The wonder of migratory birds at Parco Beigua
Cranes, short-toed eagles, migratory birds of prey and passerines: in Liguria, at the end of winter, the wonder of migratory birds in Parco Beigua. An expert tells us all about it
It may happen to you on the heights around the Parco del Beigua or near the Passo del Turchino or the Faiallo. Suddenly you hear a loud noise: it seems as if someone, but not just one person, a multitude, is calling you from far away. Or you are at the beach, at Arenzano, or Varazze. You will hear it there during one of the breaks on the shore. Right, now look up. You will see waves crossing the sky: a flock of cranes is flying overhead.
In late winter, between February and March, hundreds, if not thousands of cranes fly over Liguria. They are headed north, guided by instinct, by the extraordinary innate compass of migratory birds. The phenomenon has seen a notable increase in recent years. There are more and more reports of sightings and the number of individual cranes is ever increasing. The area where it is easiest to see them is Western Liguria, especially between Monte Beigua and the Turchino pass, but, if you are lucky, you will be able to see them when they fly over the centre and the heights of Genoa.
We discussed it with Antonio Aluigi, Head of the Biodiversity Area of Parco Beigua. 3 March will be World Wildlife Day, established by the UN.
But who are these cranes? Where do they come from? Why do they fly over our heads?
Yes, the tone of the question is more that of a grumbling Ligurian from the hinterland than that of Alberto Angela. But Aluigi doesn’t get flustered and maintains his scientific aplomb in his response:
“The Crane (scientific name Grus grus) is a wader, like the stork and the heron. It is large in size, with a wingspan of over two meters, long legs and neck, a small head and beak, and a short tail. Except when nesting, when it lives in pairs, it is a very social animal, loving large groups. It displays a majestic flight, with large flat wings with slow, powerful movements, suitable for long journeys, in which phases of wing beats alternate with long glides. The neck and legs are visibly stretched out, seeking the centre of gravity and aerodynamics.
The cranes arrive from Central Spain and fly over the Beigua from the beginning of February. But they don’t stop here, they’re heading to the Baltic area. They enter Liguria from the southwest, head towards Genoa and then go up the valleys perpendicular to the coast, Val Bisagno, Stura.
So they are just passing through Liguria. But how many are there?
“They don’t stop in Liguria, either to eat or to rest. Only sometimes, only if they encounter bad weather. They just fly over it. They are migratory birds. They fly in formations of hundreds, like huge Vs crossing the sky. At the end of the migration, it is estimated that at least 7-8,000 cranes have passed over the Beigua area from southwest to northeast”.
The story of crane migration is absolutely fascinating. Even the most uneducated Ligurian would fall in love with this bird, which nature sends on an incredible journey twice a year, in February and October. Anyone would stand for hours with their head tilted back waiting for them and then watching these incredible birds fly, listening to their particular call, which from the ground sounds like a distant, interrupted conversation.
“In flight, the flocks move in V-formations or along oblique lines,” Aluigi continues. “The crane is a vociferous bird: it probably uses its calls to regulate its flight. You can tell when flocks are approaching by their call, literally a subtle “squawking”. They have no schedule and are active throughout the twenty-four hours: they can be observed during the day, but it is not uncommon to hear them during the night and it is a wondrous experience”.
“The flocks are V-shaped or assume oblique line formations. You can tell when they are approaching by their calls, a distant “squawking.”
“They don’t stop in Liguria, either to eat or to rest. Only, sometimes, if they encounter bad weather. They simply pass over it, heading north”
Birdwatchers, get ready!
And, in fact, cranes are winning over more and more enthusiasts, from the most expert birdwatchers familiar with these phenomena to naturalists armed with binoculars, to the simple curious who visit the Parco del Beigua during this period, aware (but also surprised) of witnessing a unique spectacle offered by nature.
“There are days when so many arrive. 20 February 2022, for example, was a record day: for around three hours, from 15:30 to 18:30, the area between the eastern Savona and western Genoa was witness to an uninterrupted flow of cranes. Taking the Varazze hinterland as a reference, over 10,500 individual birds passed through.
“Cranes display a majestic flight, with large, flat wings that move slowly and powerfully, suitable for long journeys, in which phases of wing beats alternate with long glides”
“We have been monitoring birds of prey from March to September for 20 years. We have noticed that from 10 February to 10 March up to 5,000 cranes arrived, with peaks of 2-3-4 thousand cranes per day. The sightings were in the Beigua area, but also in the eastern part of Genoa and the western Riviera, with incursions into Lower Piedmont. This year’s data is still incomplete. But anyone can help us: with #GruNelBeigua, a collective birdwatching experience started as an experiment in 2019 which immediately aroused fervent enthusiasm and involved many observers, not only from the Beigua area but from all over Liguria, Lower Piedmont and from other areas of northern Italy. Observers who have become faithful collaborators, precise and specific, ready to report flyovers, even outside the usual monitoring periods. Over the past two years, we’ve gotten used to some truly intense days, with dozens of reports, photos, and videos that were then used by ornithologists Luca Baghino and Alessandro Ghiggi to conduct counts, with truly extraordinary results. On our website you can find days out and treks for birdwatching, including those for cranes: http://www.parcobeigua.it/.
Then there are collective events, such as the Open Day at the Ornithological Centre on Sunday, 2 March 2025 with a walk that will take you into the surprising world of migratory birds. The Biancone day 2025 on Sunday, 16 March will instead be a day dedicated to observing the passage of large migratory birds of prey in the skies of Beigua: Short-toed eagles, honey buzzards, kites, marsh harriers and booted eagles, to mention just a few.
What other wild animals do you track?
We specialise in two types of birds, migratory and nesting, the short-toed eagle and the honey buzzard (in March) and some birds of prey and passerines that nest in the area. Every year, in mid-March, after the cranes, we organise the Short-toed Snake Eagle Day dedicated to this extraordinary bird of prey and thanks to WWF funding, other green areas have been restored where the great crested newt lives, a very rare amphibian, a protected species in danger of extinction. We are also part of the LIFE WolfAlps EU project designed to monitor the coexistence between wolf and man in the Alps, avoiding the problems that may occur from the return of this protected animal.
