Vasche di Maccarese

My destination today were the Vasche di Maccarese (vasca is italian for pool) a bit outside of the city. The site is cared by the WWF and can only be accessed after prenotation. Having informed the visitor centre a few days ago, I hoped to enjoy an hour or two in the reserve before returning back to Rome in the evening. However there probably was a bit of a misunderstanding, since on my arrival the gate was locked and there was no sign that this would change so soon. Fortunately, I was able to reach the visitor centre after a while by phone and I was assured that someone would come after ten more minutes.  In the meanwhile I focused on the local birdlife and was not disappointed. The highlights were a calling Penduline Tit , some singing Cetti's Warbler and a group of 18 Bee-eaters.

The ten  minutes passed really fast and as promised a staff member arrived perfectly on time. There was just one problem: At this point of time I could only stay half an hour before I had to turn back to the train station of Maccarese-Fregene. So I asked for the most rewarding ponds and found my self soon on a well cared path, along which there are several hides overlooking the northern ponds. Here I could enjoy close views of several herons, dabbling ducks and even the first waders. The highlights include Water Rail, Little Egret, Shoveler, Spotted Redshank, Ruff, Snipe, Wood Sandpiper and Black-winged Stilt. Sadly, I had to turn around at this point, but certainly it won't be the last time I visit this site.