Birding trips from Milan

Are you visiting the city of Milan and looking to spend a day relaxing in nature while enjoying some good birdwatching?
Several different habitats are accessible within less than one hour by car, providing varied opportunities to observe a rich and diverse avifauna.
Ticino Park Spanning from Lake Maggiore to the Po River, follows the main course of the Ticino River, which serves as a key ecological corridor running north–south across the heavily industrialised Po Plain. Wolves, porcupines, roe deer, and more than 150 bird species use the ancient riparian woodlands of the park to move freely between the Apennines and the Alps. The oak woodlands are also home to four species of woodpecker: great spotted, green, black, and the elusive lesser spotted. The park is surrounded by rice fields, a perfect habitat for waders and many other birds like hen harrier and lapwing, the symbol of Ticino Park.
South of the city of Milan lies a low-intensity agricultural landscape, part of the protected area “Parco Agricolo Sud”. Here, during spring migration, a remarkable number of waders such as ruff, black-winged stilt, curlew, and wood sandpiper can be observed feeding in the cultivated fields. Abandoned quarries offer a surprisingly good habitat for many wintering ducks like teal, pochard, widgeon and shoveler.
Not far from the city of Lecco on Lake Como, the Special Area of Conservation of Palude di Brivio, along the Adda river, is one of the best examples of a well-preserved wetland supporting more than 120 bird species. In summer, reedbeds host species such as little bittern, great reed warbler, purple heron, and marsh harrier. In winter, it is not uncommon to observe the Eurasian bittern hiding among the reeds or small groups of ferruginous duck on the cold waters of the Adda River while hearing the creepy call of the water rail or the much more delicate whistle of the penduline tit.
“Spent a wonderful day with Marco and enjoyed his knowledge of the area, knowledge of birds, his humor and his patience for one of us that wasn’t “a real birder”. It was the perfect addition to our trip to Italy. A definite highlight for my husband who is an avid birder. Highly recommend booking a day to get the most of the experience!” – Happy Customer from TripAdvisor