If so, what time of year?
Possibly, these creatures seem to be found all over the world. But why worry about them, they are harmless and don't bite humans - in fact they don't bite anything.
They could if Lyon would be nice enough and move a littele bit in the direction of the south west..
oops, sorry, I had read crane flights. Crane flies - what we call 'cousin' or 'tipule' - are quite common in the Rhone valley, including Lyon though not as common as their dreaded relatives the mosquitos. They usually go dormant in winter as it is quite cold in Lyon during that time. They are harmless to Humans, even if they look terrifying but are a nightmare to gardeners. Edited: Wise Owl, I have lived in Lyon as well and I have seen them often enough to find it usual, though not every day of the week. However I lived near the Tête d'Or Park so the greenery might have had an influence on their presence here.
I have lived and worked in Lyon and have never seen a crane fly in the built up area of the city, even when they are at their most active, which is in June. There are some that fly about in gardens but in any case they are harmless even though some people are freaked out by the way they fly. It is their grubs, the Leather Jackets, which are hated by gardeners as they are detrimental to lawns.
