What does it mean to be rare? It seems to me that rarity, like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder and is often hard to quantify objectively. When I went for a walk yesterday in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, I was hoping that I might see some birds. I already did a posting on a European Robin, arguably the most beautiful bird that I spotted during the day.
Did I see any rare birds? All of the birds that I saw were undoubtedly “common” for the locals, but they seemed rare and exotic to me, because they were new to my experience. One of the joys of traveling is having the chance to see new creatures that may share a common heritage with more familiar ones or may be totally different. For me, it is simpler to treat them all as special rather than focusing exclusively on the uncommon ones. I attempt to highlight the beauty and behavior of them all no matter how many times I may have seen them previously. Unlike some birders I know, I do not have a life list that says that I should move on to new species once I have seen a particular one—each new encounter is unique.
So what did I see? I think that I have correctly identified these species, but would welcome corrections if I am wrong. The first one was the hardest for me to identify and I learned that it is a Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius)—I love the combination of colors on its body.
The second one, a Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica) seemed somewhat familiar because, even though we do not have magpies where I live, I had spotted a similar-looking American Magpie (Pica hudsonia) during a trip to Denver, Colorado a few years ago. In this encounter, I was thrilled that I was able to capture some of the iridescent shine and color on the tail feathers.
The final photo shows an energetic little Great Tit (Parus major) pecking away in all of the crevices of a tree, seeking whatever tiny morsels of food that it can find.
I will probably return to more urban subjects after a day of respite in the woods of Paris. My feet definitely enjoyed the break from the cobblestone streets and I feel refreshed from my return to nature.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I’ve really enjoyed “touring” Paris along with you, Mike!
Your post today brought back memories of our first visit to Europe and, yes, observing “rare” birds – to us!
Enjoy the rest of your visit. I know we will!
Thanks, Wally. I always keep the rare/common question in my mind, because there are folks from lots of different places who read my blog. Even in the US, the birds on the West Coast are often different from those on the East Coast.
Nice seeing different birds from a different country! Keep the images coming!
What amazing birds! I am in awe of the Jay’s colors and the tail of the Magpie, even the Great Tit’s colors. Nature does have a way of refreshing us. Thanks for sharing these bird photos… I enjoyed them very much. 😊
They really are amazing. I may try to paint or sketch at least one of them.
I hope you do! 😊 One of the best advice I got on how to draw a bird was that the body starts as an egg shape. Something that sticks in my brain when so many things don’t! Lol! 😃
Mike, back in his natural habitat! 😉