I absolutely LOVED the Parc des Oiseaux and was so happy I finally got to visit the place! My…read morehusband and I try to make it over to the Lyon area from the States every year, but its usually in the wintertime, when the park is closed. This is the first time I have been here in the spring, and besides it being beautiful out, the Parc des Oiseaux was finally open!
The park is surprisingly large, and it took us about a half-day to go around to all the different areas. It is mostly organized by regions, like South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, etc. There are literally birds everywhere, and many of them I have never seen before, which is surprising since I work in the zoo/aquarium industry. I was really impressed with their vast collection, and perhaps the most impressive thing was the quality of the exhibits. The birds definitely had lots of room to roam about, and all of them looked in very good condition and well cared for. In fact, lots of them could fly and roam about the entire park, as we saw Macaws perched in trees often, and storks making their nests in the tall trees around the park. There were ducks and geese everywhere on the ponds, free-roaming, so I'm not sure which ones were locals that just decided to make their home here, and which ones were actually part of the collection! Regardless, it was really amazing to see so many birds that had quite a bit of free rein all over the place!
They do have numerous aviaries as well, especially for most of their tropical bird species, and their aviaries were very large. Lots of tropical parrots, and lots of European birds as well. They had a great collection of raptors and owls too, which was neat to see, as well as larger birds like storks, cranes, and ostriches...oh yes and penguins, too! They had Humboldt penguins, and I really loved their enclosure for them...they had a pool for them, of course, and then a large enclosure they can walk to from the pool with numerous dens. I thought it was great! Anyway, I digress, what I'm saying is....they have tons of birds!!
One of the best things about the park is how it is set up...even though there were a lot of people the day we went, you didn't feel as if it was crowded. They have a great kids play area by the front, and a cute little train that goes all around the park. So if you are like me and want to avoid the kiddies, its nice they have these attractions to keep them somewhat contained! I have to say though, the kids at this park were much more well-behaved than most of the ones I see in the States. Parents actually watching what their kids are doing....holding hands....it was a nice breath of fresh air. So kudos to you, French parents!
The parking here is great as well, a very big parking lot, and I believe there was RV camping here too. There is also a gift shop (you have to go into it before leaving the park), and restaurants and snack areas too.
And do not miss their "Le spectacle des Oiseaux en vol" show, it was really good! Its in this amphitheater overlooking their big pond, and they have lots of showcase birds during the show, some that have even been in movies and shows! And the best part is the birds fly right over the audience...its pretty impressive, and they get really close! Some birds come in from over the pond, its amazing to see that they are THAT well trained! It was a great, enjoyable show, and if you are here at the park, don't miss it!
Well I could go on and on about how great this bird park was, but just check it out for yourself! I was really impressed with everything and the afternoon we spent there was really enjoyable! I hope to go back at least one more time before we go back to the States!
