots.
My guide was awesome and was an excellent ear birder and got me on almost all my desired birds. Highlights were many and included: Bonelli's, Short-toed and Golden Eagles, Bearded, Black, Egyptian and Griffon Vultures, Bee eaters and Rollers, Lesser and Common Kestrels,Hobby, Little Bustard and Stone Curlew, Honey and Common Buzzard, Montagu's and Marsh Harriers, Greater Flamingo, White Stork, Pied Avocet, Collared Pratincole, Red-legged Partridge and Quail, Red-billed Chough, Mediteranean, Slender-billed and Yellow-legged Gulls, Scops, Little and Eagle Owl, Blue Rock Thrush, Calandra, Crested,Short-toed, Wood and Skylarks,Bearded Reedling and Long-tailed Tit, all 3 Wagtails, Rook and Dipper.

Mammals spotted were Chamois, Ibex, Hare, Fox and Roe Deer. Unfortunately no Green Lizards, but we did spot a European Pond Turtle and a Wall Lizard.

Local knowledge of the birds certainly makes the difference... I would have never found anywhere near that many species and certainly would not have driven to most of the location we went to. Would highly recommend this guide to anyone interested.
 
You can hardly criticise a local bird site for posting in their own language but if that were e.g Holland or Belgium, it would be at least in part, in English too.

A

There is ornitho.fr only in french.
If I visit foreign countries, often I write down local bird names, because I can ask domestic people.


Maybe an overview like Sibleys guide can help ( in this case less, because is for US )
http://www.sibleyguides.com/bird-info/french-bird-names/


Easier is Italy, because ornitho.it is in English, Italien, German und French language.
The Italians are many years in front of other nations in this case !
 
Well I recently returned from France with a week of birding with an excellent guide in Provence. We managed to get 144 species with a total of 116 Lifers for me. Visits were to the Baronnies, Mt. Ventoux, the Vercors, the Camargue, the Crau and some other local spots.
My guide was awesome and was an excellent ear birder and got me on almost all my desired birds. Highlights were many and included: Bonelli's, Short-toed and Golden Eagles, Bearded, Black, Egyptian and Griffon Vultures, Bee eaters and Rollers, Lesser and Common Kestrels,Hobby, Little Bustard and Stone Curlew, Honey and Common Buzzard, Montagu's and Marsh Harriers, Greater Flamingo, White Stork, Pied Avocet, Collared Pratincole, Red-legged Partridge and Quail, Red-billed Chough, Mediteranean, Slender-billed and Yellow-legged Gulls, Scops, Little and Eagle Owl, Blue Rock Thrush, Calandra, Crested,Short-toed, Wood and Skylarks,Bearded Reedling and Long-tailed Tit, all 3 Wagtails, Rook and Dipper.

Mammals spotted were Chamois, Ibex, Hare, Fox and Roe Deer. Unfortunately no Green Lizards, but we did spot a European Pond Turtle and a Wall Lizard.

Local knowledge of the birds certainly makes the difference... I would have never found anywhere near that many species and certainly would not have driven to most of the location we went to. Would highly recommend this guide to anyone interested.

Seems a very nice vacantion.
Worth is also Verdon gorge, mostly from landsacpe view, but also good bird watching spots.
 
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Easier is Italy, because ornitho.it is in English, Italien, German und French language.
The Italians are many years in front of other nations in this case !
Still a few years behind the Dutch: look at waarneming.nl where you can check sightings in Russian or Hebrew if you wish...
 
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