French Republic

• North Eastern France

  Mature oak forests in Ardennes, Loraine and Alsace: 6 species of Woodpecker, Collared Flycatcher etc.

• Mountains - Le Massif Central

  With highest mountains of only 2000m, very few high altitude species breed, but Citril Finch and Alpine Accentor are regular winter visitors, Snowfinch and Wallcreeper are also present. Several good visible migration spots for the autumn Montagne de la Serre and Prat de Bouc in fact any pass with a North South orientation can be good for visible migration. Larger forests will have Black Woodpecker and Crested Tits, Crossbills are quite widespread and Tengmalm`s Owl is present in most pine forests over 1000m. Mountains - Les C

• Mountains - Les Alpes

  It is hard to give good areas for the Alps as most of the mountains are really good. Snowfinch, Alpine Accentor, Water Pipits and Alpine Chough are all very easy to see, especially in winter when they can be seen from any ski resort

• Mountains - Les Pyr

  Although most of the high altitude speciality are present (Gavarnie and the Col du Tourmalet being the best places to see Snowfinches, Alpine Accentor etc.) the Pyr

• The Mediterranean Coast - La Camargue

  is brilliant & not to be missed. Breeding birds include Collared Pratincole, 8 species of Heron, Gull-billed Tern, Slender-billed Gull (Oh yes, and Flamingos) etc. Huge numbers of wildfowl overwinter as well as Spotted Eagle. Migration time is the best with Sandpipers and Plovers in the saltpans (South of Salin de Giraud, Phare de la Gachole); freshwater waders (including good numbers of Marsh Sandpiper); Marsh Terns and Herons in the north (Basse M

• Western France - Brittany - Ille-et-Vilaine - For

  6 Woodpeckers species (Grey-headed, Green, Black,Great, Middle and Lesser Spotted, all common); 6 Titsspecies, lots of Warblers among whom Bonelli`s andMelodious, 2 Creepers (all widespread); Nightjar,Golden Oriole

• Western France - Ouessant

  is a typical vagrant trap, known as the French Scilly isles (recent megas have included Nighthawk, Slender-billed Curlew etc.) a small island with a bird observatory. No cars are allowed on the island so cycle around. L`ile de Sein is near and has also attracted a decent number of vagrants

• Tristan Guillosson

  https://www.facebook.com/tristan.guillosson

• Number of bird species: 573

  (As at May 2019)

• Number of endemics: 1

  Corsican Nuthatch Sitta whiteheadi

• A Birdwatching Guide To France South Of The Loire

  | By Jacquie Crozier | Arlequin Press | 2000 | Paperback | 288 pages, colour photos, illustrations, maps, tables | ISBN: 9781905268023 Buy this book from NHBS.com

• Birds of France

  | By James Lowen & Aurélien Audevard | Bloomsbury Publishing | 2018 | Paperback | 144 pages, colour photos | ISBN: 9781472949011 Buy this book from NHBS.com

• Birdwatching Guide to France North of the Loire

  | By Jacquie Crozier | Arlequin Press | 2003| Paperback | 266 pages, colour photos, maps | ISBN: 9781900159760 Buy this book from NHBS.com

• Finding Birds in Mid France

  | By Dave Gosney | Easybirder | 2019 | Paperback | 40 pages, 27 b/w maps | ISBN: 9781907316579 Buy this book from NHBS.com

• Finding Birds in Northern France

  | By Dave Gosney | Gostours | 1994 | paperback | 28 pages, b/w maps | ISBN: 9781907316043 Buy this book from NHBS.com

• Finding Birds in Southern France

  | By Dave Gosney | Easybirder | 1994 | paperback | 30 pages, b/w maps | ISBN: 9781907316135 Buy this book from NHBS.com

• Les Oiseaux de Nos R?gions

  | By J Gooders | Editions Nathan | 2001 | Paperback | 288 pages, Colour photos | French | ISBN: 9782092608401 Buy this book from NHBS.com

• Nouvel Inventaire des Oiseaux de France

  | By P-J Dubois, P Le Maréchal, G Olioso a& P Yésou | Delachaux et Niestle | 2008 | Hardback | 559 pages, colour photos, colour illustrations, colour distribution maps | French | ISBN: 9782603015674 Buy this book from NHBS.com

• Peterson Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe

  | By Roger Tory Peterson, Guy Mountfort & PAD Hollom | E Delachaux et Niestle | 2013 | Hardback | 534 pages, colour illustrations, colour distribution maps | French | ISBN: 9782603019467 Buy this book from NHBS.com

• Where to Watch Birds in France

  | By Jean-Yves Barnagaud, Nidal Issa, Sébastien Dalloyau & Jean-Philippe | Pelagic Publishing | 2019 | Paperback | 336 pages, colour photos, 300+ colour maps | ISBN: 9781784271541 Buy this book from NHBS.com

• Where to Watch Birds in France

  | By Philippe Dubois | Christopher Helm | 2006 | Edition 2 | Paperback | 272 pages, 25 illustrations,120 maps | ISBN: 9780713669800 Buy this book from NHBS.com

• France Travel Guide

  http://www.travel-france-vacation.com Usefl general travel info

• OCL Organdexka Col Libre

  Organbidexka Col Libre 11, rue Bourgneuf 64100 BAYONNE France Email : ocl@wanadoo.fr

• Want a Guide?

  http://www.guide-nature.fr One Fatbirder surfer found a guide through our contacts - an American visitor wanted an English speaking guide in the south of France. With the help of our contributor he tracked down Frederic Bouvet in Saint Remy. His email is ilebouvet@gmail.com and he also can include the historic sights, good food, wine and vineyards, etc. His English is excellent as he studied in UK and has worked in England.

• LPO

  Website
  French equivalent of the RSPBLigue pour la Protection des Oiseaux, La Corderie Royale - BP 263 -17305 Rochefort cedex, Tel: 05 46 82 12 34 - Fax: 05 46 82 12 50

• LPO UK

  Website
  For an introduction to the activities of the LPO this UK site will supply a useful way in as the other sites tend to be in French. You could also use the nine European language translator in the miscellany section of the Fatbirder links.

Abbreviations Key

• French National Parcs

  WebsiteSatellite View
  Very attractive site - in French only with good background information on the parks, access etc.

• French Regional Parks

  WebsiteSatellite View
  If this has an English version why hasn`t our neighbour offered translation of the above (but then why don`t we offer other language versions of our tourist sites?) France has huge areas of rural land with a stunning range of natural and cultural heritages. The rural areas are, however, faced with serious problems including a massive rural exodus, and pressures from urbanisation, tourism and large infrastructure projects, which in only several years could destroy landscapes that nature and man have painstakingly crafted over the centuries. Local governments have joined with the national government in an innovative, determined contractual process to halt and reverse the process. It now integrates heritage preservation considerations in local development plans. The concept of the Regional Nature Park was born in 1967 of this marriage of love and reason.

• Reserves Naturelles

  WebsiteSatellite View
  List of reserves across France

• Ornithologie

  Mailing List
  Mailing List

• Birding France

  Website
  A new birding website with terrific guides to French Regional Parks... all you need to know to plan a trip

• 2014 [01 January] - Phil Bentley - Southern France

  PDF Report
  ….I had a nominal list of some 10 target species I was particularly keen to see: of these Great Spotted Eagle, Bonelli's Eagle, Eagle Owl, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Wallcreeper, Moustached Warbler and Alpine Accentor were the pick of the crop. In the end I saw about 3/4 of my target species which, on balance, was a reasonable return on effort. Frustratingly my two most sought-after species – Bonelli's Eagle and Moustached Warbler – continue to elude me. I've lost count of the number of days and hours I've spent looking for both species…

• 2014 [04 April] - Bob & Dora Swann

  PDF Report
  …The pools contained a few hundred Greater Flamingo, pairs of Shelduck, Mute Swan, Mallard, a few Shoveler and on one deeper one 12 Great-crested Grebes. There were lots of gulls, especially displaying Slender-billed Gulls, plus Black-headed Gulls, a Mediterranean Gull and a roost of Yellow-legged Gulls, which also contained two Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Sandwich Terns flew between the lagoons and the bay, whilst Common Terns displayed over an island. Waders were mainly Avocets and Black-winged Stilts, plus on the muddier pools c70 Little Stint, with some Dunlin, 20 + Kentish Plover, 5 Ringed Plover, 5 Grey Plover, 10 Common Redshank, a few Curlew, a flock of 19 roosting Oystercatcher and a Common Sandpiper….

• 2015 [06 June] - Chris Durd

  PDF Report
  As we gathered outside the hotel, Chris spotted an Oberthur’s skipper on a downpipe. As we watched it sunning itself in the heat of a sunny Pyrenean morning, Oliver looked to the sky and to our surprise found a young lammergeier drifting overhead. This all-dark bird was then joined by a paler adult. Not a bad start and we hadn’t even got off the hotel drive yet. A few yards away one of the meadows runs alongside the road, giving a great introduction to some of the common flora – yellow rattle, bladder campion and small scabious.

• 2016 [06 June] - Hungary Bird Tours

  PDF Report
  A female Stonechat was perched on wheat interlaced with poppy and cornflower. A group of about a dozen Black Kite languished in the bare branchs of a poplar and in the field below waiting for the morning air to warm before setting out for foraging. Throughout the morning Nightingale could be easily heard exercising their full repertoire without allowing themselves to be seen from their scrub cover. Moving on we soon encountered Jay, Magpie, Carrion Crow and Starling, with House Sparrow being present around farm dwellings which scatter Le Rougier freely.

• 2022 [08 August] - Willem Proesmans - Pyrenees

  PDF Report
  We went on a trip to the Pyrenees, to enjoy the landscapes, the food and the endemics. This report handles our day-to-day experiences and the species that were observed. For readability, species groups are colour-coded as Birds, Amphibians & Reptiles, Butterflies and Mammals the first time a species is mentioned. In particular for birds, we might not have written down some common species, so the species list is probably not exhaustive.

• L'annuaire des oiseaux

  Website
  L'annuaire des oiseaux est une r

• La Plume

  Website
  Ornithology discovered through etymology, confusions to be avoided by beginners, and

• Migraction

  Website
  Gr

• Oiseaux-nature

  Website
  Book Reviews, Where to watch birds, bird list etc. Much of it translated into English. Fatbirder recommended.

• Organbidexka - Migration Watch

  Website
  Pyr

• Ornithomedia

  Website
  Ornithomedia is a web site (mainly in French) concerning Birding in Southern Europe: it`s a complete site: news, best spots, bird identification, articles about rarities, Flash animations, etc. An on-line shop selling, for example, the Birding CDROM Sentiers Ornithologiques en France, en Espagne et au Portugal

• Quelle est Belle Co.

  Website
  Des appeaux pour apprendre. Des appeaux pour la musique. Des appeaux pour le jeux. Bird Callers & Call Guides

• Vivara

  Website
  Vivara est une entreprise en constante

• De Bec Et De Plumes 2016

  BLOG
  Birding et bonne humeur!

• Oiseaux

  Gallery
  Very fine bird pictures from this French photographer

• Photographer - Ingo Waschkies

  Gallery
  French Bird Photography - This site is my personal collection of record shots from my birding trips, mainly in the Asian region. Being mainly a birdwatcher, not all shots are of high quality, but they help me keep my memories alive. I'll try to put the better shots in the 'Favorite Shots' gallery

• Photographer - Julien Daubignard

  Gallery
  Pictures of birds, plans and other animals

• Photographer - Sylvain Hellio

  Gallery
  Sylvain Hellio is a French birdwatcher and a profesionnal nature photographer. He also organises workshop tours to photograph birds in Europe including Bulgaria, Denmark, Italy, France etc