Crossbill Guide: Tuscany, Italy

Just when you think Crossbill have covered everywhere in Europe that’s worth visiting, they point out another place that you should consider. Unusually for this series, the author is based in the USA but lived in Italy at a young age, and never lost contact with the region. Tuscany, in northern Italy, is a highly popular destination for tourists, but almost without exception their agendas focus on culture, architecture and wine. This is also a great area for birding and other wildlife, and in an average year around 270 species are recorded, with around 200 of those being seen in Spring.

All Crossbill Guides follow the same basic layout with three sections. Firstly, the landscape and local history are described, including the impacts on nature conservation. Each of the main ecosystems are explored, along with geological features that affect wildlife. The second section describes the range of species that can be encountered – flora, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. The third section describes 23 routes that can be explored – mostly by car and with 16 detailed site descriptions. Crossbill Guides are always quick to point out all wildlife in the area. A wide range of Mediterranean bird species are on offer, and a side trip to the island of Elba offers the chance to see Corsican Finch Carduelis corsicana (otherwise only found on Corsica and Sardinia).

Sites include other Tuscan islands as well plus the main sub-regions of Siena, Florence, San Gimignano and Pisa. For those whose interests are wider than birds the botanically rich peninsula of Monte Argentario, the Maremma Regional Nature Park, the Apuan Alps and the Tuscan part of the Apennine Mountains are covered. These are all featured by UK wildlife travel companies, but if you are independent-spirited spirited this book will help a lot. Like all Crossbill guides there is a mix of longer walking routes and car itineraries with stops and short walks. Crossbill Guides are always compact and comprehensive with lists of target birds, plants, mammals, reptiles and dragonflies, and this is no different.

Travelling to this area from the UK is quite easy with direct flights to Pisa, Florence and Siena at remarkably good prices. From a birding point of view April and May are the best times to visit, and this book makes planning a trip a lot easier.