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Parco della Caffarella

Sardinian Warbler - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Cooked Eye

There’s a male Sardinian warbler, Curruca melanocephala, in the bushes. It seems quite agitated. I love the scratchy sound they make in the …

Melodious Warbler - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Melodious

I’m thinking back to a glorious summer in Italy, where I noticed a loud song coming from the bushes in Parco della …

Snipe - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Sniping from the sidelines

A Snipe is one wader I can identify confidently. That’s clearly a very rash thing to say, since I’ve yet to get …

Hooded Crow - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Hoodies

As we arrive at Parco della Caffarella there’s a Hooded Crow, called a Cornacchia here, frolicking in the flowers. I would have …

Cattle Egret - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Cattle Egret with Sheep

I’m used to having trouble getting photographs of Cattle Egrets being Cattle Egrets. Here’s my Cattle Egret on a Horse shot: Today …

Eastern Bath White Butterfly - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Egg-Laying

I’ve enjoyed being amongst the butterflies in Parco della Caffarella. There are many different species and it’s great to see them actively …

Kestrel - Parco della Caffarella - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Chasing Common Kestrels

Arriving in the park I see a male Common Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus. I think it may have a couple of ticks on …

Monk Parakeet - Caffarella - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Monk Parakeets at home

These Monk Parakeets are making themselves at home: They’ve spread in many European countries because of escapes from the pet trade. Their …

Painted Lady Butterfly - Caffarella - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Thistle is the life

There are thistles everywhere here in Parco della Caffarella in Rome. They are very architectural against the flowing meadows of buttercups beneath: …

Little Egret - Caffarella - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Little Egret

Walking around the park I see a Little Egret take flight: The Italian name for the Little Egret is Garzetta. That’s quite …

Bee Eaters - Caffarella - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

A field full of bees

I’m in a field in a park in Rome. It’s annoying that I can hear a busy road nearby. Then I realise …

Look up!

Looking straight ahead only ever gives you one view of life. It’s always a good idea to look sideways at your life …

Harris Hawk in Caffarella - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Mobbing a Harris Hawk

I’ve got a day off in Rome and have spent the morning in Parco della Caffarella. There’s not much wildlife around and …

Stonechat - Caffarella - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Stonechat

I’ve seen Stonechats in Devon. They’re a bird I didn’t see as a child so they always appear exotic to me. It’s …

Robin - Caffarella - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Robin of the day

It wasn’t known that female Robins sing until less than 100 years ago. Male scientists seem to have assumed that they didn’t. …

Wren - Caffarella - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Wren

The light is clear and bright when I see a Wren appear. I love how its shadow looks. I always imagine Wrens …

Kestrel and Mouse - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

The Kestrel and the mouse

There’s a Kestrel at the top of the tree here in Parco della Caffarella. It’s quite a distance away, so we get …

White Wagtail - Caffarella - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

White Wagtails

White Wagtails are fascinating birds. In the UK we call our darker sub-species the Pied Wagtail. Even though it’s a common bird …

Monk Parakeet - Caffarella - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Monk Parakeets

Noisy, bright, squawking and quarrelsome, it’s me again. No, it’s the Monk Parakeets of Rome: Aren’t they handsome? I wonder what their …

Chiffchaff - Caffarella - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Lui Piccolo

We’re at the Parco della Caffarella in Rome. It’s a sprawling urban park with grass closely cropped by the escaped rabbits which …