Sicily in Autumn

Naturetrek Tour Report 18 - 24 September 2018

Marsh Sandpiper Mediterranean Skipper

Mandrake The Geometrician

Report and images by Luca Boscain

Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk

Tour Report Sicily in Autumn

Tour participants: Luca Boscain and Jonathan Mycock (leaders) with 13 Naturetrek clients

Day 1 Tuesday 18th September

We met before sunrise at Gatwick where Jonathan, one of our tour leaders, gathered the members of the group. Then we took off with a slight delay and we landed at Fontanarossa airport, in Catania, almost on time. After the collection of luggage, we met Luca, our local guide, at the exit.

The leaders collected the two minibuses, then we drove to the south for about an hour, along a comfortable motorway, towards the Case del Feudo, in the wonderful cultivated countryside of Belvedere, not far from Syracuse. Here we were welcomed by Yeasin, who took care of us during all the week, and we got our rooms. The Case del Feudo is a rural group of houses of Sixteenth-century origin that has been restored and readapted to be an “agriturismo” in the middle of an agricultural estate of about 40 hectares. Here are cultivated organically lemons, oranges, almonds and grapevines, from which fruits come delicious homemade jams and sumptuous wines such as Nero d’Avola, Sirah and Moscato, tasted in abundance during the week.

A light lunch based on pasta, aubergines and other tasty local vegetables, eaten under the shade of tents in the flowered patio of the Case, refreshed us to perfection, before we left for our afternoon exploration. So we reached the Capo Murro di Porco, the “nose of pig”, that is the most prominent point of the east side of Syracuse province.

Going through a luxuriant marquis of Dwarf Palms and Mastic, we saw Northern and Black-eared Wheatear, Whinchat, Sardinian Warbler and Zitting Cisticola, all watched comfortably through our scopes. To have available a lot of pairs of eyes allowed to not loose Peregrine Falcon, Kestrel and Marsh Harrier, crossing over, and, at the same time, to notice some peculiar examples of micro-fauna, including Italian and Sicilian Wall Lizards, Cone-headed and Red Band-winged Grasshoppers and a Broad Scarlet dragonfly, but also nice flowers like Mandrake, Sea Squill and Myrtle.

Arrived at the lighthouse, we did some seawatching, while the sky was taking a threating deep grey colour: some Yellow-legged Gulls, Sandwich Terns, Scopoli’s and Yelkouan Shearwaters were all spotted.

In the evening, we were delighted by the first samples of authentic Sicilian cuisine by Madame La Greca: risotto with zucchini, a lovely creamy meat and some almond pastries.

Loud Scops Owls and Moorish Geckos animated the dark of countryside night.

Day 2 Wednesday 19th September

We met with most people at 7am for a pre-breakfast walk round the Case del Feudo estate: some fallow fields hosted loud Zitting Cisticolas and Crested Larks, while in the orchards Sardinian and Cetti’s Warbler were particularly abundant. We noticed also some migrants like a Turtle Dove, two Blackcaps and two Lesser Whitethroats, while by telescope we managed to have good views of Common Buzzard and Kestrel.

Sicily in Autumn Tour Report

After breakfast we headed south, along the motorway, till Avola. From here, after some shopping, we continued on a secondary road to the Saline di Marzamemi. It was a recent addition to last year’s trip plan, but it proved to be once again particularly rich, because it was one of the few bodies of water of the south-eastern coast to not had got completely dry at the end of summer.

From two different viewpoints we scanned the wetland, watching many species of waders side by side: Ringed, Little Ringed and Kentish Plovers, Temminck’s and Little Stints, Bar-tailed Godwit, Spotted Redshank and Ruff. Especially welcome were the observations of a Black Stork, five Caspian Terns and a small flock of Red-rumped Swallows, passing over. Kevin, particularly good on dragonflies, also spotted Island Bluetail, Southern Darter and Lesser Emperor.

Then we walked a couple of hundred metres by the shore: the colourful hedges of flowers along the Marzamemi beach hosted tens of Painted Ladies, a few Long-tailed Blue butterfly and a Scarce Bordered Straw moth. After almost two hours under the sun, it was lovely to sit inside a gelateria with air conditioning, enjoying an Italian gelato!

Further on we stopped for a while in the picturesque harbour of Portopalo, but we couldn’t find anything more than tens of Yellow-legged Gulls.

At lunchtime Luca and Jonathan prepared the picnic in front of the wonderful beach that separates Pantano Longarini from the Mediterranean sea.

For the afternoon we had a guided visit to the Pantano Cuba, that was recently bought by a German foundation, “Stiftung Pro Artenvielfalt” in order to protect the area from poaching and abuse. We met the kind Paolo and Nino who work there, listening the history of the project and the endless battle against the illegal activities there. It was a pleasure to hear what they have achieved so far: in few years they have managed to enclose all the area to prevent the entry of poachers, to plant hundreds of trees, to put artificial nest and drinking pools for birds, woodpiles for insects, etc, ending with the main recent goal, the stopping, for the first time ever, of illegal dredging of the seasonal river that connects the lake with the sea. With this operation, the Pantano Cuba has maintained its water during all the summer and was now plenty of birds!

During two hours of walking, we scanned the lake, finding amazing densities of egrets and herons, together with waders and ducks and, among the common species, two Caspian Terns, some Marsh Sandpipers and a mysterious dark egret. It might be a hybrid between Western Reef and Little Egret, or maybe the never- confirmed dark morph of Little Egret, because the shape of bill and neck were exactly the same as the Egretta garzetta around.

In the evening, after another glorious dinner at Case del Feudo, the moth trap was set in the garden.

Day 3 Thursday 20th September

Before breakfast, we were surprised by the number of moths attracted by the trap! More than 35 species were represented, including Grass Eggar, The Geometrician, Spotted Sulphur, Devonshire Wainscot, Mediterranean Brocade, the gorgeous pink Eublemma cochylioides and many more.

2 © Naturetrek December 18

Sicily in Autumn Tour Report

We left at 9am and we drove once again south, to reach the beautiful reserve of Vendicari. The sky was rather cloudy at the beginning, so the efforts to find reptiles along the walls were rather unproductive: we spotted various Italian Wall Lizards and a single Moorish Gecko, but only Luca had a glimpse of an Ocellated Skink. We walked in the shade of Eucalyptuses till the first hide: there the water level was higher than usual and so the mud wasn’t exposed. We spotted a lot of Grey Herons and Little Egrets on the ruins of an old building, some distant Spoonbills, and Little and Black-necked Grebes.

Then we walked into the reedbeds and later in the salty garrigue, following a very civilized new path with footbridges. A feature of salty habitats is that a lot of plants don’t bloom in spring, but in autumn, so we enjoyed the beautiful purple of Sea-Lavenders and the yellow of Golden Samphire. The flowers attracted plenty of insects and we noticed Eastern Bath White, Mediterranean Skipper, the bluish bee Bembix olivacea and the black wasp Scolia hirta unifasciata.

When we arrived at the shore, we had a look to the tuna factory that featured in an episode of ‘Inspector Montalbano’ and at the funny balls on the sand, the “egagropili” produced by the Neptune Grass, while a small flock of Flamingoes crossed over in the sky.

In front of the further hide appeared an amazing bonanza, with hundreds of birds on the mudflats, in the water and on the far shores of the lake. We spent a good two hours scanning: among Shelduck, Shoveler, Mallard and Teal we found Garganey, Pintail and six or seven Marbled Teal, while among Black-headed and Yellow-legged Gulls we spotted Slender-billed, Audouin’s and Lesser Black-backed Gull, Gull-billed, Sandwich, Caspian and White-winged Tern. Very abundant, also, were the shorebirds, with the presence of Pied Avocet, Curlew and Marsh Sandpiper, Bar-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Little Stint, etc.

We had lunch under some shady canopies of a bar, in order to enjoy a delicious series of local speciality foods: a variety of toppings, including olives, pesto, honey, tuna, aubergines, etc, on bruschetta bread.

The forecast for the afternoon predicted thunderstorms, but the sun came out, so we decided to go to the Syracuse archaeological park, called “Neapolis”. Driving north, the weather got worse quickly and, when we arrived in Syracuse, there was a short but intense shower. We fortunately found shelter under some thick Holm Oaks in the garden, where Luca gave us a quick revision about the history of the city, going from the Greek colonization, to the rise of Roman Empire.

When the rain stopped, we visited the Greek Theatre, with its amazing view to the gulf and the fresh artificial waterfall of the Nymphaeum, on the top. The walk into the Latomie garden, to the famous Ear of Dionysius, and next to the Roman amphitheatre, offered us the opportunity to add to the week’s list some British common species, such as Robin, Jackdaw and Common Starling, that are not frequent at all in Sicily.

After another rich dinner, with pasta and tiramisu, we went outside to look for night creatures. The bat detectors of John and Nicholas identified Kuhl’s and Savi’s Pipistrelles, together with the exciting Giant Noctule, while along the walls a lot of Moorish and Turkish Geckos were both spotted and the loud calls of Scops Owls were audible for all the members of the group. But the most interesting observation was, in the light of torches, the flight of a pair of Barn Owls together!

Sicily in Autumn Tour Report

Day 4 Friday 21st September

This morning we met at 7am for a pre-breakfast walk in the Case del Feudo estate: despite the variable meteorological situation, with thunderstorms almost everyday during the week, there were almost no signs of migration. We saw Common Buzzard, Sardinian Warbler, Common and Spotless Starling.

Later, we moved south to Avola for the shopping and, further on, we climbed in the minibuses the bendy road to the Cava Grande reserve. From a panoramic viewpoint, looking at the beauty of cultivated terraces and orchards from the foothills to the Ionian Sea, we spotted a pair of Peregrine Falcons, some Kestrels and Common Buzzards and a very far harrier, most likely a juvenile Montagu’s.

In Cava Grande we walked along the edge of the dramatic gorge, almost 500 metres deep: Ravens passed over, while on the sides of the paths we noticed some gorgeous Ivy-leaved Cyclamens. We reached an interesting marquis area only partially burned by a fire: in the scattered bushes we spotted Woodlark, Common Redstart, Cirl Bunting, Stonechat and a couple of rare Spectacled Warblers. Then the dark clouds decided to release their contents in rather strong downpour, forcing the group to shelter in some abandoned ruins overlooking an amazing view into the valley.

When the rain stopped, we continued our walk slightly further, encountering a particularly strange leucistic individual of Sardinian Warbler, almost pure white with a yellowish tinge.

The picnic was arranged on the tables of a local restaurant with a stunning view into the gorge, so we had the opportunity to buy beer or coffee and to watch at the same time Cirl Bunting and a single Hobby, while sitting comfortably.

In the afternoon the Jonathan’s proposal to have a great Italian gelato in the historical city centre of Noto was greeted with a lot of enthusiasm. Noto is known to be the capital of Sicilian Baroque and was added to the UNESCO heritage list as well: destroyed by an earthquake in 1693, it was completely rebuilt in a wonderful Baroque style eight kilometres away from the original location. When the sun came out again, it gave the ancient churches and palaces a fantastic orange colour, while the ice cream was definitely exquisite!

For dinner tonight, we received an invitation from the baron, the owner of Case del Feudo, to dine in his palace in Ortigia, the ancient centre of Syracuse. Enjoying the elegance of the occasion, the members of the group explored the beauty of one of the most interesting cities in Italy, with its Greek temple of Apollo, the ancient freshwater spring Aretusa and breathtaking square of the Duomo. The palace faces there, being considered the most beautiful Baroque palace south of Naples.

The evening there was unforgettable, with the interesting histories told by the baron, the succession of artworks, paintings and rooms and the delicious dinner of fish!

4 © Naturetrek December 18

Sicily in Autumn Tour Report

Day 5 Saturday 22nd September

Before breakfast we spent a nice hour identifying the moths of the trap: once again there was a good variety with more than 40 species, such as Bordered Emerald, Gregson's Dart, The Amah, Ruby Tiger and the attractive, but particularly tiny gelechid Dichomeris lamprostoma.

Our destination for the morning was the Peninsula Magnisi, a very nice prairie area with, as usual, a very long human history. The archaeological site of Thapsos shows in fact a village of the Bronze Age, later on inhabited by Greeks, while a big tower from the Renaissance period was used to check the sea in order to protect the coast from Saracens and the peninsula became finally a military base of Italians during the second World War. Unfortunately, the actual skyline is characterized by the presence of ugly chemical refineries of Priolo-Augusta, founded in the ‘60s, but the sea has still an amazing turquoise colour, and the dry meadows are still one of the best places in eastern Sicily to look for steppe species.

The first interesting bird spotted was a distant Audouin’s Gull, while on the thistles we had Eastern Bath White, Goldfinch and a lot of Northern Wheatears and Crested Larks. Scanning carefully the grassland by telescopes, we managed to get good views of Stone-curlew, Golden Plover, Greater Short-toed Lark and Tawny Pipit, while a Blue Rock-thrush was spotted on a far building.

The cattle probably disturbed a lot of insects, attracting hundreds of Spotless Starlings (with a few Common among them), but also Northern and Black-eared Wheatears, Little Ringed Plovers and Yellow Wagtails.

The weather got worse very quickly, and in a few minutes the dark clouds started to release an amazing amount of water: most of the group managed to shelter under an improvised hut, but the rain was particularly heavy and quickly the prairie become a unique stream of water and… not only water, with so many cows around. When the shower ended, we decided to change plan and to go back to Case del Feudo to get some warm dry clothes and to have our picnic safely in the dining room.

In the afternoon we drove back to the Saline di Priolo: it’s a LIPU (Birdlife Italy) reserve which has managed to convert one of the most polluted areas of Sicily, near the refineries and with a big pipeline crossing among the lakes, into a wonderful nature reserve with plenty of birds viewable from four different hides. Flamingoes have started to breed here as well in recent years, taking advantage of the now-clean water.

On an island in the centre of the lake we observed a nice group of resting birds: Oystercatchers, Caspian Terns, Cattle Egrets, Black-headed Gulls, with among them, Sandwich and Gull-billed Tern, Grey Plover and five Mediterranean Gulls.

The sun came out again, so there were quite a few insects around as well, including Southern Blue (a split from Common Blue, found in Sicily, Sardinia and Southern Spain), Mallow Skipper, Small Heath and Wall Brown.

From the beautiful hide no. 4, built on the remains of the old pipeline, the view was spectacular, with the bright warm colours of late afternoon and a great variety of waders and other birds. A part of the group decided to join Jonathan in a sweet end of the day, having a gelato in the nearby village of Priolo, while the others spent some more time in the Saline di Priolo with Luca, observing Western Swamphen (which used to be known as Purple),

Sicily in Autumn Tour Report

Kentish Plovers, Little Stints, Ruffs, Marsh Sandpiper and many other interesting birds, not far from the windows.

Day 6 Sunday 23rd September

This morning we had an early breakfast at 7am, in order to leave at 8am: the plan for the day was in fact to go to the Mount Etna, taking advantage to the best forecast of the week. From Case del Feudo, to drive to the Rifugio Sapienza (1,919 metres above sea level), the base of the cable car to the top, took about two hours, including a couple of short stops on the way up. The first we had was not far from the village of Nicolosi, on a junction surrounded by lava fields and with a very nice view of the top of the volcano. Etna is the highest volcano of Italy, with an altitude of 3,329 metres, and is still active, with regular eruptions, almost every year, and volcanic activity like fumaroles or emissions of smoke and ash. During our visit a long column of smoke coming up from the top was obviously visible, together with limited whiffs of brownish little clouds. The photographic stop was accompanied by the fortunate observation of a pale-morph Booted Eagle that decided to soar right above our minibuses for a couple of minutes, having a look to the exotic group of birdwatchers!

Another stop in an area of Sweet Chestnut woodland added Short-toed Treecreeper, but not the wanted Sicilian Long-tailed Tit, despite our efforts. On the way up, one of the group felt some vertigo, probably because of the altitude, and decided to stop at Piano Vetore and to not come any higher, spending the morning there birding and looking for butterflies. When we arrived at the Rifugio Sapienza with the rest of the group, it was clear that we were definitely not the only ones to decide to try on Sunday to go there: we found coaches, minivans, cars and hundreds of people everywhere. Luca went quickly to the ticket office, in order to get the tickets as fast as possible, but the queue was particularly thick and slow.

The weather, despite the forecast, got worse, with a deep mantle of clouds that covered the sky and surrounded us during the climb by cable car. At the arrival, at about 2,500 metres, the temperature was much colder, leading to some pessimism. But during the climb by the funny, huge 4x4 vehicles the miracle happened: the clouds opened and, when we were dropped off at about 2,900 metres, the view to the peak was just unbelievable! We walked, comfortably in t-shirts, to the mouth of a volcanic cone, listening some information about the natural history of the place and, generally, of our planet: because the history of volcanoes, with the movements of continental plates, is truly the history of Earth! The basalts of lava fields, the pumices rich in bubbles of air, the sulphur, the still-warm gravel, all gave the impression of a living Earth. On the other hand, the only creatures we spotted there were few butterflies and a lot of cute Seven-spot Ladybirds. On the way back to Rifugio Sapienza, we had a good Italian lunch on a local self-service restaurant.

After lunch, we met Kevin again at Piano Vetore, joining him in the birding: the volcanic rocks, with some curious pahoehoe structures, hosted a lot of interesting passerines, going from Rock Bunting, to Spectacled Warbler, Whinchat, Stonechat and Black Redstart. The view of the main volcanic cone in the distance, together with the huge Etna Brooms still in yellow bloom, made the walk particularly atmospheric. We had also some Graylings and a Cardinal, but we couldn’t find again the Purple-shot Copper and Long-tailed Blue observed by Kevin during the morning. In the nearby pinewood we finally located some secretive Firecrests and Coal Tits, the last species before starting the descent.

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Sicily in Autumn Tour Report

For dinner, we had a plate of spaghetti with fish and a delicious salad with prawns: a great gastronomic end, accompanied, as always, by the local wines of Barone Beneventano.

Day 7 Monday 24th September

This morning, having half a day more than usual, we decided to visit a new site for the tour, the Ponte Barca Oasis, not far from Paternò, going into the deep authentic Sicilian inland, characterized by strong contrast between a lot of abandoned rubbish at the road side and the beauty of cultivated countryside, with cultivated fields and orchards of orange and olive trees.

Ponte Barca is a reservoir formed by a dam along the Simeto river, the second longest in Sicily. The freshwater basin, with beautiful wet meadows and tamarisk marquis, usually attracts a lot of waterbirds and we observed good numbers of Great Cormorants, Little and Great Crested Grebes, Little and Great Egrets, Grey Herons, Coots and ducks. Scanning by telescope we spotted also Spoonbills, Western Swamphens, Snipe, Pochard and two elusive Ferruginous Ducks. Other wildlife included a glimpse of a Red Fox and large numbers of dragonflies such as Lesser and Blue Emperor, Keeled Skimmer and Island Bluetail.

Later we drove half an hour to Catania, stopping to have lunch in another local self-service: people chose whether to have a last Sicilian arancino, or to have a full lunch with a piece of fish and side dish. Some were finally tempted by a Sicilian cannolo: the last injection of irresistible sweet Sicilian food!

We arrived at the airport on time, so everybody had time to check in calmly, and catch safely the flight to Gatwick, after a wonderful week in Sicily.

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Sicily in Autumn Tour Report

Species Lists

Birds (✓=recorded but not counted; H = heard only) September Common name Scientific name 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna 10 3+ 2 Garganey Mareca querquedula 8 3 Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata 5+ ✓ 10+ 30+ 4 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos 2 ✓ 3+ 10+ 5 Northern Pintail Anas acuta 7+ 6 Eurasian Teal Anas crecca 10+ ✓ 5+ 20+ Marmaronetta 7 Marbled Duck 6+ angustirostris 8 Common Pochard Aythya ferina 10+ 9 Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca 2 10 Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus H 11 Scopoli’s Shearwater Calonectris diomedea 5+ 12 Yelkouan Shearwater Puffinus yelkouan 5+ 13 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis 3 5+ 14 Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus 7+ 15 Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis 1 16 Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus 50+ 500+ 5+ 17 Black Stork Ciconia nigra 1 18 Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia 2 10+ 10+ 19 Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides 1 20 Western Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis 1 15+ 1 24 2 21 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea 1 20+ 40+ 8 10+ 22 Great Egret Ardea alba 5+ 3+ 5+ 23 Little Egret Egretta garzetta 150+ 20+ 1 15+ Hybrid W. Reef Heron x Little 24 Egretta gularis x E. garzetta ? 1 Egret ? 25 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis 30+ 26 European Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus 2 27 Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus 1 28 Wesrtern Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus 1 10+ 2 1 3+ 29 cf. Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus 1 30 Common Buzzard Buteo buteo 2 2 3 1 2 3 31 Water Rail Rallus aquaticus 3 2H 32 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus 10+ 2 3+ 33 Eurasian Coot Fulica atra 10+ 100+ 34 Western (Purple) Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio 1 3 1 4 35 Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus 10 36 Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta 15+ 37 Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus 20+ 5+ 15+ 38 Eurasian Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus 1 30+ 39 Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius 15+ 5+ 10+ 40 Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula 4+ 10+ 3+ 41 Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus 6 2 15+ 42 European Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria 1 43 Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola 1 44 Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata 1 45 Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica 1 9+ 46 Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa 1

Sicily in Autumn Tour Report

September Common name Scientific name 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 47 Sanderling Calidris alba 3 48 Dunlin Calidris alpina 5+ 5+ 9+ 49 Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea 20+ 50 Little Stint Calidris minuta 20+ 5+ 5+ 51 Temminck's Stint Calidris temminckii 3 52 Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola 2 5 H 53 Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus 3 2 1 54 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos 1 1 55 Common Redshank Tringa totanus 3 20+ 5+ 56 Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus 10+ 2+ 5 57 Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia 2 2+ 58 Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatalis 5+ 3+ 1 59 Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago 3 4 60 Ruff Philomachus pugnax 10+ 5+ 2 Chroicocephalus 61 Black-headed Gull 5+ ✓ 5+ 10+ ridibundus 62 Slender-billed Gull Chroicocephalus genei 1 140+ 20+ 63 Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus 5 64 Audouin's Gull Ichthyaetus audouinii 2 1 65 Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis ✓ ✓ 10+ ✓✓ 2 66 Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus 1 67 Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia 7 4 25 68 Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis 12 2 2 69 Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica 1 1 70 White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus 1 71 Rock Dove / Feral Pigeon Columba livia "domestica" ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 72 Common Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 73 Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 74 European Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur 1 1 75 Western Barn Owl Tyto alba 2 76 Eurasian Scops Owl Otus scops H 3H 3H H H 2H 77 Pallid Swift Apus pallidus 50+ 1 2 2+ 78 Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops 3+ 1 79 Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis 2 2H 80 European Bee-eater Merops apiaster H 81 Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus 3+ 3 3 5+ 3 3+ 3 82 Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo 1 83 Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus 1 2 84 Eurasian Magpie Pica pica ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 85 Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius 1+ 2 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 1 86 Western Jackdaw Corvus monedula 5+ 10+ 87 Hooded Crow Corvus cornix 2 20+ ✓ 3 10+ 88 Northern Raven Corvus corax 10+ 2 89 Great Tit Parus major 2 H 3+ ✓ 1 2 H 90 Coal Tit Periparus ater 3 91 Eurasian Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus 3 H H 92 Crested Lark Galerida cristata 1 10+ 3 3+ 20+ 2H 93 Woodlark Lullula arborea 2+ 2 94 Greater Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla 2 95 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 2 96 Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica 5+

Sicily in Autumn Tour Report

September Common name Scientific name 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 97 Common House Martin Delichon urbicum ✓ ✓ ✓ 98 Cetti’s Warbler Cettia cetti 2+H 5+H 3+H 10+H 2 H 5+H 99 Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita 2 100 European Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus H 101 Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis 3+ 5+ 3+ 2+ H H 102 Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla 2 2H H H 103 Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca 2 104 Spectacled Warbler Sylvia conspicillata 2+ 1 105 Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala 5+ 3+ 5+ 10+ 5+ 1 2 106 Common Firecrest Regulus ignicapilla 2 107 Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes 3+H 1 108 Short-toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla H 3+ 109 Spotless Starling Sturnus unicolor ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 300+ ✓ ✓ 110 Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris 2+ 3+ 2+ 111 Common Blackbird Turdus merula ✓ ✓ ✓ H H H 112 European Robin Erithacus rubecula 2H 113 Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus 1 1 114 Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros 2 115 Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius 1+ 1 116 Whinchat Saxicola rubetra 1 5+ 117 European Stonechat Saxicola rubicola 2 2+ 1 118 Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe 2 1 10+ 1 119 Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica 1 2 120 Italian Sparrow Passer italiae ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 121 Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus 5 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 122 Western Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava 1 3+ 123 White Wagtail Motacilla alba alba 1 1 1 H 124 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea H 125 Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris 2 126 Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs 1 127 European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis 1 3 1 5+ 5+ 1 128 European Greenfinch Chloris chloris H 1 129 Common Linnet Linaria cannabina 1 4 1 130 European Serin Serinus serinus 2 H 131 Rock Bunting Emberiza cia 5+ 132 Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus 2+ H

Mammals (D = Dead) 1 Red Fox Vulpes vulpes 1 2 Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus 1 1 3 Brown Rat Rattus norvegicus 1 1 4 European Free-tailed Bat Tadarina teniotis H 5 Kuhl's Pipistrelle Pipistrellus kuhlii H HD HD D 6 Common Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus D 7 Savi's Pipistrelle Hypsugo savii D D D 8 Giant Noctule Nyctalus cf. lasiopterus D

Reptiles 1 Italian Wall Lizard Podarcis siculus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 2 Sicilian Wall Lizard Podarcis wagleriana 5+ 3+

Sicily in Autumn Tour Report

September Common name Scientific name 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 3 Turkish Gecko Hemidactylus turcicus 3 3 4 1 1 4 Moorish Gecko Tarentola mauritanica ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 5 Ocellated Skink Chalcides ocellatus 1 6 Western Whip Snake Hierophis viridiflavus 1

Butterflies: 1 Swallowtail Papilio machaon 1 1 3 ✓ 1 5+ 2 Scarce Swallowtail Iphiclides podalirius 2 1 1 3 Large White Pieris brassicae 1 1 1 1 4 Small White Artogeia rapae ✓ 1 3+ ✓ 5 Eastern Bath White Pontia edusa 1 5+ 2 10+ 10+ 6 Clouded Yellow Colias crocea 1 1 2 1 1 1 7 Cleopatra Gonepteryx cleopatra 1 1 2 8 Purple-shot Copper Lycaena alciphron 1 9 Long-tailed Blue Lampides boeticus 3+ 1

10 Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus 1 11 Southern Blue Polyommatus celina 1 1 12 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta 1 1 1 ✓ 13 Painted Lady Vanessa cardui 1 ✓ ✓ ✓ 1 14 Cardinal Argynnis pandora 2 15 Wall Brown Lasiommata megera 2 3 3+ 1 1 16 Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus 3+ 1 17 Common Grayling Hipparchia cf. semele ✓ 18 Large Banded Grayling Brintesia circe 1 19 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina 5+ 3+ 20 Mallow Skipper Carcharodus alceae 1 21 Mediterranean Skipper Gegenes cf. nostrodamus 1 5+ 22 Large Skipper Ochlodes sylvanus 1

Macros Moths (T = light trap; F = field sighting) 1 Pale Shoulder Acontia lucida 1T 2F 2 Knot Grass Acronicta rumicis 1T 3 Dark Sword Grass Agrotis ipsilon 1T 4 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta 1T 1T 5 Gregson's Dart Agrotis spinifera 2T 6 Pale Mottled Willow Caradrina clavipalpis 2T 7 A noctuid Chloantha hyperici 1T 8 A noctuid Cryphia cf. ochsi 2T 9 The Amah Dysauxes famula 2T 10 Hoary Footman Eilema cf. caniola 2T 2T 11 Spotted Sulphur Emmelia trabealis 1T 1T 12 Common Carpet Epirrhoe alternata 1T 13 An erebid Eublemma cochylioides 1T 2T 14 Bordered Emerald Eucrostes indigenata 1T 15 Lime-speck Pug Eupithecia centaureata 1T 16 Geometrician Grammodes stolida 1T 1T 17 Scarce Bordered Straw Helicoverpa armigera 1F 1T 2T 18 Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina cf. ambigua 1T 1T 19 Portland Ribbon Wave Idaea degeneraria 1T 3T 20 Rambur's Wave Idaea elongaria 1T

Sicily in Autumn Tour Report

September Common name Scientific name 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 21 Grass Eggar Lasiocampa trifolii 1T 1T 22 Devonshire Wainscot Leucania putrescens 1T 23 A noctuid Luperina dumerilii 1T 3T 24 Hummingbird Hawk-moth Macroglossum stellatarum 3F 1F 2F ✓F 25 A noctuid Mythimna cf. sicula 1T 26 An erebid Nodaria nodosalis 3T 2T 27 An erebid Ocneria rubea 1T 28 Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria 1T 29 Ruby Tiger Phragmatobia fuliginosa 2T 30 Porter's Rustic Proxenus (Athetis) hospes 3+T 10+T 31 Un-named Noctuid Pseudozarba bipartita 2T 32 The Vestal Rhodometra sacraria 5+T 10+T 33 Dark Mottled Willow Spodoptera cilium 1T 34 Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua 2T 2T 35 Mediterranean Brocade Spodoptera littoralis 3T 4T 36 Four-spotted Tyta luctuosa 1T 4T 4T 37 An erebid Zebeeba falsalis 1T

Micros Moths 1 A crambid Achyra nudalis 5+T 15+T 2 A crambid Ancylolomia cf. pectinatella 1T 2T 3 A crambid Antigastra catalaunalis 2T 4 Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana 7T 5 A gelechid Dichomeris lamprostoma 1T 3T 6 The Amah Dysauxes famula 2T 7 Common Plume Emmelina cf. monodactyla 1T 1T 8 An elachistid Ethmia bipunctella 1T 1T 9 Cabbage Webworm Hellula undalis 2T 1T 10 A pyralid Lamoria anella 1T 11 Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella 1T 3T 12 An autostichid Oegoconia cf. deauratella 1T 13 A crambid Palpita vitrialis 2T 14 A crambid Pediasia cf. aridella 1T 15 Diamondback Moth Plutella xylostella 1T 16 A pterophorid Stangeia cf. siceliota 1F 17 A stathmopodid Stathmopoda sp. 1T 18 A tineid Tinea sp. 2T 19 A crambid Uresiphita gilvata 1T

Other Invertebrates 1 Copper Demoiselle Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis 1 2 Island Bluetail Ischnura graellsii 1 1 3 Blue Emperor Anax imperator 1 1 ✓ 4 Lesser Emperor Anax parthenope 1 ✓ 5 Keeled Skimmer Orthetrum coerulescens 1 1 6 Broad Scarlet Crocothemis erythraea 1 7 Red-veined Darter Sympetrum fonscolombii 2 1+ 8 Southern Darter Sympetrum meridionale 1 1 9 Violet Dropwing Trithemis annulata 1 1 Red-Band-winged 10 Oedipoda sp. 1 ✓ Grasshopp.

Sicily in Autumn Tour Report

September Common name Scientific name 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 11 Egyptian Grasshopper Anacridium aegyptium 1 12 Cone-headed Grasshopper Acrida ungarica 1 1 13 Praying Mantis Mantis religiosa 1 1 14 A lacewing Italochrysa italica 1 15 Fire Bug Pyrrhocoris apterus 1 16 Tiger Mosquito Aedes albopictus 1 1 17 Carpenter Bee Xylocopa cf. violacea 1 ✓ 18 A bee Amegilla sp. 1 19 A wasp Scolia hirta unifasciata 1+ 20 A wasp Bembix olivacea ✓ 21 Hornet Vespa crabro 1 22 A wasp Vespa sp. ✓ 23 Seven-spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata ✓ 24 A Tiger Beetle Calomera littoralis ✓ 25 A beetle Ancylopus melanocephalus 1 26 Elm Leaf Beetle Xanthogaleruca luteola 1 27 A ladybird spider Eresus sp. 1

Plants

Common Name Scientific Name Location (first or best)

Conifers Gymnosperms Common Juniper Juniperus communis Piano Vettore (Etna) Prickly Juniper Juniperus oxycedrus Vendicari Aleppo Pine Pinus halepensis Nicolosi (Etna) Black Pine Pinus nigra Piano Vettore (Etna) Umbrella Pine Pinus pinea Neapolis (Syracuse)

Dicotyledon Flowering Plants Dicot Angiosperms Bear's-breeches Acanthus mollis Case del Feudo Mastic Pistacia lentiscus Capo Murro di Porco Rock Samphire Crithmum maritimum Vendicari Giant Fennel Ferula communis Cava Grande Oleander Nerium oleander Nicolosi (Etna) Common Ivy Hedera helix Neapolis (Syracuse) Clustered Carline Thistle Carlina corymbosa Penisola Magnisi Woolly Distaff Thistle Carthamus cf. lanatus Penisola Magnisi Golden Samphire Limbarda crithmoides Pantano di Cuba Illyrian Thistle Onopordum cf. illyricum Penisola Magnisi A tansy Tanacetum siculum Piano Vettore (Etna) Etna Barberry Berberis aetnensis Piano Vettore (Etna) Purple Viper's-bugloss Echium plantagineum Neapolis (Syracuse) European Heliotrope Heliotropium cf. europaeum Saline di Priolo European Sea Rocket Cakile maritima Vendicari Prickly Pear Opuntia spp. Pantano di Cuba Sheep's-bit Scabious Jasione montana Piano Vettore (Etna) Caper Bush Capparis spinosa Neapolis (Syracuse) Red Valerian Centranthus ruber Cava Grande Bladder Campion Silene vulgaris Piano Vettore (Etna) Field Bindweed Convolvulus arvensis Case del Feudo Mallow Bindweed Convolvulus cf. althaeoides Nicolosi (Etna) Common Morning-glory Ipomoea purpurea Case del Feudo

Sicily in Autumn Tour Report

Common Name Scientific Name Location (first or best)

Squirting Cucumber Ecballium elaterium Marzamemi Mediterranean Spurge Euphorbia characias Cava Grande Tree Spurge Euphorbia dendroides Capo Murro di Porco Castor Oil Plant Ricinus communis Case del Feudo Sicilian Milkvetch Astragalus siculus Piano Vettore (Etna) Mount Etna Broom Genista aetnensis Piano Vettore (Etna) Spanish Broom Spartium junceum Nicolosi (Etna) Yellow Restharrow Ononis cf. natrix Cava Grande False Acacia Robinia pseudoacacia Nicolosi (Etna) Sweet Chestnut Castanea sativa Nicolosi (Etna) Holm Oak Quercus ilex Neapolis (Syracuse) Downy Oak Quercus pubescens Nicolosi (Etna) A bugle Ajuga iva Cava Grande A wild basil Clinopodium sp. Cava Grande A thyme Thymussp. Cava Grande Common Fig Ficus carica Penisola Magnisi Common Myrtle Myrtus communis Capo Murro di Porco Marvel of Peru Mirabilis jalapa Neapolis (Syracuse) Olive Olea europaea Saline di Priolo American Pokeweed Phytolacca americana Neapolis (Syracuse) Sicilian Snapdragon Antirrhinum siculum Cava Grande Purple Toadflax Linaria purpurea Piano Vettore (Etna) Sea Lavender spp. Limonium spp. Pantano di Cuba A sorrel Rumex sp. Piano Vettore (Etna) Ivy-leaved Cyclamen Cyclamen hederifolium Cava Grande A larkspur Delphinium sp. Cava Grande Almond-leaved Pear Pyrus amygdaliformis Cava Grande Dog Rose Rosa cf. canina Case del Feudo Elm-leaf Blackberry Rubus ulmifolius Case del Feudo Creeping Cinquefoil Potentilla reptans Piano Vettore (Etna) Thorny Burnet Sarcopoterium spinosum Capo Murro di Porco Osyris Osyris alba Vendicari Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus Piano Vettore (Etna) Wavy-leaved Mullein Verbascum sinuatum Neapolis (Syracuse) Tree of Heaven Ailanthus altissima Neapolis (Syracuse) Mandrake Mandragora autumnalis Capo Murro di Porco French Tamarisk Tamarix cf. gallica Saline di Priolo Flax-leaved Daphne Daphne gnidium Cava Grande Field Elm Ulmus minor Case del Feudo West Indies Lantana Lantana camara Neapolis (Syracuse)

Monocotyledon Flowering Plants Monocot Angiosperms Sea Daffodil Pancratium maritimum Saline di Priolo Mediterranean Dwarf Palm Chamaerops humilis Capo Murro di Porco Wild Asparagus Asparagus acutifolius Case del Feudo Sea Squill Drimia (Urginea) maritima Capo Murro di Porco Sea Rush Juncus maritimus Vendicari Giant Reed Arundo donax Case del Feudo Common Reed Phragmites australis Marzamemi Neptune Grass Posidonia oceanica Vendicari