Grey Paris!
Goldcrest (A. Cook)
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
(H. Harrop – www.shetlandwildlife.co.uk)
Yellow-legged Gull
Urban Birding in Paris
At 5.25am on a slushy February morning fresh after the worst snow ‘event’ in southern England for 18 years, I boarded the Eurostar at St Pancras to head directly into a weather system drifting across central France that promised gallons of rain. I had nowhere to stay, but at least I had a guide for my first day in the shape of Maxime Zucca, a young Parisian birder who answered my very last minute internet plea for help.
Soon, Max and I were out on the Parisian city streets and like a true urban birder he looked at everything that possessed wings, stopping to watch over some odd spots like his local section of the Chemin de fer de Petite Ceinture — a largely disused rail track that circumnavigates Paris. As he eagerly peered down onto the railway sidings, he explained that the embankment vegetation held breeding Spotted Flycatchers and some of the common warbler species. He fondly recalled the day when looking onto the tracks he startled a Woodcock and gushed about the Ring Ouzel that flew over his head whilst he was skywatching on top of a nearby bus station!
I was fascinated to learn that species like Carrion Crow and Sparrowhawk were relatively new arrivals to the Parisian avian scene and that the local birders were eagerly waiting the first Peregrines to come and take up residence. As we walked through the grounds of the Cité Universitaire and Parc Montsouris, Max proudly pointed out the nest hole of the city’s only breeding pair of Rose-ringed Parakeets. I shot him a withering glare as the first drops of rain began to fall.
Max then took me under a tree and started ‘phishing’. We had a Dr Doolittle moment shortly after. Out of nowhere, the tree literally filled up with birds. Aside from Blue and Great Tits, there were a couple of Crested Tits, Nuthatches, a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and a ridiculously close up Short-toed Treecreeper. We took in a few other parks including Jardin du Luxembourg and Jardin des Plantes where we saw more treecreepers and tits plus the additional excitement of two Hawfinches (a city scarcity) flying over the Jardin du Luxembourg in the pouring rain. Before calling it a day for me to find a hotel, we gave the River Seine a scan resulting in some Grey Wagtails, a Yellow-legged Gull and most surprisingly, a Kingfisher — all right next to the Cathedral of Notre Dame.
The next morning after checking out of the hellhole hotel that I had found the night before, I headed southeast to the Bois de Vincennes, a large area of woodland traversed by many paths and man-made lakes. Both this wood and the Bois de Bologne in the southwest of the city are great spots for woodpeckers. With the wind and rain whipping up I decided to cut my losses and head to Paris’ secret jewel — Parc des Beaumonts.
This small park is set on an incline and completely surrounded by blocks of flats and a cemetery. Initially, I was very disappointed because it seemed like a boring landscaped inner city open space. Was my urban birding radar faulty? Was this site a turkey? My disappointment turned to glee though when I reached the brow of the hill, as the rest of the park was a mixture of woodland and scrub managed for nature with a tiny reed-filled wetland that sported a solitary Moorhen.
Parc des Beaumonts apparently comes to life during passage times as goodies like Black Stork, Middle Spotted Woodpecker and Marsh Warbler testify. There’s clearly a lot of promise here — if you can ignore the potential hoards of people. My Parisian adventure ended back in the city centre at Cimetière du Père Lachaise, the final resting place for such cultural luminaries as Chopin, Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde. Despite the rain, I managed to discover a pair of Marsh Tits, a local rarity.
The birding scene in Paris is still quite small and there is such great potential to find really good birds. Next time you are in this swish city, bring your bins and check out its hidden treasures.