Birdwatching

Practiced mainly in autumn and spring, birdwatching is certainly one of the main attractions of the reserve. The cabanas of observation host each year many fans from all over Europe, amateurs and not, that armed with telescopes, cameras, or smartphones, seek to capture the perfect laying of those hundreds of feathered that animate the quagmires.

Fans or not, aware or unaware of the species, you will be fascinated by the extraordinary spectacle of colours and shapes that nature has endowed this reserve!

Vendicari is the migratory flows

Migrations in autumn and spring affect millions of waterfowl that from the northern regions migrate to the areas of wintering and nesting. The reserve of Vendicari is located in a strategic position with respect to the long route that leads toward the large wetlands in Tunisia, as it represents for aquatic birds the last stop with the appropriate characteristics, before the final journey of about 350km toward the African coasts.

Summer presences

The torrid heat of July and August, and the lack of channels for the backflow of waters brings to the evaporation of quagmires that in this period are dry, with the exception of isolated puddles.
Despite this there are a few flocks of redshanks, curlews major and minor, Avocets Pantane and Squids, all “early migratory”.

In July there are many passages of Kentish plovers and gulls. In August numerous groups of storks appear: gray herons and egrets, which break in this period the migration pausing in the reserve.
Always in August you can see the rare spatulas (about 2000 pairs), one of the attendance more fascinated of the reserve, together with some Black Storks and the rarer White Stork.

Toward September regular guests as ducks Teals, Pochard, while with the first rains you can see groups of sandpipers birds and Dunlins, the Gray plover, the lone Dunlin increased, the tailed godwit.

Summer Season
Redshanks Eurasian curlews Curlews Avocets Pantanas Spotted redshanks Yellow legged gulls Audouin’s gulls Bar tailed godwits Eurasian Spoonbills Red knot	Slender billed Gulls Kentish plovers White Stork Black Stork Eurasian teals Garganeys Dunlins Caspian terns Common sandpipers Grey plovers

 

Presences Autumn

The autumn season sees the arrival to Vendicari of the common seagulls and Mediterranean gulls, coming from the east, and the Black Sea. From northern France stage to Vendicari flamingos, before reaching the area of reproduction in Tunisia.

During this season, together with the winter season, the reserve registers also the largest number of Shelducks, real symbol of the reserve.
With a little luck between ducks and large waders, you can even see some specimen of crane.

Autumn Season
Black headed gulls Common selducks Mediterranean gulls	Flamingos Ciconiiformes Cranes

Winter presences

Starting from December the quagmires get crowded of Coots, in the order of a few thousand individuals. The mud-dwelling birds present in the middle of winter is confined to the Kentish plovers, the sandpipers birds and sandpipers Dunlins. The period is ideal to observe the hoopoe and the Bluethroat and also the Lesser black-backed gull, seen in numbers, relevant only in the south-eastern Sicily.
Shelducks, small and large grebes complete the birds of the winter season.

Winter Season
Coots Common Shelducks Black-necked Grebes Great crested Grebes Kentish plovers Little stints	Common redshanks Lesser black backed gulls Hoopoe Blue footed boobies Dunlins

Spring Appearances

When the presence of wintering birds begins to decrease, the first flocks directed toward the nesting places are to be seen. After the first sightings of flocks of Pochards at the end of February, the greatest number of presences appears to Vendicari!
From “limicoli”, “preys” and “waders” of the months of March and April, to the “sandpipers”, Ruddy Turnstone thousands of species are to be seen in this season!

Spring Season
Pochard Knights of Italy Small Curlews Large Curlews Marsh sandpiper Greenshank Squid Childonias niger White-winged tern Gull-billed tern Little gulls Sandpipers Birds Ruddy turnstone Grey polver	Western marsh harriers Ospreys Little Egrets Squacco herons Purple herons Eurasia spoonbills Flamingos Doves Cuckoos Hoopoes Wood warbler Common redstard Woodchat shrike Northern weatear