Off the top off my head I would recommend:
https://www.cite-sciences.fr/en/explore/permanent-exhibitions/cite-des-enfants/cite-des-enfants-2-6
https://aquariumdeparis.com/en/
https://www.parczoologiquedeparis.fr/en
https://www.jardindacclimatation.fr/en
https://philharmoniedeparis.fr/en/philharmoniedesenfants
https://maps.app.goo.gl/dk5ReQsW5v9YHHF6A
I need to go to bed, so I'll need to come back later and elaborate and drop some more tips but those options are a good starting point.
I love Pervis
I've used both Ecosia and Kagi and find the former gives me too many irrelevant results compared to Kagi. Recently though Kagi has been giving me some funky results but it doesn't happen very often.
You should come to France and also have some of our anus sausage. Relevant quote from wiki:
True andouillettes are rarely seen outside France and have a strong, distinctive odour coming from the colon. Although sometimes repellent to the uninitiated, the scent is prized by its devotees which can also be said for the texture.
Let me introduce you to the greatest love story of all time:
Thanks, I hadn't thought of monoculars but that might work. I've used thermal monoculars before so I know eye fatigue can be a concern but if it's for short trips I can see it working for absolute beginners. Any particular brands you think might be cheap but reliable?
As someone who is part portuguese I can tell you Portugal is definitely underrated from a birding perspective, but Spain is definitely in the lead (and given our centuries long rivalry, I don't say this lightly).
The south all the way up to just next to Lisbon is great for late winter. The far south is also great for spring and autumn migration.
If you're speaking to the culture and history, I can only say good things about Portugal. Great food, nice people, rich history, and all of this in a small and accessible package. You just need to skip the horrendously touristy areas in the south.
If you ever find yourself planning a trip this way feel free to hit me up, I'd be happy to give some pointers!
Oh man nowhere in Europe could hold a candle to most of Africa, so I can see why that would be in your first pick. Someone I know recently moved to Nairobi and I told them they had to start birdwatching so I can live vicariously through them :') I'd say Southern Europe (Extremadura, Gibraltar, parts of Portugal) and Nordic countries (parts of Norway, Finland) are as close as you're going to get in density, but still lacking.
Thanks! I highly recommend a trip to Extremadura, completely changed my view of Spain. It's basically what Europe used to be like before we blitzed everything with pesticides. There are birds everywhere and the landscapes as you noted are very charming.
I was on a trip recently in Extremadura in Spain and it was an amazing place for owls, especially little owls. They're pretty abundant and chill so I was able to get some nice shots which I wanted to share here with fellow superbowlers:
We also saw a couple of Eurasian Eagle Owls, which were on my list to see this year:
Sadly did not catch the Scops owl but we did hear one at night!
If you're a birder in Europe, you absolutely need to go to Extremadura if you have the chance (and not just for owls). I swear the skies felt incredibly empty when I got back home.
There is at least one good reason - it takes the pressure off of parents and kids to buy the most expensive or fashionable clothes, at least in school. It also means you don't have to think about what outfit to wear each day and how you'll be perceived by your classmates.
I didn't think much of it since I went exclusively to schools where uniforms were required, and I thought it was dumb. Then I met people who grew up in lower income households who said they wished they had uniforms growing up. They stood out like a sore thumb at school among kids who had more financial means, and we all know what assholes middle schoolers can be, so they did not have a great time.
But requiring all kids to have ponytails???
The only sensible reason I can think of for this is because of head lice. It reduces the risk of kids passing them on to each other (like when they hug, play physical games, sit close enough they're touching, etc). However reading the rest of their requirements my guess is this is more about keeping the kids in line.
After a couple of failed attempts to find them in another area, I spent three days in a spot where multiple short eared owls had been spotted. There was a group of at least 4 in one field who'd come out each evening around sunset to hunt. During the day they'd be sitting camouflaged in the high grass.
What I found interesting is that even though they were hanging around near each other at rest, when it came time to hunt, they would frequently rush at each other and squabble. Clearly they weren't among friends.
Another funny behaviour was how they would react to crows that also hung around the field, and vice versa. It's common for crows to harass birds of prey in a group, loudly crying out (it's one way to find out where there are owls even). But these crows acted a bit differently. Individual crows would from time to time come and annoy an owl just sitting around minding its business, but not as frantically as I'm used to seeing them. But what was even more incredible, the owls would do the same to the crows. It happened several times, but I've not seen something like that before.
I had a blast watching these guys and gals, it was a great way to cap off 2025. With that, I wish all superbowlers a great end of 2025 and/or start of 2026!
I got a tip for a LEO winter roost and sped over when I got the chance. There were no less than 10 owls in the tree! Apparently this specific spot has seen up to 50-60 owls in some years. What's incredible is that this willow tree is right next to a primary school in the outskirts of a small city. There are people coming and going all the time. People know the owls are there and come have a look but they stay unbothered (they do peek at you lazily though). I really wonder why they picked this specific spot, it's really unexpected given how busy and loud it gets.
Here is a shot of another two amigos in the group:
And one more where I felt like going a bit more artsy:
I stumbled upon a few long eared owls somewhere I wasn't expecting to find them. Couldn't get a better shot but was so happy to see them very clearly for the first time. They're not very big but their stare is intense.
I took this photo last month about an hour outside of Paris in France. I went to this spot looking for barn owls and stumbled on this guy, which was a hell of a treat! I did see the barn owls in the end but it was too dark to take a decent shot without a tripod. They were super close too, one flew over my head making a ghostly rolling screech. It was magical.
I also heard a tawny owl nearby! Not sure what it is about that particular village but owls seem to be major fans. I'll definitely be heading back!
A resident Tawny Owl sitting cosy in their nest. The photo was taken last week in Paris, this particular nest has been used by tawny owls for at least 10 years (likely the same owl?)
@anon6798@lemmy.world is singlehandedly keeping this place alive so I thought I'd also participate and share a photo I took last month. This is a burrowing owl I photographed on the grounds of a hotel in Brasilia. A couple of these guys made their burrow in a little ~~hole~~ hill at the bottom of the garden and were seemingly unbothered by hotel guests that were walking past. I have a couple of other shots but this is my favourite. Thanks for all your superb owl posts anon6789!
Y'all, I need some suggestions for alternatives to Spotify, starting to get sick of their shit. The one feature I find difficult to replace is finding new music that's similar to others I'm listening to. I don't listen to music, I listen obsessively to one song until I get almost physically sick of listening to it. So I need to listen to snippets of multiple songs which Spotify does allow you to do. Do any of the alternatives have this feature?