Birdwatching

Birding in the Po Delta at Le Occare Farmhouse
An ancient Farmhouse in the countryside of Ferrara

Comacchio marshes

The Farmhouse Le Occare guest house, with its location close to Ferrara and not far from the “Delta del Po” park, is a very good starting point for your birdwatching tours in the Po Delta area. The guest house, encircled by a 30000 square meters wooden area densely populated by birds, and by a large area of crofts in a hunting protected area, with a great hedge more than 1 km long and two old ponds, has some interesting attractions for birdwatchers and lovers of birding.
Here is the check list of the birds frequently seen at Le Occare.
Not far from Farmhouse Le Occare you have the birdwatching spots of “Valli di Campotto” and “Valle Santa” marshes of the Delta del Po park.  If you go a little farther you can reach Comacchio and his marshes, the “Sacca di Goro”, Mesola and its wood and all the other areas of the "Parco del Delta del Po", very interesting naturalistic reserves and a real paradise for birdwatchers and for the lovers of nature and birding.

      

Night Heron                Great Egret *

       

Kingfisher                 Green Shank *

       

Great Spotted Woodpecker                 Long-Eared Owl *

The map highlights in green the sites of naturalistic interest in the Delta del Po area and in red Le Occare guest house.

You will find a very fine interactive map of the Delta del Po park here
You will find useful resources about birdwatching in the Po Delta at birdingitaly.net.

Checklist of the birds seen at the Occare farm:

House Sparrow, Gold Finch, Chaffinch, Wren, Robin, Greenfinch, Gold Crest, Chiffchaff, Great Tit, White-pie Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Blackcap, Collared Dove, Rock Dove, Northern Lapwing, Cuckoo, Hoopoe, Long-Eared Owl, Little Owl, Wryneck, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Collared Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher, Skylark, Jay, Magpie, Kingfisher, Cetti's Warbler, Blackbird, Nightingale, Starling, Song Thrush, Black Redstart, Carrion Crow, Night Heron, Grey heron, Purple Heron, Great Egret, Little Egret, Little Bittern, House Martin, Barn swallow, Kestrel, Goshawk, Sparrow hawk, Stonechat, Montagu's Harrier.

* Photos (2, 4 and 6) by kind permission of Guido Baroni

Ferrara Guesthouse Ferrara Farmhouse Le Occare