Abruzzo is a paradise for bird watchers and Villa Mandorla is in a great position for spotting a wide variety of birds that you may not see in Britain.
The Villa has views over a valley where birds of prey soar or hover, so you are often at the same level as they are. Buzzards and kestrels are very common and eagles
are seen near the mountains nearby.
In August 2011 we awoke each morning to an unusual bird sound and saw dozens, maybe a hundred, birds collecting on the telephone wires
in the field over the road. Upon inspection with our new high-power binoculars, we found that they were bee-eaters. See the photo of a bee-eater below, courtesy of
Raúl Baena Casado.
We have also seen hoopoes on the driveway and a golden oriole was another exciting spot.
Photo courtesy of
Arturo Nikolai.
Owls are very common around the Villa. The scops owl, which makes a very short distinctive sound, can often be heard and a family of little owls lives in
an old farm building just down the road.
Each morning in Summer dozens of swallows queue up on the telephone wires outside to have their morning dip in the pool. Their aerobatics are very entertaining!
Most years there is a nest of swallows in one of the rooms under the house, so guests get to see the young on their first flights.
Here is a list of some birds found in Abruzzo:
- Alpine Chough
- Black Redstart
- Buzzard
- Chough
- Collared Blackbird
- Crane
- Crossbill
- Dipper
- Eagle Owl
- Garganey
- Glossy Ibis
- Golden Eagle
- Goldfinch
- Goshawk
- Greater White Egret
- Green Woodpecker
- Greenfinch
- Grey Heron
- Griffon
- Harrier
- Hedge Sparrow
- Hobby
- Honey Buzzard
- Hooded Crow
- Hoopoe
- Horned Owl
- Kestrel
- Lanner Falcon
- Little owl
- Long-Eared Owl
- Nuthatch
- Nycticorax
- Osprey
- Peregrine Falcon
- Pintail
- Raven
- Red Heron
- Rock Pipit
- Scops Owl
- Short-Eared Owl
- Snow Finch
- Sparrowhawk
- Spoonbill
- Tawny Owl
- Tree Creeper
- Wallcreeper
- Water-Rail
- White Stork
- White Wagtail
- White-Backed Woodpecker
Next-> Wildlife