Looking for Eagle Owl in Veneto region

Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) is a rather rare species in Italy and in Veneto as well, with old estimates of about 50 pairs for the region, 30 of which in the Belluno province and 8-12 in Treviso. This January and February I decided to try to look for that species in the valleys of southern Belluno and northern Treviso province.

A couple of hours in the wonderful Po delta

I spent no more than 2 hours in the heart of Delta del Po Veneto (Rovigo province). I can’t define the area a great place for nature photography, but the last afternoon I had there was really something: sunshine, warm tones, amazing subjects made my quick visit an unmissable opportunity.

Looking for Ptarmigans in the Belluno province

Rock Ptarmigans (Lagopus muta) are a gorgeous alpine species that has been
heavily threated recently by factors like global warming, enlargement of ski runs, human disturbance, hunting and lost of habitat. The populations are fragmented and located in the must inaccesible and glacial sides of Alps, so very hard to be find, expecially in the Dolomites.

A sunny day in the heart of Dolomites

Mountains are famous for their mutable and unpredictable climate: mists are common in cold mornings as well as tunderstorms are almost quotidian in the good season, but even snow is not impossible in summer. To find a so clear and sunny day as I found in the Croda da Lago group, with a completelly blue sky without any cloud, instead, it much rarer.

Pygmy Owls in the Cadore

I’ve been in the Cadore side of Dolomiti Friulane in order to look for the Hazel Grouse, one of the most sought-after Italian birds, and, as usual, even if I couldn’t achieve the goal, I found something very special: 2 superb Eurasian Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum), the European smallest bird of prey!

The last orchids and the pretty Asolo

To find a place where to spend half a day together with a no-naturalist girlfriend can be sometimes tricky. To visit the Colli Asolani, in the Treviso province, can be a good option, offering a very special wildlife side by side with very interesting touristical attractions like the palladian “Villa di Maser” or the gorgeous town of Asolo.

Migration even on the Monte Grappa

The mount Grappa is usually a great birding place during the breeding season, when tens of rare birds, including Corn Crake, Common Rock-thrush and Ring Ouzel, breed. But also during migration time can offer some surprises: I was there in order to find some Dottorels (not found), but I observed some other interesting migrants!

Raptors and butterflies in the Colli Asolani

This year I visited in total 3 times the Asolo hills (“Colli Asolani”), in Treviso province, during the second half of August, when since 1994 an increasing number of birdwatchers meet to count the raptors on fall migration. The usual number of counted birds, in about 3 weeks each year, was between 6,000 and 12,000, but in 2017 the migration was different, with a number of migrants much lower than usual (almost 4,000 birds), probably because of a different flyway taken, apparently far from the hills. 

Little Grebes and gentians along the Misurina lake

The area of the “Lago di Misurina”, in the Auronzo di Cadore municipality, is another breathtaking Dolomites scenery, being tha lake surrounded by gorgeous dolomite mountains like Cristallo (3,221  m), Sorapis (3,205 m), Cadini di Misurina (2,839 m), Torre dei Scarperi (2,687 m) and, above all, the renowed Tre Cime di Lavaredo (2,999 m).

Great August birding in Valle Vecchia

The second half of summer is always one of the slowest times of the year for birdwatching, with very secretive and silent birds and a very low number of migrants and eventual vagrants. So it has been a great surprise to have a so amazing day in Valle Vecchia of Caorle (Venice/Venezia province) right in the middle of August, with almost 90 species of birds observed!