A particular season
After the migration period, the short-range migratory species tend to linger in the territories to spend the bad season in search of shelter and nourishment. This has always happened in our country too, where we are used to observing them more or less consistently. From an ornithological point of view, December and January are considered the wintering period and after a 2022 which was confirmed the hottest ever recorded in Italy with more evident anomalies in the north-west, the last month of the year was no different and the data collected highlighted the various anomalies found above all in the south which, according to experts, are worrying. In fact, some snowfall in the north, the cloud cover, the cold air coming from northern Europe at the beginning of the month, however, kept the temperatures lower, while in the south the sun was the real protagonist. Thus the month of December 2022 ranks among the hottest ever in Italy. With the hope of returning to normal, January 2023 opens with mild and rainy weather, then colder in the last part of the month.
The rains of the past months
From the point of view of rainfall, it was a rather rainy month especially from the second decade especially in the south, in the Adriatic sectors and in Sardinia, while in the north-west, in particular in Piedmont, in the Alps and in the Ionian sector of Sicily , a rainfall deficit has arisen. In terms of ornithology, if the previous winter season 21-22 was lacking in the number of individuals for each species that winter on our peninsula, the one just ended for many has shown a worsening of the situation. In the large turdids, Cesena, which was noted at the beginning of the autumn migration in good numbers, stopped in the territories between the high hills and the mountains, thus snubbing the plain most likely due to the mild temperatures and the good presence of pasture which has not enticed the species to large movements towards lower areas. This benefited the observers placed on the reliefs, who enjoyed a few days with the presence of small contingents, but without striking numbers.
The protagonist species
Contrary to Cesena, the Redwing together with the Hawfinch, like last year, have replicated their scarce presence, to which however this year the absence of the Brambling has clearly been added. If the two finches have not been seen in most of the country, the redwing has appeared in small groups only in sporadic areas. The only protagonist species were Wood Pigeon, Siskin and Chaffinch which were noted in a uniform and optimal way on the territory. And what about the queen of the woods? According to the testimonies, after a good pace between October and November and some observations in the first ten days of December, it seems that the lack of rainfall especially in the north and a mild winter have no longer favored good matches. Among the passerines, it should be remembered that both the various Titmice, Pettirosso and Scoper Sparrow have maintained a good presence in the parks and in the wooded environments, while in the countryside Pispola and Skylark with linnet have appeared in discrete numbers. The presence of Storno, Merlo and Tordela is very localized.
The presence of corvids
For the second consecutive year the Spioncelli did not impress. Needless to underline the omnipresence of corvids in every environment. Among the waterfowl, the presence of mallards, moorhens and herons in general is good as always, as are the teals and, more discreetly, the snipe. Unfortunately, according to analyzes carried out and studies being carried out by experts, for now it should be underlined that in a meteorological context tending to rise in average temperatures, one can only expect short-range migratory birds to remain in their nesting sites or winter in very adjacent territories, thus arriving at neglecting the territories located at lower latitudes where we have always been used to observing them. Only the course of time and the evolution of the seasons will give the answer to these natural changes full of unknowns. (Walter Sassi-ANUU).