There’s a beautiful male Black Redstart in the Pratone di Torre Spaccata here in Rome. Unfortunately, this whole area is due to be destroyed by a new cinema studios complex. There are Ancient Roman villas here, together with a fabulous array of wildlife. It’ll all be covered in concrete unless a small committee manage to get political traction. They’ve done everything local people can do: They’ve written letters, appeared on radio and TV, put on fundraisers with a musical event and even collected over 11,000 signatures against the development.
Here are some the experiences I’ve had here, in what is a rough, abandoned piece of wasteland, previously used as a dumping ground, which contains a homeless man sleeping rough and a colony of cats:
More Pratone di Torre Spaccata
There’s a beetle-shaped hole in our livesIn the UK the species Trichodes alvearius and another, the Bee-Eating Beetle, Trichodes apiarius, “Have not been seen since the 19th century and are… read more
“Gruccione!”We're walking in Broken Tower Meadow, il Pratone di Torre Spaccata when the Puffin Whisperer says "Gruccione". I recognise the… read more
I’m a big fan of garden pestsWhenever I search the Internet for an invertebrate, unless it's rare, there's always a result which is "How do I… read more
In voloBlack Redstarts are lively. More lively than me this morning. They're flitting in an elaborate pattern across the scrub in… read more
Black RedstartOne of my favourite Black Redstart photographs from this year. Lovely, aren't they? read more
More Black RedstartsAre you tired of seeing my photographs of Black Redstarts yet? I'm beginning to feel like one of those 1970s… read more
More Black RedstartsIt's time for another trip to the nearest waste ground, which counts as the natural world these days, to see… read more
Codirosso SpazzacaminoThe Italian name for the Black Redstart is Codirosso Spazzacamino. It means red-tailed chimney sweep. I love their ash-grey plumage.… read more
Chimney SweepsHere's a handsome Italian chap: He's a Codirosso Spazzacamino, a male Black Redstart. What fine plumage he has. Spazzacamino means… read more
I hope the Pratone will stay wild and free for generations to come.
More from il Pratone di Torre Spaccata
There’s a beetle-shaped hole in our livesIn the UK the species Trichodes alvearius and another, the Bee-Eating Beetle, Trichodes apiarius, “Have not been seen since the 19th century and are… read more
“Gruccione!”We're walking in Broken Tower Meadow, il Pratone di Torre Spaccata when the Puffin Whisperer says "Gruccione". I recognise the… read more
I’m a big fan of garden pestsWhenever I search the Internet for an invertebrate, unless it's rare, there's always a result which is "How do I… read more