Last Sunday, after a long stop, we finally re-proposed, in collaboration with the ornithologist Riccardo Alba, the urban trekking and birdwatching route in the Valentino Park (Turin). The event welcomed participants of all ages, very interested in the discovery of the city’s green areas and its inhabitants.
Once started, we observe some birds that nest on buildings of the Park and the Medieval Castle: Common Swifts (Apus apus), Alpine Swifts (Tachymarptis melba), Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) and Common House Martins (Delichon urbicum).
Continuing along the Po, we contact some species related to river environments such as the Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis), a pair of Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) and some Black-headed Gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus), still in reproductive plumage.
Once we enter the tree-lined avenues of the Rock Garden, we find ourselves surrounded by many singing Passerines including Blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla), Firecrests (Regulus ignicapilla), Eurasian Nuthatchs (Sitta europaea) and Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), typical species of forest that find refuge on the urban tree canopies.
During the morning, we come across many Eastern Grey Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), an alien species which has become strongly radicalized in the Piedmont area, at the expense of the local fauna, which proliferates thanks to the food continuously offered by tourists and citizens.
Continuing the journey, we are happily surprised to witness a hunting scene: a Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), a bird of prey observable even in an urban environment, hovering above us with a small Passerine in the claws!
We end the excursion with the observation of two Striped Flycatchers (Muscicapa striata), a trans-Saharan migratory bird not at all common for the Valentino Park and, thanks to a last view of the river, a Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) and a White Wagtail (Motacilla alba), thus reaching 30 species … not bad!
Interested in birdwatching? Take a look at our private day trips departing from Turin!
CHECKLIST
- Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
- Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
- Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
- Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
- Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra)
- Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
- Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)
- Feral Pigeon (Columba livia var. domestica)
- Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus)
- Common Swift (Apus apus)
- Alpine Swift (Tachymarptis melba)
- European Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis)
- Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
- Common House Martin (Delichon urbicum)
- White Wigtail (Motacilla alba)
- European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
- Common Blackbird (Turdus merula)
- Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)
- Firecrest (Regulus ignicapilla)
- Striped Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)
- Great Tit (Parus major)
- European Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
- Coal Tit (Periparus ater)
- Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
- Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaea)
- Short-toed Treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla)
- Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix)
- Italian Sparrow (Passer italiae)
- Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
- European Serin (Serinus serinus)