We're planning a tour of Italy and Sicily this fall. It is not a "birding" tour, but I will be looking for whatever I can while there. Any Recommendations on sites in or near major Italian cities, ie, Rome, Venice, Florence, Venice, Palermo? Is there a useful guide book on birding spots?
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Recommendations for Italy trip? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Saluki2
- Start date
hello. In general, autumn is not the best season for birding in Italy, as it's prime hunting season. This means that in some parts of Italy (all of central Italy, the provinces of Bergamo and Brescia near Milan, and some parts of the South) most of the countryside, apart from protected areas, will be open to gun-toting half-wits who shoot at anything that moves. This said, there might still be scope for birding in nature reserves and wildlife sanctuaries.
Migration will be in full swing by then, so anything may pass by. I don't have much advice for Sicily, although I suspect that the Trapani saltpans, not far from Palermo would be a good bet. If you need more info on Sicily, you can send me a PM and I can circulate your RFI to the EBN Italy mailing list.
Rome has some coastal reserves nearby which can be very good during migration. You will need your own car to get there, but you can ask the GROB people for further advice gruppo_romano_birdwatching at yahoo groups dot com.
Florence has the nearby Piana Fiorentina with a couple of protected wetland areas: http://www.wwf.it/oasi/toscana/stagni_di_focognano/, and http://www.zoneumidetoscane.it/it/le-aree/la-querciola-sesto-fiorentino/lambiente. Or there are a few coastal reserves near where we are, but you would need to set aside a full day.
As for Venice I would set a full day apart for visiting the Po Delta National Park, which is the most important wetland system in Italy http://www.parcodeltapo.it/pages/it/home.php. We know the Emilia-Romagna part pretty well and we visit very couple of years or so. You can read our report from the last time we were there. We have been only once to the part north of the Po river, but you can find some information her: http://www.parcodeltapo.org/index.php/it/. My only word of advice if you go there is: don't EVER leave your car unattended with valuables in it while you are in the Po Delta area, as it is infamous for car break-ins. Thieves know that birders come equipped with expensive optics and they are FAST and know what to look for. Always take your valuables with you. We have never had problems but know people who have lost all their gear.
If you need further info do PM me and I'll be glad to help.
Migration will be in full swing by then, so anything may pass by. I don't have much advice for Sicily, although I suspect that the Trapani saltpans, not far from Palermo would be a good bet. If you need more info on Sicily, you can send me a PM and I can circulate your RFI to the EBN Italy mailing list.
Rome has some coastal reserves nearby which can be very good during migration. You will need your own car to get there, but you can ask the GROB people for further advice gruppo_romano_birdwatching at yahoo groups dot com.
Florence has the nearby Piana Fiorentina with a couple of protected wetland areas: http://www.wwf.it/oasi/toscana/stagni_di_focognano/, and http://www.zoneumidetoscane.it/it/le-aree/la-querciola-sesto-fiorentino/lambiente. Or there are a few coastal reserves near where we are, but you would need to set aside a full day.
As for Venice I would set a full day apart for visiting the Po Delta National Park, which is the most important wetland system in Italy http://www.parcodeltapo.it/pages/it/home.php. We know the Emilia-Romagna part pretty well and we visit very couple of years or so. You can read our report from the last time we were there. We have been only once to the part north of the Po river, but you can find some information her: http://www.parcodeltapo.org/index.php/it/. My only word of advice if you go there is: don't EVER leave your car unattended with valuables in it while you are in the Po Delta area, as it is infamous for car break-ins. Thieves know that birders come equipped with expensive optics and they are FAST and know what to look for. Always take your valuables with you. We have never had problems but know people who have lost all their gear.
If you need further info do PM me and I'll be glad to help.
Thanks for the tips!
albatross02
Well-known member
I was some years ago in Tuscany begin of November.
Good price performance level in Italy I think is agriturismo.
https://www.agriturismo.it/en/
My accomodtion was in Grosseto.
Nearby are some good birding areas.
Very good is Maremma.
Also quite good are the laguns of Orbitello.
In this time also loons was there.
For seabirds Piombino is bad.
I saw also Gannets from high viewpoint near Piombino.
You can also check
http://ornitho.it/index.php?m_id=1&langu=en
Good price performance level in Italy I think is agriturismo.
https://www.agriturismo.it/en/
My accomodtion was in Grosseto.
Nearby are some good birding areas.
Very good is Maremma.
Also quite good are the laguns of Orbitello.
In this time also loons was there.
For seabirds Piombino is bad.
I saw also Gannets from high viewpoint near Piombino.
You can also check
http://ornitho.it/index.php?m_id=1&langu=en
MKinHK
Mike Kilburn
For what its worth I had a few birds around Venice and a half day in the southern part of the Po Delta in February last year. You can find the details here:
https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=340964
Please PM me if you want more info.
Cheers
Mike
https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=340964
Please PM me if you want more info.
Cheers
Mike
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