Birdwatching Elba Island: an itinerary looking upwards

Birdwatching is one of the many activities you can do on Elba Island. And if you’re a birdwatcher, there’s an enjoyable walk you shouldn’t miss: it’s the Volo delle Rondini (The flight of swallows), on 27th September.

The meeting point of this itinerary is the Zanca, a small hamlet of Marciana. It’s a really ancient town: its existence is documented from the XVI century. The etymology of the name can hail from the Lombardic word zanka, which means “pincers”. In the proximity there is also Sant’Andrea beach, one of the most beautiful on Elba Island.

The meeting is set at 10 AM at the crossroad of Zanca. The itinerary is not so long, in fact it lasts about three hours. An itinerary between the blue of the sea and the green of Elba’s nature. The guide will be the expert Giorgio Paesani: through the nature of the island, you’ll learn how to recognize swallows, seagulls, birds of prey and passerines that live on the coasts and in the woods of Elba Island.

And once you’ll finish this birdwatching itinerary? You’ll be along the Anello occidentale dell’isola d’Elba, so you can see Marciana Marina, Poggio and Chiessi (just some examples).

Portoferraio is one of the principal tourist ports on Elba Island. From here, just take the provincial road 25 and follow the road signs to Zanca. The trip is about three quarters of an hour by car.

Image source: Flickr.com/photos/niceimages