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| A solitary Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus. Increasingly common in the last years, with flocks of up to 900 birds in the Grado-Marano lagoon. |
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| Oystercatchers Haematopus ostralegus - up to 60-70 were present. A scarce species in winter in Friuli Venezia Giulia (NE Italy), confined to the sandy beaches of the Grado-Marano lagoon. |
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| Flock of about 20 Sanderlings Calidris alba. A species found in the same areas as the previous, but is only a scarce winter and passage visitor; usually in small numbers. I've seen them in Friuli Venezia Giulia just a couple of times. |
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| Shelduck Tadorna tadorna - part of a large flock of +100 birds. |
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| Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritus - we scored all European grebe species, including a Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena. |
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| Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis - one of the many (+30) observed on the sea and lagoon. |
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| Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus - very common. On the gull front also a nice adult Herring Gull Larus argentatus; another species not seen so often. |
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| Pygmy Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmeus (observed all three cormorant species together). |
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| Grey Plovers Pluvialis squatarola and Dunlins Calidris alpina on a dam. These two species along with Redshanks Tringa totanus and Curlews Numenius arquata were very numerous. |
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| Birders at sea. |
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| A Little Owl Athene noctua resting in the evening on the wall of a power station. Nearby was also a roost of 3 Long-eared Owls Asio otus. |
On Sunday a friend invited me to take part in a boat trip around the lagoon of Grado (north-east Italy), some 60 km away from Trieste. The most interesting birding spots of the lagoons, extending between Grado and Marano, are only accessible by boat, so this was a perfect occasion to see some less common species and to be in the field with my birding friends. Above are some of the birds we had, including the highlights.
