I will add to this when I have time over the next week or so. This wasn't a high intensity birding trip, it was a family half term break. Those wanting to see accounts of Siciliian Rock Partridges, Lanners and Pallas's Gull should look away now.
Hopefully though I will be able to give some useful information to people considering an alternative to Mallorca and the like for family friendly birding, as Trapani really does have merits in that regard. Firstly it is possible to fly to Trapani at reasonable price, and transfer to Trapani itself by bus for less than a fiver. Parts of the extensive saltpan complex south of Trapani can be reached in a not very arduous walk from the town. Other sites (including the bay of Masala) are accessible by public transport, which I was pleased about as the local approach to driving was clearly robust...
We saw about 76 species whilst doing a lot of normal tourist things. I will put a full list up later, after summarising the sites we visited in turn.
More to follow...
Stephen.
Day 1
We explored the town of Trapani all day today. Crudely summarised it is an old town and port with newer development on the landward lide of this. We found it a great place to stay, with a pleasing mixture of the historic and modern.
First bird of the trip was a Grey Wagtail from our apartment (we arrived after dark the night before). Feral Pigeon, Yellow-llegged Gull, 'Spanish' Sparrow and Robin soon followed. I had permission to do a spot of seawatching at the western tip of the town, this produced no seabirds but there was a Blue Rock Thrush in the vicinity as well as Stonechats, Goldfinches and passing Skylark flocks. A rather surreal moment as well as a local emptied a bag of three octopuses on the ground in front of me, I think he may have thought the scope was a camera.
After lunch we walked along the norther shore of the Trapani peninsula. The trip list ticked over with Black-headed Gulls, Hooded Crows, Little Egrets , a Common Sandpiper, Sardinian and Fan-tailed Warblers. Near a deserted hotel we explored an area of rough ground where there were a few Crested Larks, and pleasingly a Slender-billed Gull drifted past.
Early evening we walked back to the port, where a female Redstart in incongruous surroundings was clearly a migrant. Towards dusk a huge sparrow roost gathered near the town park, they were difficult to see well in terms of Spanish versus Italian, but it was impossible not to hear them. It was as impressive aurally as any British Starling roost.