Spring Birding in Sicily

A client travelled on our 'Spring Birding in Sicily' holiday and submitted this entry to our writing competition.

Sicilian Rock Partridge by Stuart Elsom

A Memorable Spring Birdwatching Holiday ... in Sicily

Stuart Elsom led the third of our inaugural series of ‘Spring Birding in Sicily’ holidays this May. He describes some of the birding, and other, highlights ...

This beautiful island at the tip of Italy provided a wonderful blend of high quality birding with great accommodation, food and hospitality. During our week’s stay we saw just over 130 species of bird, about 40 species of butterfly and moth, and enjoyed some breathtaking scenery and wonderful weather. Common birds around the grounds of the hotel where we were based included Scops Owl, Melodious, Wood and Sardinian Warblers; Bee-eaters were often seen over the terrace in the early morning as we enjoyed our breakfast ‘al fresco’. Nearby, the coast often produced good views of both Yelkouan and Scopoli’s Shearwaters, whilst in the coastal grasslands butterflies included Scarce Swallowtail, Eastern Dappled White, Pygmy Skipper and Eastern Orange-tip.

This new spring birding tour explored the rich birdlife found in the south-east corner of the island. Special water birds included Ferruginous Duck, Audouin’s and Slender-billed Gulls and Greater Flamingo, whilst drier habitats produced Calandra Lark, Lesser Kestrel and Rock Sparrow. Our tour also visited some spectacular upland habitats and we got great views of Spectacled and Eastern Subalpine Warblers, Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Bunting and Lanner Falcon. We also struck lucky during a chance stop at a scenic lookout, when the group was treated to wonderful views of the superb range-restricted Sicilian Rock Partridge.

Our penultimate day was spent on the spectacular lava flows of Mount Etna. After visiting the southern cone at altitudes over 3,000 metres via the Funivia cable car, we explored the habitats of the lower slopes which produced Firecrest, Short-toed Treecreeper and the very distinctive Sicilian form of Coal Tit. A day on Etna is a truly incredible experience, and a fitting conclusion to a wonderful visit, sampling the sights and sounds of this, the largest island in the Mediterranean.

Read more about our 'Spring Birding in Sicily' holiday.