Best retirement homebase for nature and BIF photos

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FB101 said:
you are correct, but Avignon is probably as accurate as I can make it for folks in the US. The Camargue is the top spot for wildlife, no question. The Parc de la Narbonnaise is less famous but less crowded too (right in between Carcassonne and Montpellier) so a serious drive but on the way from Bordeaux. On the other side of the Rhone (versus Camargue) is the Vigueirat swamp, also very rich in bird life.

obviously Le Teich where you live was my go-to place when I lived in Bordeaux. Arcachon isn’t bad either off season.

angers is not a great spot for wildlife but the park regional de brieres, 2 hours away is superb. Around Angers is the spot for landscape. When you hit the right light on the Loire, it’s magical. That’s why so many painters live there.

otherwise the Baie de Somme / marquenterre is a must see spot for birding, as well as the lac de Der in champagne. With Camargue, those are the three birding gems in France.

for other wildlife, the Vercors is king but don’t forget La Vannoise much wilder. Actually in September you can catch the deer bugling and it’s a special treat if you don’t mind strenuous hikes.
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Tnx for the very very helpful tips - the opening hrs of the Le Teich park is a non-starter and it is pretty expensive too, plus it is on the wider Arcachon basin area and during weekends and school-holidays that whole region is to be avoided. It can easily take more than 2 hrs for 60km. Plus very difficult to even find a parking place. The rest I've been through or visited but not for wildlife photography (I had the family with me so more like days out). For the Baie de Somme / marquenterre is there any particular spot you like best cause it's a pretty large delta.
Take care
 
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bleirer said:
Once in a while while traveling we run into a "fulltimer" as they call themselves. Pros and cons to that life, but a nice daydream.
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We fullyimed in a 40 foot 5th wheel for 8 years before buying a house and settling down in Feb 20 for what we hoped would be international travel…which COVID put on t(e back burner for awhile. Living in the RV was great…you get to see cool stuff and go cool places but after the day you go ‘homek…your bed, TV, kitchen and fridge supplies, and recliner. We generally traveled 6 mont(s and spent the winter in FL…and during travel season usually stayed a week before moving on another 300 miles or so. The biggest thing to remember for the lifestyle is that you’re not ‘on vacations…you are living that way and we needed to leave time for laundry, groceries…and sometimes just doing nothing. Hopefully by t(e end of the year the world will start to reopen and we will be able to travel again.
 
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Sorry about chiming in again, but I just can't avoid adding another two cents to the pot. I've been to 44 of the lower 48 states and since we both love the change of seasons, uneven ground, moving water, wildlife and trees the mostly flat mid-western farming states are out (yeah, I know they have a few nice places too). States where you need air conditioning to breathe in the summer are out; we lived in Texas for a short while (114 degrees the first day we were there) and have never gone back -- besides, they talk funny down there. Just about anyplace up north would be fine and parts of Canada would be great if they'd have us.
 
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R.Philip said:
DON'T MOVE TO ILLINOIS! There is nothing here. I hope this helps and choosing from 49 states rather than 50 makes it easier for you. ;)
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unfair. There are high taxes, bloated government - we 3 times as many taxing bodies as the next state, crooked politicians but that is common everywhere, a great city with wonderful culture, ... For nature photography, you have access to O"Hare airport which will allow to fly easily to many places. Personally if I could leave I would but family obligations keep me here
 
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Brian K said:
I currently live in southern CA, and now that I'm retired I am free to leave the traffic and crowding behind. I have seen a lot of fantastic photos on this site from all over the world, but I was wondering if there were any places that would qualify as a dream location to base photo adventures out of? I realize this is pretty wide open, and I'm not suggesting that you try to pick the right match for me. But, if you had your choice of where to locate, where would it be and why?
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Birds…Florida although the weather is hot during the summer but that’s what A/C is for. No waterfalls or mountains though and no snow. Wildlife and scenery…out west someplace. We particularly liked during our RV life days UT and Cody WY…scenery and wildlife but far fewer birds as most out there are the little guys. Raptors of course but much fewer than FL in both number and variety…then there is the snow problem (at least for us)…we like warmer winters. The optimum options are either 2 houses…winter one in FL with SW being better than east coast and summer one out west with secondary option of an RV even if you basically only moved twice a year. RV life has a lot of pros going for it but there are also cons to consider.
 
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I think you have to consider the weather year round as well as the cost and convenience of world wide travel. We live in Northern Colorado and we have a lot to offer here but I always feel it is a long ways to anything else. Air travel is not bad because we are fairly close to DIA and being a hub for several airlines travel costs to most locations are convenient and affordable.
 
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