Magadino Plain
01 May 2021 – 02 May 2021
In springtime, the Magadino Plain is the last stop for migrants before crossing the alps. If it rains during this time, there can be massive bird fallouts. The heavier the rain, the better. If the weather is nice, the area is still pretty interesting, but nothing compared to a weekend like this!
I had a fantastic birding weekend, and I even missed rarities like Black Scoters, Stone Curlew, Great Snipe, Richard's Pipit, Short-toed Lark, Subalpine Warblers and Collared Flycatchers that were seen by others. There are rare birds everywhere, you just have to find them.
Visited Sites
General Travelling Information
direct train from Zurich -> Bellinzona / about 1h40min
then, take a local train from Bellinzona to the smaller villages (Giubiasco, S. Antonino, Riazzino, Gordola or whatever) and start checking the fields! you'll be there in about 5-10min.
For the Bolle Di Magadino, get off the train / bus in Gordola (North Side of Bolle) or Magadino (South Side of Bolle)
Acknowledgements
Spring is by far the best time of the year to visit this area.
Species List
- Mute Swan Cygnus olor
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Garganey
Spatula querquedula
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
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- Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
- Mallard (Domestic type) Anas platyrhynchos (Domestic type)
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Common Pochard
Aythya ferina
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
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- Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
- Common Merganser Mergus merganser
- Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
- Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus
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Eared Grebe
Podiceps nigricollis
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
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- Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) Columba livia (Feral Pigeon)
- Common Wood-Pigeon Columba palumbus
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European Turtle-Dove
Streptopelia turtur
details
sounds
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Magadino plain
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Common Cuckoo
Cuculus canorus
details
sounds
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Magadino plain
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- Alpine Swift Tachymarptis melba
- Common Swift Apus apus
- Water Rail Rallus aquaticus
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Spotted Crake
Porzana porzana
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
2021-05-01 2 ind.
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- Eurasian Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
- Eurasian Coot Fulica atra
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Little Crake
Zapornia parva
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
2021-05-01 1 ind.
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Common Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticula
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
2021-05-02 3 ind.
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Little Ringed Plover
Charadrius dubius
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
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- Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago
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Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
2021-05-02 20 ind.
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Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropus
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
2021-05-02 2 ind.
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Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareola
details
sounds
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Magadino plain
2021-05-01 47 ind. -
Bolle di Magadino
2021-05-01 75 ind. days before, even more shorebirds were reported, including 70 Greenshanks, 70 Ruffs, 20 Sanderlings and many more ... missed them
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Common Redshank
Tringa totanus
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
2021-05-02 1 ind.
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Common Greenshank
Tringa nebularia
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
2021-05-01 4 ind.
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Little Stint
Calidris minuta
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
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- Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis
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Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscus
details
sounds
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Black Tern
Chlidonias niger
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
2021-05-01 20 ind.
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- Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
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Black-crowned Night Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
2021-05-01 28 ind. very many
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Great Egret
Ardea alba
details
sounds
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Magadino plain
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Bolle di Magadino
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- Gray Heron Ardea cinerea
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Purple Heron
Ardea purpurea
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
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Western Marsh Harrier
Circus aeruginosus
details
sounds
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Magadino plain
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Bolle di Magadino
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Pallid Harrier
Circus macrourus
details
sounds
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Montagu's Harrier
Circus pygargus
details
sounds
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Magadino plain
2021-05-01 1 ind. -
Bolle di Magadino
2021-05-02 2 ind.
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- Red Kite Milvus milvus
- Black Kite Milvus migrans
- Common Buzzard Buteo buteo
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Eurasian Hoopoe
Upupa epops
details
sounds
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Magadino plain
2021-05-02 1 ind.
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Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthis
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
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Eurasian Wryneck
Jynx torquilla
details
sounds
- Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major
- Eurasian Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
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Red-footed Falcon
Falco vespertinus
details
sounds
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Eurasian Golden Oriole
Oriolus oriolus
details
sounds
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Magadino plain
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Red-backed Shrike
Lanius collurio
details
sounds
- Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius
- Carrion Crow Corvus corone
- Hooded Crow Corvus cornix
- Marsh Tit Poecile palustris
- Eurasian Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus
- Great Tit Parus major
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Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensis
details
sounds
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Magadino plain
2021-05-01 2 ind.
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Great Reed Warbler
Acrocephalus arundinaceus
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
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- Common Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia
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Bank Swallow
Riparia riparia
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
2021-05-02 300 ind.
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Eurasian Crag-Martin
Ptyonoprogne rupestris
details
sounds
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enroute
2021-05-02 2 ind.
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- Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
- Western House-Martin Delichon urbicum
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Red-rumped Swallow
Cecropis daurica
details
sounds
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Magadino plain
2021-05-01 1 ind. -
Bolle di Magadino
2021-05-01 1 ind.
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Wood Warbler
Phylloscopus sibilatrix
details
sounds
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Magadino plain
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Bolle di Magadino
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Western Bonelli's Warbler
Phylloscopus bonelli
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
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Willow Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilus
details
sounds
about 15
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Bolle di Magadino
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- Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita
- Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus
- Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla
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Lesser Whitethroat
Curruca curruca
about 10
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Greater Whitethroat
Curruca communis
about 25
- Common Firecrest Regulus ignicapilla
- Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea
- Eurasian Treecreeper Certhia familiaris
- Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes
- European Starling Sturnus vulgaris
- Eurasian Blackbird Turdus merula
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Spotted Flycatcher
Muscicapa striata
about 20
- European Robin Erithacus rubecula
- Common Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos
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European Pied Flycatcher
Ficedula hypoleuca
about 30
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Common Redstart
Phoenicurus phoenicurus
about 25 in total
- Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros
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Whinchat
Saxicola rubetra
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
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European Stonechat
Saxicola rubicola
details
sounds
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Magadino plain
2021-05-01 1 ind.
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Northern Wheatear
Oenanthe oenanthe
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
- Italian Sparrow Passer italiae
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Western Yellow Wagtail
Motacilla flava
details
sounds
many thunbergi, many flava, some cinereocapilla, 1 feldegg, 1 supercilliaris
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Citrine Wagtail
Motacilla citreola
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
2021-05-02 1 ind.
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- White Wagtail Motacilla alba
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Tawny Pipit
Anthus campestris
details
sounds
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Magadino plain
2021-05-01 1 ind.
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Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensis
about 30 in total
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Tree Pipit
Anthus trivialis
about 45 in total
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Red-throated Pipit
Anthus cervinus
details
sounds
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Bolle di Magadino
2021-05-02 1 ind.
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Water Pipit
Anthus spinoletta
about 50 in total
- Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs
- European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis
- European Serin Serinus serinus
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Yellowhammer
Emberiza citrinella
details
sounds
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Magadino plain
2021-05-01 1 ind.
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- Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus
Last updated: 05 May 2021