This Curlew was photographed on 5 October 2008 at the Orbetello lagoon, Tuscany, C Italy. Please comment, thanks.

Courtesy of the photographer Giggi.

A first year Sociable Plover (Chettusia gregaria) is present since 7th November 2007 in the WWF reserve of Bentivoglio and San Pietro in Casale near Bologna, NE Italy, first recorded by Olgher Guidi, Zita Montanari, Paolo Gallerani, Leo Golinucci and Dario Martelli. This species is occasionally found in Italy with about 50 accepted records. Photos courtesy of Mario Chiarini and Michele Pietrangelo.

Franco Roscelli, Vittorio Mambriani, Marco Monica, Fausto Mori, Alessandro Mucciolo, Andrea Vegetti, Francesco Fietta and Germano Balestrieri have found today a Pygmy Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmaeus) in the Medesano lakes near Parma, NW Italy. Picture courtesy of Germano Balestrieri. This species is regularly found both in NE Italy (where it’s abundant with more than 2.000 birds in the Po Delta in winter) and Apulia, S Italy, where it’s regularly breeding, while it’s vagrant in the western Po Valley and NW Italy. This bird is present there probably since 13th October 2007

A probable hybrid Western Reef Egret (Egretta gularis x Egretta garzetta) is present regularly in the Nature Reserve of the Roman Seashore near Rome, C Italy. Both Western Reef Egrets and their hybrids are regularly present in Italy, with some recent breeding records. Photo courtesy of Giuliano Petreri.

Giancarlo Silveri have sent a picture featuring two Griffon Vultures (Gyps fulvus) perching on trees on Mount Grappa, Veneto region, NE Italy, on 1st October 2007. This species is uncommon in this region even it’s increasing in NE Italy, due to establishment of feeding areas on the Alps.

A Common Crane is present since the 24th June 2007 at the Civrana farm near Pegolotte di Cona, Venice, NE Italy. Picture courtesy of Aldo Tonelli, 2nd August 2007 (Common Crane with Little Egrets and Mallards)

Ádám Faragó was able to take a picture of a putative hybrid African x Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea alba x Platalea leucorodia) at Zalavár, Kis-Balaton, Bárándi-víz, Hungary, on 28^th July 2007. The bird was ringed with an Italian black ring, and was probably born in Valle Mandriole near Ravenna, Po Delta, NE Italy, in a colony where a mixed African x European Spoonbill pair is well known since 2004. The bird was showing red bare parts on face, was told white-eyed and greyish-billed. Moreover, the dark, and not pinkish leg was pointing to an hybrid and not to a pure African Spoonbill. The bird should be immature, having dark tips on primaries, but those are covered by the tertials in the picture. Finally, check the further photos out, showing a probable parent of the putative hybrid.

Putative hybrid African x Eurasian Spoonbill, Zalavár, Kis-Balaton, Bárándi-víz, Hungary, 28^th July 2007, photo by Ádám Faragó

African Spoonbill, Canalnovo, NE Italy, 24 Feb 2002, by Menotti Passarella

African Spoonbill, Valle Mandriole, 02 May 2004, by Menotti Passarella

African Spoonbill, Valle Mandriole, 10 Aug 2005, photo courtesy of Federico Capitani

African Spoonbill, Valle Mandriole, 28 Sept 2005, photo courtesy of Bernhard Herren

Trip report courtesy of Jake Gozart

I have recently returned home from a business trip to Rome, Italy.  I had never been to Italy or even Europe before and was excited to have a few days to see some of the sights.  Most of Rome‘s tourist sites were visited.  I especially enjoyed St. Peters and also the Pantheon for their spacious design.  It is incredible the Pantheon, with its huge dome, was built nearly 2000 years ago.  I don’t think I will ever understand how anyone could build such a perfect dome way back then!  With no cranes or modern machinery.  Amazing.

Of course, being a "crazed" birder, I also arranged for a trip up to the Po River Delta where my wife and I enjoyed a full day of birding with Menotti Passarella Birding Italy. He met us at a bed and breakfast in Codigoro which was very nice.  I drove our rental car as he navigated throughout the Po River delta region. 

The first place we stopped at was a waste water area right beside the Ostellato sugar refinery, S of Codigoro.  Menotti wanted to show us the White Stork that was nesting in the top of an old broken down crane (metal one).  That was a treat, but so where the European Bee-eaters, Black-winged Stilts, and Hoopoe we saw there!  The Bee-eaters are incredibly colorful.  I could watch them fly around all day!  What a start to the morning!  We moved on to a freshwater pond area where we spotted Zitting Cisticola, (Common) Pheasant, (Common) Cuckoo, Gull-billed Tern, and Whiskered Tern.  We moved on to other ponds and wetland and identified (Common) Pochard, Red-crested Pochard, Ferruginous Duck, Squacco Heron, Marsh Harrier, and many others.

After lunch, Mr. Passarella, led us to find some nesting (European) Rollers near Comacchio.  They, like the Bee-eaters are a colorful mixture of blues and greens and reddish browns.  What amazing colors!  We also saw a Green Woodpecker in the same area and my wife saw a Golden Oriole!

From there, we headed towards the bay called Valli di Comacchio and the Greater Flamingos!  There must have been hundreds of them.  Impressive!  We also saw (Pied) Avocets there and Menotti and the Avocets called back and forth to each other.  We ended the day by driving to a small stream area where we lucked upon a Squacco Heron, Little Bittern, and a not so common anymore – according to Menotti – (Common) Kingfisher!  I wish I had my camera ready for that picture!!

We enjoyed the day immensely and very much recommend Menotti Passarella!  He is very good and is available for a few hours or a week, depending on what / how much time you have to enjoy the Po River Delta.

Note:  A good place to bird in the middle of Rome is the Villa Borghese (early morning) where I saw all the Tits, Rose-ringed Parakeet, European Robin, White Wagtail, Blackcap, Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers and many more.

Birds Seen (names according to Birds of Europe – 1999 by Svensson, Mullarney, Zetterstrom, and Grant)

Little Grebe, (Great) Cormorant, Pygmy Cormorant, Little Bittern, (Black-crowned) Night Heron, Cattle Egret, Squacco Heron, Little Egret, Great Egret, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, White Stork, (Eurasian) Spoonbill, Greater Flamingo, Mallard, Garganey, (Common) Pochard, Red-crested Pochard, Ferruginous Duck, Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, (Common) Kestrel, (Common) Pheasant, (Common) Moorhen, (Eurasian) Coot, (Pied) Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Little Ringed Plover, (Northern) Lapwing, Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, (Common) Greenshank, (Eurasian) Curlew, Black-headed Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Little Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Common Tern, Whiskered Tern, Rock Dove, (Eurasian) Collared Dove, (European) Turtle Dove, (Common) Cuckoo, (Common) Swift, (Eurasian) Hoopoe, (Common) Kingfisher, (European) Bee-eater, (European) Roller, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Barn Swallow, (Common) House Martin, White Wagtail, (European) Robin, (Common) Blackbird, Blackcap, Zitting Cisticola, Firecrest, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Short-toed Treecreeper, (Common) Magpie, Hooded Crow, (Common) Starling, House Sparrow, (Eurasian) Tree Sparrow, (Common) Chaffinch, (European) Serin, Corn Bunting.

Jake Gozart – WV, USA

The first Great Spotted Cuckoo (Clamator glandarius) nest was found recently in a pine wood by Massimiliano Costa near Ravenna, the Po Delta, NE Italy. This species was previously irregular in the area, very scarcely found. This is probably the most northerly breeding site in the world. In Europe, the species is regularly breeding in Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Spain, S France and Italy, where is most likely to be found breeding in Tuscany and Latium, along the Thyrrenian sea coast. 

Ruddy Shelducks Tadorna ferruginea are regular with single figures in NE Italy during both their moult migrations. The Po Delta and the Garda lake are particularly involved fom early August to late September. If you connect the Po Delta and the Garda lake with a line, you may hipothesize both the origin (breeding grounds) and the moult site to where they are heading to gather. So it seems plausible that Ruddy Shelduck passing through NE Italy in both ways are coming from the Balkans. As about the moult site, the closest one to Italy is the Klingnau  reservoir, where 370 Ruddy Shelduck have been recorded at end summer 2004, while in the previous years, between August and November, they peaked at 140 in 2000, 220 in 2001, 250 in 2002 and 330 in 2003. Ruddy Shelducks return to NE Italy from their moult migration between mid-November to mid-December, probably heading to their wintering grounds more to the East. Unfortunately, the Swiss authorities have resolved to wipe out the species in the country – an ill-planned project if the Swiss population is not entirely feral in origin. But Swss ornithiologist state: "our" Ruddies are NOT wild birds.” “the Ruddies seen in Switzerland are ALL feral”, even there are not evidences at 100% that this is true.

5 Ruddy Shelducks, Valli di Comacchio, Po Delta, Ne Italy, 11 December 2004, photo by Menotti Passarella

4 Ruddy Shelducks, Valli di Comacchio, Po Delta, NE Italy, 22 November 2005, photo by William Vivarelli

3 Ruddy Shelducks, Valle Santa, Po Delta, NE Italy, 19 September 2006, photo by Giorgio Leoni