Birding trips from Turin

Torino sits at a remarkable geographical crossroads, with the Alps visible to the west and north and the Po Plain stretching from south to north, and some genuinely rewarding birding is available both within the city limits and within a short drive.
The Po River runs through the heart of Turin, and its banks conceal a surprising quality of wildlife for a major urban centre. The Meisino park and the nearby Colletta area, where the Stura di Lanzo meets the Po, form the most productive stretch. In winter, the river attracts large aggregations of waterfowl: hundreds of Tufted duck and Pochard, sometimes a Smew and Goldeneye can be seen on a good day, joined by Cormorant roosts and regular Great egret. The gravel bars and riverside woodland are equally rewarding, with Kingfisher, Common sandpiper, and Grey wagtail reliable along the water’s edge and raptors including Black kite breeding nearby.
Just a few kilometres from the city centre, the Laghetti di Falchera are a cluster of small artificial lakes set within an agricultural and suburban fringe that punches well above its weight ornithologically. The reedbeds fringing the lakes host breeding Little bittern, one of the more accessible sites in the area to find this secretive species, alongside Reed and Marsh warbler. The site comes into its own during migration, when the reedbeds and scrub attract notable passage species: Bluethroat is a regular spring visitor, Savi’s warbler reels from the denser reed stands, and Grasshopper warbler occurs on passage. The open water holds ducks through winter and attracts terns and waders whenever water levels are suitable in spring.
A short drive northwest of the city, the Parco Naturale La Mandria offers a different character entirely. One of the largest enclosed natural areas in Italy, its mature oak and poplar woodland holds an excellent woodland bird community: Black, Great spotted, Lesser spotted and Green woodpecker all breed within the park, and Hobby, Sparrowhawk, and Long-eared owl are among the raptors recorded regularly. Perhaps equally rewarding, however, are the open agricultural fields immediately surrounding the park boundary. This patchwork of crops, hedgerows, and scrub has a track record for attracting scarce and rare migrants during the spring and autumn passage: Roller is a near-annual occurrence, Black-eared wheatear turns up sometimes, and over the years the fields have produced Lesser grey shrike, a species that rewards any birder patient enough to work the area carefully in late spring.

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