Thrushes - Migration Thrushes 2012-2013: The autumn movements of the thrush demonstrate a predilection for all of Italy and its fabulous islands.
Although in Italy there are at least three variants of the delicious thrush, the most commonly spread is that bottaccio, followed immediately by the sassello and the cesena.
It is a coveted prey, very coveted one would say and there are at least two reasons: it is difficult to capture and its flesh is a real delight for lovers of the genre. This is why every year we are interested in its migratory paths with a maniacal passion: today we dedicate ourselves to a particular season, the autumn one.
Generally speaking, we can recall that the bottaccio has a Eurosibiric distribution and its reproductive area is wide: it goes from Ireland to the mountain ranges of southern Spain, even reaching Iran.
It does not disdain to reside in the reproductive areas although the thrushes located in the northernmost locations, in general prefer to migrate in search of better conditions. It almost seems that the song thrush, unlike the sassello and the cesena, it grows fond of the wintering areas, demonstrating absolute loyalty to them.
For this reason the thrush's autumn movements are pleasantly predictable: they move from Fenno - Scandinavia, from Germany, from Switzerland, from Poland and from the old Soviet Union taking directions that lead them towards South East and South West.
Migratory flight commonly carries i song thrushes to winter in France, Spain and Portugal, but the bottacci originating from the northernmost areas even reach the Canaries, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Cyprus, and those originating from Central Eastern Europe opt for Italy, the Balkans and Greece.
And we have decided to deal with Italy, remembering that the song thrush is a great frequenter of the peninsula and its islands: it regularly nests in the Alps and Apennines starting from low altitudes up to 1500 meters above sea level, but not only.
The concentration of thrushes in Lombardy and Veneto is truly remarkable, although the presence of the migratory bird also in the rest of the peninsula and especially in Sardinia is noteworthy. This fascinating migratory flow occurs during the autumn season, between the end of September and the end of November, and it is precisely during this period that the greatest number of catches occurs both for hunting and for scientific purposes.
Popular consciousness and studies show that i migratory flows of thrushes they are very high throughout the month of October with peaks in the third decade of the month and in the first week of November. To admire new migratory flows of this fabulous bird you will have to wait for the third decade of December and early January, when the first return movements occur.
It is thanks to the ringing of the thrushes that it is now possible to say, with absolute certainty, that Italy is a real migratory crossroads of the bottaccio. In fact, in the peninsula and on the islands there are recaptures of birds coming from practically all European countries and the western Palearctic.
In general, the greatest migratory flow comes from Hungary, the Czech Republic, Germany, but also from Switzerland, Poland and Russia, Scandinavia and the Baltic Republics; this demonstrates that the song thrush is capable of covering even surprising distances. In general, these are around 1000 km, but can also reach 5000 km.
The recapture takes place roughly throughout the Italian territory, from the Alps to Sicily, although the role of the islands is truly surprising: for example, the numbers collected in Sardinia in the Oristano and Nuorese areas are really relevant. to the localities of Seneghe and Cuglieri.
About twenty days after the arrival of the bottaccio, Italy is also reached by the Sassello and only with the arrival of the first intense colds do the Cesene visit the beautiful country.