Wildlife Guide
By: Jean-Yves Barnagaud(Author), Nidal Issa(Author), Sébastien Dalloyau(Author), Jean-Philippe Siblet(Foreword By)
336 pages, colour photos, 300+ colour maps
![Where to Watch Birds in France]( "Where to Watch Birds in France")
Click to have a closer look
About this book
Contents
Customer reviews
Related titles
About this book
An introduction to France for anyone visiting with birds in mind, from casual birdwatchers checking a bird that flies over the terrace during a family holiday to addict birders who would sell their souls for a dream species or a record-breaking checklist. Some may have just a few spare hours to get their binoculars out between business meetings or museum visits, others will be out in the field for two weeks or more, from sunrise to sunset. The authors wrote Where to Watch Birds in France for all bird lovers, birdwatchers and birders, whatever the duration of their stay, the number of kilometres they are prepared to travel and how they enjoy birds.
With over 400 regularly occurring species, of which 357 normally breed or winter, France has arguably one of the most diverse avifaunas of the whole of Europe, spanning an incredible range from colourful Mediterranean flagship species such as roller, bee-eater or black-winged kite to secretive cold-climate or mountain specialists like three-toed woodpecker and Tengmalm's owl. The Birdfinder section provides targeted details for 30 species which often rank in the top wish-list of birders visiting France.
Dividing the country into 14 regions, the authors highlight 312 representative sites, chosen for their bird species composition and ease of access. The selected sites enable the reader to see the widest possible species diversity and largest range of local specialities in a reasonable time, while respecting the basic ethical rules obvious to all birdwatchers. Whenever possible, sites are arranged in clusters or itineraries that can be covered in two to three days without hurrying. To supplement the use of Where to Watch Birds in France in the field, all the sites described are geolocated in a file that can be downloaded from the publisher's website and loaded onto any GPS device.
Contents
Symbol chart
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Regions at a glance
Practical information
Birdwatching in France
Region 1 – Paris and the Seine Reservoirs
Region 2 – From the North Sea to the Somme Bay and the western Ardennes
Region 3 – Normandy
Region 4 – Brittany
Region 5 – The Loire Valley
Region 6 – Poitou-Charentes and the Vendée
Region 7 – Aquitaine
Region 8 – The Pyrenees
Region 9 – Western Mediterranean Coast and the Cévennes
Region 10 – Eastern Mediterranean Coast, Southern Alps and Corsica
Region 11 – Jura and the Alps
Region 12 – Massif Central
Region 13 – Burgundy
Region 14 – Northeast
Birdfinder
Checklist
Site index
Customer Reviews (3)
-
A great overview - but short on detail
By
Keith
3 Dec 2019
Written for Paperback
For some people in the UK France does not feel like it is all that close, but for many it is their nearest neighbouring country – and indeed a few can even see it on a clear day. Despite being so close, France actually supports over 80 species that do not breed in the UK, and a significant proportion of these never reach our shores at all. So France has a lot to offer the visiting birdwatcher. Also, it is easy to reach by rail, sea or by air. In fact, you can now travel to 38 French airports from the UK, and many of these are accessible from our smaller regional airports.
This book divides the country into 14 regions and highlights 312 sites to visit, and includes Corsica. Given the amount of information that needs to be imparted the text is quite dense and so some of it is highlighted to help you to speed-read for key information. Bird species are printed in blue text although red would have been more useful to the reader. The book is full of maps – in fact, 466 of them to show either a regional overview or more local detail. What this book lacks is detail about how to approach a visit to each site – for example, where any hides are, where to park, what paths to take etc, but it has to cover the whole of France which is more than twice the size of the UK.
There is a colour-coded monthly calendar for each site indicating the best months to visit and then key species are noted under year-round, winter, breeding, migration and winter. The Birdfinder section at the end of the book provides targeted details for 30 species that will mostly rank in the top wish-list of birders visiting France. There is also a calendar table for each of the 400 or so species that can be found in France. Although the book contains no GPS references to aid navigation these are available in a file that can be downloaded from the publisher’s website and loaded onto any GPS device.
The authors have tried to include a lot into this book and it is very comprehensive. My advice to anyone trying to use it is to read the appropriate section in advance and then search for more detailed information about specific sites in order to maximise the effectiveness of your visit.
6 of 6 found this helpful
-
Was this helpful to you? Yes No
-
Key information readily accessible
By
Martin
10 Feb 2023
Written for Paperback
Excellent introduction to birding sites in France. Good value.
2 of 2 found this helpful
-
Was this helpful to you? Yes No
-
A minefield...
By
Michael J
2 Aug 2023
Written for Paperback
A book crammed with potentially useful information but, personally, I found it difficult and quite confusing to navigate... region numbers, map numbers, site numbers... too many numbers in fact, and often too small to be easily legible on the smaller maps (6 × 4 cm). I'd rather have had the information in a series of separate books, maybe four volumes, so that the areas covered could have more detail and more space. The 'Bird Finder' section was very useful for quick referencing, and the 'Check List' was also quite useful, albeit the font could be larger, or bolder. Strangely, I could find no mention of the Brière, in Brittany, the second largest wetland/marsh area in France... unless I've missed something...?
1 of 1 found this helpful
-
Was this helpful to you? Yes No
Wildlife Guide
By: Jean-Yves Barnagaud(Author), Nidal Issa(Author), Sébastien Dalloyau(Author), Jean-Philippe Siblet(Foreword By)
336 pages, colour photos, 300+ colour maps
"For the Francophile birdwatcher this book will be an absolute boon. [...] Excellent value."
– Ibis, 2020
"[...] I would highly recommend Where to Watch Birds in France as a well thought out book that collates and easily directs you to interesting bird spots that you might not have found outside of local guides or websites. The authors and contributors have definitely written something that they would want to use themselves and this certainly feels like a guide designed by bird watchers for bird watchers!"
– Katharine Bowgen, BTO book reviews
