Report from 8 to 11 December 2022

The first few Bramblings and Chaffinches arrived here over a month ago, but it is only now that they have crossed the Alps in good numbers that they have become common in the Po Plain.

The same route must have been used by the Fieldfare, whose absence I was lamenting in the previous report. It is finally here. Yes, you read correctly – just one! This is definitely not a good year for thrushes.

The Shovelers we saw over the last several weeks – up to forty, a good count for here – must have continued their journey. Evidently they did not plan to winter here.

The Starlings that were roosting in the reedbed are also gone, almost as if they could sense the cold snap that is being forecast for the next few days.

The Ring-necked Parakeet is an alien species, whose population here originates from individuals that escaped from captivity. It began by colonizing city parks, then expanded into the countryside, and is now considered an established part of the Italian avifauna. It arrived at La Cassinazza three years ago, initially with a few individuals, but in these early winter days we are seeing as many as twenty or thirty together. They are fond of fruit, and in late summer gorged themselves on figs. Now the unharvested Concord grapes, whose dried and sugar-rich fruits are still on the vine, are an irresistible attraction.