ITALY: & ART IN

MAY 12–23, 2017

LEADERS: RICK WRIGHT & MARCO VALTRIANI LIST COMPILED BY: RICK WRIGHT

VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM

ITALY: BIRDS & ART IN TUSCANY May 12 –23, 2017

By Rick Wright

The whole point of travel, especially travel with a natural historical and cultural focus, is to attain a first hint of intimacy with a new landscape, or with a landscape we think we know in a different, perhaps more superficial way. Our 2017 tour of Tuscany found us strolling the roads the Romans strolled, examining chisel marks in some of the finest sculpture in the world, and getting as familiar as possible with Tuscan cuisine that ranged from delectable to magnificent. Some of our most genuine experiences of closeness, though, were with the wildlife of this wonderful stretch of central Italy: the self-destructive leaping mullets of Diaccia-Botrona, the Hermann’s Tortoise that shared its innermost secrets at the Preserve, and above all, the elegant Yellow-legged Gull that daintily plucked its midday snack from Michael’s fingers on the ferry to Giglio Island.

Our first day set the tone and the pace for our investigation of Tuscany’s birds and art, with a stop at the marshes of Fucecchio—host that warm and windy day to Short-toed Eagles and Eurasian Spoonbills, among other wonders—followed by a visit to the notorious Ponte della Maddelena, where we admired the engineering skill of the medieval builders and smiled at the tale that gave this distinctively high- arched bridge its nickname, the “Devil’s Bridge,” all while the members of a nice colony of Crag Martins flashed over and under and around us.

The mix of nature and culture is virtually inevitable in a landscape that has been occupied by humans for so long, from the prehistoric peoples of the hills and plains through the Etruscans, the Romans, the city-states and fortified mountain towns of the Middle Ages, and the farmers, craftsmen, and chefs of our day. Red-backed Shrikes and Common Cuckoos in the Apuan Alps were the perfect complement to the beauty of the small Romanesque churches of San Lorenzo and Codiponte, and no alert visitor to the world-famous monuments of Florence can fail to appreciate the Common Swifts, Eurasian Magpies, Common House-Martins, and Little Egrets that did their best to distract us from the Giottos, the Titians, the Botticellis, and all the other artistic treasures of the city.

Our move from the wild and rugged mountains of northern Tuscany to the gentler landscapes of the south took us by way of Arezzo, whose medieval cityscape is more human in scale, but just as captivating in effect as the grandiosity of Florence. The frescoes of Piero della Francesca, the Gothic elegance of Arezzo’s cathedral, and the beauty of the “mere” parish church of Santa Maria made us all wish for not just more hours but more days in this Tuscan jewel—a wish made the more fervent by our fine lunch of hearty Aretino specialties.

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Italy: Birds & Art in Tuscany, 2017 In fact, there were times when the food almost threatened to overshadow our other activities. On Giglio Island, we ate in a truly authentic and truly welcoming trattoria overlooking the blue waters of the sea, the excellence of the meal rivaled only by the friendliness of the chef and his family and the glory of the view. In Manciano, Irina outdid herself once again, the boards groaning every evening with classic Tuscan dishes prepared with care and imagination; she even prepared her own version of the traditional and time-consuming soup of chickpea-sized pasta dumplings and bacon, one I had never had the good fortune to try and one that immediately joined my list of favorites.

In between meals, we discovered that the shorebird migration, usually more or less complete by mid-May, was still ongoing on the shores of the Orbetello Lagoon. Golden Plovers, Bar-tailed Godwits, Little Stints, Dunlin, and Ruffs were still sharing the flats with flocks of Greater Flamingos, but we could not take our eyes off the Kentish Plovers, endangered and declining as breeders anywhere in Italy. The biggest surprise of the tour this year had been provided earlier that day by a close- up flock of weirdly beautiful Bald Ibis, representatives of the Austrian breeding flock and an encouraging sign that this , given up not that long ago as lost for good, might someday be re-established in Europe.

Hard as it always is to name a favorite, our morning at Diaccia-Botrona may prove the most memorable moment of this year’s tour for me. Not only were we blessed by leaping fish (surely it is good luck to be hit by a flopping mullet), but our boat trip along the canal, starting at the sixteenth-century Casa Rossa, took us right into the reedy home of Zitting Cisticolas, Corn Buntings, and the usually painfully secretive Squacco Heron, while above us loomed the perfect medieval fortress of Castiglione della Pescaia and ahead of us the open waters of the impossibly blue Mediterranean. It is experiences like that, shared with new friends and old, that keep this tour so high on my list of favorites.

ITINERARY: May 12: In transit.

May 13: Introductory meeting in Florence. Lunch in Larciano. Birding Padule di Fucecchio, Ponte della Maddalena. Arrival at hotel 6:35 pm. Checklist and group dinner. Warm, breezy, mostly clear.

May 14: Breakfast in hotel. 8:15 am departure. Cool, clear, calm; warming up in lowlands, cool in mountains. Campo Catino; San Lorenzo, Codiponte. Lunch at Re di Macchio. Carpinelli Pass, Piazza di Serchio. Arrival at hotel 5:45 pm. Checklist and group dinner. Warm in lowlands, cool in mountains, clear with clouds on mountaintops.

May 15: Breakfast in hotel. 8:30 am departure. Cool, partly cloudy, breezy; remained chilly in the mountains, warm in the lowlands. Castiglione di Garfignana,

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 3 Italy: Birds & Art in Tuscany, 2017 San Pellegrino. Sasso Rosso. Arrive at hotel 4:15. Bridge in Castelnuovo; back at hotel 5:20 pm. Quite warm in the lowlands, chilly and breezy in the mountains.

May 16: Breakfast in hotel. 9:00 departure. 11:55 arrival at Florence hotel. Lunch 12:10 to 1:50. Free time for sightseeing, shopping, resting. Dinner 7:15 to 10:00 pm.

May 17: Breakfast in hotel. 9:00 departure. Baptistery, Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Vecchio, Campanile, Sa Maria Novella. Lunch 12:00 to 1:05; break. Uffizi 2:30 pm; part of group to Fiesole 4:30 to 7:40 pm. Dinner 8:00 to 9:55 pm. Hot, bright.

May 18: Breakfast in hotel. Departure 7:10 am. Arezzo Santa Maria della Pieve, Vasari logge, Piazza, basilica; coffee break, cathedral. Lunch 12:25 to 1:45. Arrived Siena 3:35 pm; city stroll to 4:55. Arrival at hotel 6:45 pm. Dinner at hotel 8:00 to 10:30 pm. Warm, clear with high overcast, calm.

May 19: Breakfast in hotel. Departure 9:00 am. Vulci. Lunch 1:15-2:35. 3:00-5:15. Arrival at hotel 5:50. Dinner at hotel 8:00 to 9:55 pm. Warm, bright.

May 20: Departure 7:00 am; breakfast in Albinia 7:45 to 8:20. Orbetello Natural Preserve and Stagnino Stagnone. Lunch 1:25 to 2:50 in Orbetello Scalo. Aquilaia, Poggio del Lupe, back roads between Aquilaia and Manciano. Arrved at hotel 5:35 pm. Dinner at hotel 8:00 to 10:05 pm. Warm, clear, bright, calm.

May 21: Breakfast in hotel. 8:30 departure. Diaccia-Botrona 10:50 to 12:35. Lunch in Castiglione della Piscaia, 12:40 to 2:35. Castiglione della Piscaia until 3:25. Arrived at hotel 4:50 pm. Dinner at hotel 8:00 to 9:50 pm. Warm, clear, bright, breezy midday.

May 22: Breakfast in hotel. 8:30 departure. 10:30 ferry to Giglio Island, arriving 11:35. Bus to Castello; walk through fortress and some birding. Lunch 1:15-2:55. Birding briefly, then bus to Porto. Ferry 4:45 to 5:45. Arrived at hotel 6:45. Dinner at hotel 8:00 to 9:40 pm. Warm, clear, bright.

May 23: Breakfast in hotel. 7:40 departure for Rome airport; arrival at Terminal 3 9:45 am.

BIRDS: Common Shelduck, Tadorna tadorna : 1 at Fucecchio May 13, a dozen or more at Orbetello May 20, 1 Diaccia-Botrona May 21. Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos : scattered small numbers throughout, including several young broods at Fucecchio May 13. Northern Shoveler, Spatula clypeata : one drake at Fucecchio May 13.

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 4 Italy: Birds & Art in Tuscany, 2017 Common Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus : several seen on fields by one van May 18; commonly heard May 20, and at least one seen May 22. Great Crested Grebe, Podiceps cristatus : several at Fucecchio May 13. Greater Flamingo, Phoenicopterus roseus : six individuals at Orbetello Lagoon May 20, ca. 120 at Diaccia-Botrona May 21. Scopoli’s Shearwater, Calonectris diomedea : at least six on our return from Giglio Island May 22; we usually see this species on the tour, but almost never more than a single individual. Yelkouan Shearwater, Puffinus yelkouan : a first in flight at close range on our return from Giglio Island May 22 was followed by two or three small groups of 4-7 individuals, and finally by a flock of nearly 50 (!) in attendance on a fishing boat; we usually see this species on the tour, but have never exceeded half a dozen on a trip. White Stork, Ciconia alba : two or three soaring at Fucecchio May 13. Great Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo : small numbers in aquatic habitats, north on the Serchio to the Ponte della Maddalena May 13. Gray Heron, Ardea cinerea : small numbers throughout in marshes and fields, with a total of nearly 100 at Orbetello May 20. Purple Heron, Ardea purpurea : one seen by a few at Diaccia Botrona. Great Egret, Ardea alba : one at Fucecchio May 13, two or three Orbetello May 20. Little Egret, Egretta garzetta : common and conspicuous throughout in aquatic habitats. Squacco Heron, Ardeola ralloides: one seen well in flight at Fucecchio May 13; three or four in flight, and one exquisite individual perched, at Diaccia Botrona May 21. Cattle Egret, Bubulcus ibis : fairly common in lowlands, especially on newly mown fields. Black-crowned Night-Heron, Nycticorax nycticorax : half a dozen as we left Florence May 18. Northern Bald Ibis, Geronticus : approximately 30 birds working a muddy field near Orbetello; the Maremma wintering population is usually gone by mid-May, but these birds were still lingering, soon to take off for Austria. Eurasian Spoonbill, Platalea leucorodia : sixteen loafing on a small island at Fucecchio May 13. European Honey Buzzard, Pernis apivorus : 1 over Campo Catino. Short-toed Snake Eagle, Circaetus gallicus : one over Fucecchio May 13, one at Orbetello May 20, one over Diaccia Botrona May 21.

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 5 Italy: Birds & Art in Tuscany, 2017 Golden Eagle, Aquila chrysaetos : one very distant individual at Carpinelli Pass May 14. Montagu’s Harrier, Circus pygargus : 2 female-type birds in the Vulci area May 19; two stunning silver males May 20. Red Kite, Milvus milvus : two in the Vulci area May 19, two more near Rome May 23. Common Buzzard, Buteo buteo : in small numbers throughout, including a couple of good looks at what is often a somewhat shy bird. At least six over Campo Catino on May 14 were probably northbound migrants; one adult indulging in acrobatic stoops and dives may have been a local bird attempting to drive off the migrants. Eurasian Coot, Fulica atra : fairly common and noisy on marshes, lakes, and ponds throughout the lowlands. Black-winged Stilt, Himantopus himantopus : three or four at Fucecchio May 13, one at Orbetello May 20, several at Diaccia Botrona May 21. Pied Avocet, Recurvirostra avosettta : half a dozen or so at Diaccia Botrona May 21, difficult to count as they flew around and fed behind low islands. European Golden-Plover, Pluvialus apricaria : 21 at Diaccia Botrona May 21. Kentish Plover, Charadrius alexandrinus : a good dozen on the flats at Orbetello May 20, with outstandingly close views of several. Common Ringed Plover, Charadrius hiaticula : five or six May 20. Ruff, Calidris pugnax : half a dozen at close range May 20. Dunlin, Calidris alpina: two or three May 20. Little Stint, Calidris minuta : two dozen on May 20. Common Sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucus : one at Fucecchio May 13. Common Redshank, Trigna totanus : one or two at Diaccia Botrona May 21. Eurasian Whimbrel, Numenius phaeopus : one at Fucecchio May 13, one at Orbetello May 20; now usually considered a distinct species from the North American Hudsonian Whimbrel. Eurasian Curlew, Numenius arquatus : one at Orbetello May 20, one at Diaccia Botrona May 21. Bar-tailed Godwit, Limosa lapponica : five at Orbetello lagoon May 20. Slender-billed Gull, Chroicocephalus genei : two at Orbetello May 20. Black-headed Gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus : small numbers in wetland habitats. Yellow-legged Gull, Larus michahellis : common throughout.

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 6 Italy: Birds & Art in Tuscany, 2017 Little Tern, Sternula albifrons : three or four at Orbetello May 20, a dozen at Diaccia Botrona May 21. Gull-billed Tern, Gelochelidon nilotica : one at Orbetello May 20. Caspian Tern, Hydroprogne caspia : three at Diaccia Botrona May 21. Common Tern, Sterna : half a dozen at Orbetello May 20, similar numbers at Diaccia Botrona May 21. Feral Pigeon, Columba livia : abundant in urban and agricultural settings throughout. Common Wood-Pigeon, Columba palumbus : the first bird of the tour for most of us was a single wood-pigeon in the parking lot as we loaded the vehicles in Florence. Fairly common throughout. European Turtle-Dove, Strepopelia turtur : heard at hotel May 18 through our departure; seen well at Vulci and at Orbetello, for a trip total of a dozen or more. Eurasian Collared-Dove, Strepopelia decaocto : common throughout, in all relatively open habitats, including towns. Common Cuckoo, Cuculus canorus : several heard and one male seen well at Fucecchio May 13; heard virtually throughout on May 14, high in the Appenines May 15, a few at Vulci May 19 and at Orbetello May 20; every day at our Manciano hotel. European Scops Owl, Otus scops : two or more heard at our Manciano hotel May 21 and 22. Common Swift, Apus apus : common throughout. Eurasian Hoopoe, Upupa epops : a -by at lunch on May 13; one over road May 18; very well seen in and around Vulci May 19; heard Diaccia Botrona May 21; one on road in Porto Santo Stefano May 22. European Bee-eater, Merops apiaster : 3 on wires just outside of Manciano May 18; common at Vulci May 19, some dozens May 20 and May 21, common on roadsides May 22. European Roller, Coracias garrulus : a fly-by at hotel May 19, followed by good views of a perched bird near Vulci and another, more distant perched bird in the archaeological park; seven or eight May 20, including spectacular views; three roadside birds May 21, including a pair interacting at what looked like a suitable nesting tree, and one or two others at Diaccia Botrona May 21; three or more roadside birds May 22. Eurasian Green Woodpecker, Picus viridus : 1 at Camp Catino May 14, a roadside flyby May 18, heard and (leader only) seen at the hotel May 19 and May 20. Great Spotted Woodpecker, Dendrocopos major : 1 or more seen by several at our hotel in Manciano.

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 7 Italy: Birds & Art in Tuscany, 2017 Eurasian Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus : a female kiting and hunting over the tundra at San Pellegrino May 15; a couple on May 19 and May 20, including a bird at a nest in the Laghetto cliffs of Vulci and one at a nest box in the Orbetello preserve; at least five Diaccia Botrona May 21; two or three on Giglio Island May 22. Eurasian Hobby, Falco subbuteo : one (leader only) at hotel May 19, another seen by the entire group at Orbetello May 20 and another seen even better Diaccia Botrona May 21. , Falco peregrinus : one seen along our route on May 13, one at Piazza di Serchio May 14, a perched juvenile at Orbetello May 20. Red-backed Shrike, Lanius collurio : a fine male at Camp Catino May 14. Woodchat Shrike, Lanius badius : one near Manciano May 19, a pair near Aquilaia May 20. Eurasian Golden Oriole, Oriolus oriolus : common at our Manciano hotel, with up to four heard at a time, and (by oriole standards) easy to see; at least four chasing each other at Orbetello. , Garrulus glandarius : three or four May 18; common and conspicuous at Manciano hotel and elsewhere in the Maremma. Eurasian Magpie, Pica pica : common throughout. Eurasian Jackdaw, Corvus monedula : common throughout. Hooded Crow, Corvus cornix : common throughout. Wood Lark, Lullula arborea : seen and (especially) heard on and off at our Manciano hotel in early morning. Skylark, Alauda arvensis: half a dozen or more near San Pellegrino, beautifully seen as they sang overhead. Crested Lark, Galerida cristata : common on barren lowland patches. Eurasian , Ptyonoprogne rupestris : a dozen or more the Ponte della Maddalena May 13; half a dozen or more in mountains May 14; at several Appenine sites and in Castelnuovo;. Barn , Hirundo rustica : common throughout in open country and over wetlands. Common House-Martin, urbicum : fairly common in towns and at farmhouses and over fields throughout. Coal Tit, Parus ater : a singing bird seen well at San Pellegrino. Eurasian Blue Tit, Cyanistes caeruleus : several at Campo Catino May 14; one Siena and several at Manciano hotel May 18 and following, including family groups. Great Tit, Parus major : seen well at Codiponte May 14, occasionally heard and seen at other sites in lowlands, including our Manciano hotel.

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 8 Italy: Birds & Art in Tuscany, 2017 Long-tailed Tit, Aegithalos caudatus : a flock of 7 or 8 on the grounds of Manciano hotel the early morning of May 19. Eurasian Nuthatch, Sitta europaea : common and conspicuous at our Manciano hotel, apparently at least one large family group. Eurasian Wren, Troglodytes troglodytes : heard in woodlands a couple of times, including a bird at very close range at Vulci. Cetti’s Warbler, Cettia cetti : explosively conspicuous in any wet lowland habitat, the startling song quickly growing familiar. Three or four maddeningly close and maddeningly invisible at Fucecchio May 13; also heard in Castiglione di Garfagnana, Orbetello, Diaccia Botrona. Melodious Warbler, Hippolais polyglotta : spectacularly good scope views at Orbetello May 20. Great Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus arundinaceus : four or five heard at Fucecchio May 13; one heard at Orbetello May 20. Zitting Cisticola, Cisticola juncidis : fairly common throughout lowlands and at our Manciano hotel; best views were of perched birds at Diaccia Botrona. Eurasian Blackcap, Sylvia atricapilla : as usual, heard more often than seen, the male’s richly melodic song coming from dense foliage just about everywhere; first good views were on May 14, and occasional birds were sloppy enough to be seen well most days of the tour. Moltoni’s Warbler, Sylvia subalpina : a male singing and seen well at Carpinelli Pass May 14; a pair at Vulci. Recently “split” from the Subalpine Warbler, this species is paler and duller beneath, and the call note differs; this individual did not call, but the underparts color and range fit this species. Subalpine Warbler, Sylvia cantillans : an apparent male seen, heard, and photographed by one participant at our Manciano hotel; an extremely difficult field identification, and according to some authorities, not a “good” split from the more common Moltoni’s Warbler. Sardinian Warbler, Sylvia melanocephala : common in the lowlands, including at least one busy breeding pair at our Manciano hotel, which brought off young on our last day. Greater Whitethroat, Sylvia communis : heard and seen by a few at Carpinelli and at our Manciano hotel. Firecrest, Regulus ignicapilla : one seen well by most at San Pellegrino, probably very near a nest with young. Spotted Flycatcher, Muscicapa striata : a pair at our Manciano hotel, and at least ten apparent migrants on Giglio Island May 22. European Robin, Erithacus rubicula : heard and, by some, seen at San Pellegrino May 15.

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 9 Italy: Birds & Art in Tuscany, 2017 Common Nightingale, Luscinia megarhynchos : one singing at Fucecchio May 13; heard every day at Manciano hotel; eight or so at Orbetello May 20, where even the obviously closest singers refused to let themselves be seen. Common Redstart, Phoenicurus phoenicurus : a male on territory at our hotel in Castelnuovo; several pairs in the Apuan Alps May 14 and in the Appenines May 15. Black Redstart, Phoenicurus ochruros : scattered birds in villages and towns. Whinchat, Saxicola rubetra : a single male seen only by leader at Campo Catino May 14. European Stonechat, Saxicola rubicola : a pair seen well at Carpinelli May 14; a roadside male near Manciano May 20, and another at our hotel May 22. Eurasian Blackbird, Turdus merula : fairly common and gloriously noisy throughout. European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris : small numbers throughout on farmland and pasture, less common in towns. Ashy-headed Wagtail, Motacilla (flava) cinereicapilla : great looks at one at Fucecchio May 13. Gray Wagtail, Motacilla cinerea : two birds seen well at the Serchio bridge in Castelnuovo May 15. White Wagtail, Motacilla alba : small numbers throughout. Tree Pipit, Anthus trivialis : several seen well, on the ground and in parachuting display flight, near San Pellegrino May 15. Cirl Bunting, Emberiz cirlus : heard at hotel May 18; seen at Aquilaia May 20, and glimpsed on roadsides occasionally in southern Tuscany. Corn Bunting, Emberiza calandra : several roadside birds May 18; common in the countryside lowlands, with best views of singing birds at Diaccia Botrona. Common Chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs : noisy in the woods at our hotel in Castelnuovo, in the mountains, in the town of Albinia, on Giglio, etc. First seen well at Campo Catino May 14. European Greenfinch, Chloris chloris : common and conspicuous at our hotel in Castelnuovo, in the mountains, towns and villages, and lowlands; best views were of a male feeding on the ground on Giglio Island May 22. European Goldfinch, Carduelis carduelis : several at Campo Catino May 14, including a newly fledged juvenile; common at Manciano hotel and throughout lowlands. European Serin, Serinus serinus : a singing male seen atop our restaurant in Larciano May 13, others at our hotel in Castelnuovo. Seen throughout May 14; several in Arezzo and Manciano May 18; common at our Manciano hotel and in lowlands; especially common and especially well seen on Giglio Island May 22.

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 10 Italy: Birds & Art in Tuscany, 2017 Italian Sparrow, Passer italiae : common throughout. Spanish Sparrow, Passer hispaniolensis : an apparent male at Vulci, with very extensive bib and heavily black-streaked breast sides; very local in Italy, and apparently very scarce in Lazio. Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Passer montanus : 1 near Castelnuovo May 14.

MAMMALS: Brown Hare, Lepus europaeus : one at hotel May 18, one at Orbetello May 20. European Rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus : one on Giglio Island May 22. Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes : one seen by some May 20.

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 11 Italy: Birds & Art in Tuscany, 2017