Report from 22 to 24 february 2024

An unfortunate combination of personal commitments and awful weather left me with limited opportunities to go birdwatching at La Cassinazza this week, which means I don’t have much to report. In any case, there was no reason to think there would be many bird movements with this persistent rain.

But there are always exceptions. In the driving rain I heard a flock of Cranes flying over. There has been a heavy passage in northern Italy in recent days, some say unprecedented. Having only heard them, I cannot really say how many there were.

It’s not just water raining down, either. A shower of poplar blossoms identifies the trees on whose canopies the Siskins are feeding on fresh buds, trying to fatten up as much as possible before undertaking their northward migration.

A new sound has joined the chorus of early spring songbirds: the song of the Chiffchaff. A few have been present all winter, their numbers fluctuating depending on the weather, and so far we only heard their simple call notes: their Italian name of “Luì” is a rendering of it. Now, with spring around the corner, they are belting out their typical, repetitive song, the “chiff-chaff, chiff-chaff” that explains their English name.