Birdwatching in France Birding contacts and birdwatching information Local Birdingpal Contacts Local Birdwatchers Please note that most Birdingpals are serious birdwatchers. It is a privilege to contact them, and your message should reflect it. A local Pal does not get paid, but should he/she offer to take you out birding, using their own vehicle, it would be courteous to pay for the fuel. A lunch and/or a small gift would also be appropriate, something as simple as a souvenir of your country, or a pin from your local birding club. Initial Last Name Area Available Language P Sorgius Strasbourg, Alsace Weekend V Palomares Saint-Désirat, Ardèche Anytime French/English M Gauthier-Clerc Aigues-Mortes, Arles Anytime B Gilard Le Breuil-sur-Couze, Auvergne Weekend Y Brouillard Troyes, Champagne-Ardenne Anytime French/SpanishEnglish HP Rouault St Germain en Cogles, Bretagne Anytime Anglais/Français I live near the bay of Mont St Michel. G Gadret Dijon, Cote-d'or Weekend French/English J Verrier Bergrac, Dordogne Weekend French/English G Olioso Port-la-Nouvelle, Languedoc-Roussillon Anytime French/ItalianEnglish Port-la-Nouvelle is a small town near the Mediterranean Sea, 30 km south of Narbonne, 50 km north to Perpignan. A good site for seawatch (april-may and winter) and passerines migration (march-april). Very near Gruissan a very good site to raptor migration... Near: Flamingo, Thekla Lark, Mediterranean Warblers, Great Short-toed Lark, Roller, Pallid Swift, Sharpe's woodpecker, etc. JM Lustrat Fontainebleau Anytime Français/Anglais I am working for natur preservation in the French administration. We protect around 1200 ha, mainly marshes and forest, but sites for orchids and bat's caves too. In marshes, we have Ospreys and Little Bittern in spring and Bittern in winter. We can visit Fontainebleau forest for forest birds, and mammals. JL Saint-Marc Pantin, Franciliee Weekend French/English I do birdwatching in a very lovely Parisian necropolis close to Paris ... F Clapham Nimes/Montpellier, Gard Anytime C Knibbs Bordeaux, Gironde Anytime French/English I have been in the Gironde area for 5 years now and know most of the good sites in and around Bordeaux (le Teich, the Arcachon Basin, Audenge and the French Pyrenees). The local area is good for White Storks, Purple and Grey Herons, Spoonbill, Cattle & Little Egret, Bluethroat, 3 species of Harrier, ST Eagle, Hobby, Hoopoe, RB Shrikes etc... and grebes and divers in the winter. Cap Ferret is particularly good for the autumn migration and la Pointe de Grave for the spring migration. Further afield, the Pyrenees are excellent for large raptors, including Bearded, Egyptian and Griffon Vultures.... plus birds such as Blue Rock Thrush, Alpine Accentor, Chough and Alpine Chough. M Bowman La Roche-sur-Foron, Haute-Savoie Anytime French/English B Segerer Paris, Ile de France Anytime T Fournet Paris, Ile de France Anytime French/EnglishGerman D Godreau Paris, Ile de France Weekend French/English H Thebault Paris, Ile de France Anytime D Lescaillez Paris, Ile de France Weekend M Zucca Paris(Porte d'Orléans) Anytime French/English Birdwatcher since 15 years, but still young! OK for birding in and around Paris for birdwatchers who have 1-2 days free in Paris and want to discover some birds around. I'm not always free, but try! (phone number: 0033689882231). As we always do in France, we share the gas cost between the different people present in my car. P Ricordel Paris(Saint Omer, Pas de Calais - 62) Weekend French/EnglishSpanish Paris is not really right area to visit for birds, but sometimes. I am more a bird photographer than a birdwatcher, I do phtograph mainly in France, and sometimes abroad. My Week-end location is north of France near Saint Omer (Pas de Calais - 62), where you can find many more species of birds than in Paris. Feel free to ask more details, I will be pleased to answer you. R Bennett Autignac(near Beziers), Languedoc Anytime A Oates La Montagne (16km west of Nantes), Loire Atlantique Anytime English/French We have recently moved out of the city of Nantes to La Montagne. I am English, living here with my French wife. I've had a keen interest in birds/ornithology since I was 5. Purely an amateur but I am keen to share my local knowledge with any visitors. I am situated about 10 mins drive from Lac de Grand lieu, 30 mins drive to La Briere, On our doorstep we have the extensive marshes of the Loire estuary. Local specialities include, Blue Throats, White Storks, Avocetes, Spoonbills, Great White Herons, Cattle Egrets, Night Herons, Purple Herons, Scquacco Herons, Corncrakes, Cetti's Warblers, All three types of Harrier, Hobby, Black Kites, Honey Buzzard and more... We are 10 minutes from the Nantes airport. So if anyone needs help finding those elusive birds drop me a line. S Henaff Angers, Loire Valley Anytime H Michel Lunéville, Lorraine Anytime F Tillier Tournus/Lower Doubs/Saone Valley Weekend French/English O Vimont Angers, Maine et Loire Weekend French/EnglishGerman/Spanish LPO Anjou Angers, Maine-et-Loire Anytime S Bradley Near Saumur, Maine-et-Loire Anytime Englishsome French Living and working near the Loire Worldwide Heritage site. Keen photographer. List of birds on site here at home is impressive. We offer holiday accommodation and support to disabled birders too! M Corsange Maussane-les-Alpilles Anytime French/JapaneseEnglish Maussane-les-Alpilles is a lovely old "Provençal" village. It is at the foot of les Alpilles, small mountains where several species of raptors live. It is just at the entrance of la Crau the last "steppe" in France where very rare species stay especially on Spring and Summer. It is also near Arles a well known Roman town and so near la Camargue which is a very beautiful wetland (RAMSAR site). More than 259 species of birds can be seen (especially water birds). In fact close the Mediterranean sea (30km). It is also not so far of le Luberon. O Fontaine Lille, Nord-Pas-de-Calais Anytime French/EnglishGerman N Selosse Le Clipon/Dunkerque, Nord Anytime B Bree Caen, Normandy Anytime French/EnglishSpanish/GermanHebrew/ArabicMandarin C Wilkins Pays d'Auge, Orne/Calvados Anytime English/French Experienced UK birders now living in this rich but underwatched area. T Daumal Nord Pas de Calais/Picardie Weekend French/English D Bismuth Pantin Weekend B Paepegaey Lille, Pas-de-Calais Weekend W Maillard Gétigné, Pays de Loire Anytime French/English B Piot Logras, Péron Anytime Dutch/FrenchEnglish/German My home village is located on the foothills of the southern Jura mountain range, close to the Rhône river and to lake Geneva, near the Swiss border – and close to the western Alps. As a result, there is an interesting variety of birds around here, ranging from true mountain species (Citril Finch, Wallcreeper, Golden Eagle, Ring Ouzel to name just a few) to wetland and waterbirds: thousands of ducks spend the winter on the lake or on the Rhône, and in spring/summer there are good places for breeding and migrant passerines. In autumn, raptor migration here can be truly impressive, with over 20’000 raptors and other large migrants (Storks, Cranes, Herons, Cormorants) passing through the area. Fort l’Ecluse, a famous migration watchpoint, is just 10 mins. away from my village. A Boussard Midi Pyrenées Anytime French/English I can help you for birding in the Pyrenées, on the Mediterreanean coast from Narbonne to the Spanish border and you shall find on my blog http://oiseauxethologie.fr:80/ birdwatching reports on different countries (Spain, France, Iceland....) and details on the FORUM:http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/OiseauxEthologie/ (Behaviour of birds). O Debre Dombes, Pilat Regional Park, Rhône-Alpes Weekend The Dombes is a rural area punctuated with hundreds of shallow ponds and lakes. It is very attracting for wintering and breeding ducks, migrating waders, and songbirds. Diversity peaks are April/May and August/September. Pilat Regional Park, though not yielding as much avifaunistic diversity as Dombes, still represents an interesting forested hills area, resembling the Vosges moutains. I can also help you with alpine regions: Ecrins/Oisans, Vanoise, Chartreuse, Vercors,... J Martineau St Etienne/Auvergne, Rhone Alpes Anytime French/English P Legrand Villeneuve d'Ascq Weekend B Veillet Lans en Vercors, Vercors Anytime French/EnglishGerman Professional Guides Initial Last Name Area Available Language Local Information Name Description Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux Club LPO Champagne Ardenne Club LPO Alsace Club LPO Anjou Club LPO Ile-de-France Club Bretagne Vivante Club Centre Ornithologique Ile-de-France Club SEPOL Club Associations ornithologiques françaises Local Clubs La Basse Vallée du Doubs Sites Birding Hotspots around the world Sites Festival de l'oiseau et de la nature Festival Observations et hotspots en Provence Sites la Jetée du Clipon Dunkerque, Northern France Ornithomedia.com Sites Le conservatoire des espaces naturels de l'Isère Nature Trust Lépidoptéristes Parisiens d'Ile-de-France Butterflies Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia France Local weather Yahoo Electronic maps MapQuest Find lowest prices for field guides, books, maps etc. Field guides recommended by Birdingpals Printable bird check list Trip Reports from France Last update 06/11/2008
