“Now you will fly, Lucky.” “Breathe.”
“Feel the rain.” “It’s water.”
“In your life, you will have many reasons to be happy. One of them is called water, another is called wind, and yet another is called sun, which always arrives as a reward after the rain.”
Luis Sepúlveda, Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly,1996.
On the banks of the reserve, we are lucky enough to observe the Fratino, a small and fragile wading bird with a compact body and long legs. One of the smallest birds that nests in Italy. The male has a beautiful rust-colored patch on the nape, white forehead and eyebrow, a black eye stripe and thin black spots on the sides of the chest. In contrast, the female is brown.
It nests on our coasts from mid-March to mid-July, digging small holes in the sand where the female lays the eggs. The incubation period lasts from about 24 to 28 days, and after hatching, the chicks take about a month to reach fledging. When a predator, whether human or animal, approaches too close to the nest or chicks, the adult Fratino draws attention to itself by pretending to be injured, sacrificing itself to protect its offspring.
In addition to the Fratino, we can find various species of birds that have adapted to the particular conditions of the coastal environment. For example, among many others, we have the Beccapesci, the Cormorant and of course, Common and Royal Seagulls. Then we have the Kingfisher, the Little Ringed Plover, the Little Egret, the Crane.
Many bird species take flight among fields and ridges heading inland: the Lesser Eagle, the Little Owl, the Coal Tit, the Tawny Owl, the Hooded Crow, the Peregrine Falcon and even the Barn Owl, the Dalmatian Woodpecker, the Short-toed Eagle. A real spectacle for birdwatching enthusiasts and animal lovers.
Between hills and dunes, ridges and brackish water formations, we find specimens of Roe Deer, Wild Boar, Weasel, Hedgehog, Hare, Hedgehog, Common Squirrel, Grey Squirrel, Red Squirrel, Badger and of course, the feared but no less important species of reptiles such as the Viper. Numerous types of amphibians move between water and land: Geckos, Lizards, Emerald Toads and Frogs are some examples.
