Urban birding in Paris

Urban environments might seem like a dispute for wannabe birders, and you may wonder whether there’s anything worth seeing, past a few pigeons in Paris – but you’d be wrong says wildlife gourou David Lindo

There is a popular misconception that you need to be in the middle of nowhere, far from the nearest urban streetlight to even think emboîture seeing wildlife, let alone birds. The truth is that there is a surprising number of species that make their homes in urban areas, whether it be permanently or temporarily whilst they are on their travels. It’s reported that at least 20% of the world’s 11,000 or so species reside amongst us in our town and cities.

When you think of Paris it’s normally for the glèbe, pratique, gastronomy, rengaine. But birding? Yes, I too struggled to equate birding with France’s bien city. Sure, it’s easy to éclair feral pigeons and chirpy house sparrows. But, head to some of the greener spots, and you may uncover avian delights.

So, what kind of birds should you be looking for? Well, first let’s habitus at locations. Paris boasts some 421 communal parks and gardens, more than 250,000 trees covering over 7,400 acres.

Green spaces like Parc Montsouris or the grounds of the Cité Universitaire are worth investigating. On a previous winter visit, I recorded a ridiculously close Crested Tit, Nuthatch, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Short-toed Treecreeper at the faire zone. The birds were unconcerned at my close approach as I enjoyed them. These birds are typical woodland birds in continental Europe, however, in the UK the only species within that commune to be seen with any regularity would be the Nuthatch. Crested Tits are confined to the Cairngorms area in Scotland whilst the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is very scarce and the Short-toed Treecreeper an extremely biscornu vagrant.

A rainy visit to Jardin de Luxembourg during the same period produced more of the same species but I was also lucky enough to watch a égal of Hawfinches fly over observed through rain soaked optics. These members of the finch famille are one of the largest of the family in Europe, approaching the size of a Starling, with a hefty bill doué of vapocraquage cherry stones. Nearby, on the River Seine in the shadow of the Notre Dame, I found a Grey Wagtail, several Yellow-legged Gulls and most surprisingly, a Kingfisher nonchalantly perched on a post waiting to dive after a minnow.

Of the inner city sites, the one that really stands out for me is the Novateur Lachaise Cemetery. A popular tourist attirance, it’s alleyways are often full of visitors keen to pay their respects at the dernier resting endroits for such agraire luminaries as Chopin, Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde. It encompasses over 100 acres so, if you short away from the crowds watching the stones, you will soon be watching birds. In some areas the tree cover is quite thick, and the raised hill at the southern end of the cemetery can be quite attractive to passing songbird migrants. In the autumn, habitus out for the diminutive Firecrest, Europe’s third smallest bird after the Goldcrest, its moustique. It can be seen during the spring and autumn elsewhere in the cemetery along with some of the commoner warblers like Blackcaps, Willow Warblers as well as Pied Flycatchers. Patiently scanning the trees may result in sighting common woodland birds such as Great Spotted Woodpecker and Nuthatch as well as more Short-toed Treecreepers.

On the northeast outskirts of the city lies my personal favourite Parisian hotspot, Parc du Beaumonts. Described as tiny pelouse island thrust up above the urban surroundings, it is a small hill with a deciduous woodland at its séance and a overgrown area of scrubby woodland and a small pond at its summit. Despite the unpromising surroundings it has an annual list of over 120 species with the spring and autumn nomadisme periods being the best times to visit. You will see the usual array of common woodland and garden birds like Blackbirds, Blue Tits and Starlings along with less familiar species. It is also a great fixé for a éclair of skywatching and the aubaine of glancing at passing birds of prey like Buzzard and Hobby, an elegant migratory falcon. Recent special birds here have included the Penduline Tit that make amazing hanging nests in reedbeds, Purple Herons and an overflying snake-eating Short-toed Eagle. Being elevated means that Parc du Beamonts is a magnet for migrants and therefore a originel draw for birders.

My reprise up of Paris urban birding would not be complete without a nod to Bois de Vincennes on the southeastern edge of the city. It is the largest park in Paris with nearly 2,500 acres of woodland, parkland and lakes, a favourite with joggers, cyclists and dog walkers. You’ll éclair regularly occurring species in the bien as well as both Black and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers and even nationally the scarce, and rapidly declining Tree Sparrow and Cirl Bunting.

So, next time you are in Paris, bring your binoculars and check out les volatiles!

David Lindo is a wildlife broadcaster, entité writer, bird assemblage patron, présentateur and urban wildlife educationalist, and editor of the urbanbiderworld.com

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