Paris in Wildlife
Wildlife is often considered out of reach, especially in urban centers like Paris, France. Each of these photos was taken within a 15-minute walk from the old city center, in a bid to prove that even in highly populated areas, wildlife will eke out a living.
These squirrels are a common sight in Paris's Bois de Vincennes. Amongst the bustling neighborhoods surrounding Paris central, these brightly colored Eurasian Red Squirrels are a comforting distraction.
A close cousin to a common US species, this Grey Heron was a fun subject for me. In wildlife photography it is rare you have an audience, but on this particular day, I had a wonderful French woman assume I didn't speak French, and gesture wildly after spotting me with my camera. When I spoke to her in her language, she excitedly explained there was a large, grey, long-necked bird nearby, and led me over. It was such a lovely example of how wildlife can bring people together.
The Tawny Owl! When I visited Paris, my original intention was to drink coffee, see art, and spend time amongst the hustle of a city with far deeper roots than any in the US. I hadn't done much research into the wildlife of the area. I was thrilled to discover the areas many parks have a huge assortment of wildlife, not least of which, a species I was incredibly interested in. This owl was a combined effort to find, I looked through pictures of these owls and found the tree that matched, but I missed the owl - at that point, nestled deep in the broken treetop. I got lucky, a woman behind me spotted it, and I was able to hang around, chat, and photograph this beautiful creature.
The Rose-Ringed Parakeet definitely isn't what you expect to see in a Parisienne garden. Bright green tropical flashes and loud, raucous calls, certainly don't fit in with the cool climate of North Central France. That all aside, they are beautiful! This shot is one of my favorites I've ever taken -- it's not often that a beautiful parrot poses perfectly to allow for an eye level shot with a backing of gorgeous deep pink magnolias in bloom.
