Which birds can you look for on the Lesina lagoon, and when? This calendar only states what two official sources say: the Gargano National Park and the Natura 2000 data form of the protected area. Where the sources give a season but not the months, or do not say at all, we mark it “To be confirmed” instead of guessing.
Month by month
Birdwatching calendar for the Lesina lagoon, month by month| Month | What the official sources say |
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| January | Winter: large flocks of wintering waterbirds on the lagoon (Gargano National Park). The Natura 2000 form also lists the flamingo as wintering. See the species below. |
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| February | Winter: large flocks of wintering waterbirds on the lagoon (Gargano National Park). The Natura 2000 form also lists the flamingo as wintering. See the species below. |
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| March | No month-level information in the official sources we found. See the nesting and passage lists below for what is reported, without dates. |
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| April | No month-level information in the official sources we found. See the nesting and passage lists below for what is reported, without dates. |
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| May | No month-level information in the official sources we found. See the nesting and passage lists below for what is reported, without dates. |
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| June | No month-level information in the official sources we found. See the nesting and passage lists below for what is reported, without dates. |
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| July | No month-level information in the official sources we found. See the nesting and passage lists below for what is reported, without dates. |
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| August | No month-level information in the official sources we found. See the nesting and passage lists below for what is reported, without dates. |
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| September | No month-level information in the official sources we found. See the nesting and passage lists below for what is reported, without dates. |
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| October | No month-level information in the official sources we found. See the nesting and passage lists below for what is reported, without dates. |
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| November | No month-level information in the official sources we found. See the nesting and passage lists below for what is reported, without dates. |
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| December | Winter: large flocks of wintering waterbirds on the lagoon (Gargano National Park). The Natura 2000 form also lists the flamingo as wintering. See the species below. |
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Winter months (December to February) follow the Park's wording “in winter”; the exact start and end of the wintering period is not stated by the sources.
To be confirmed Monthly arrival, peak and departure dates for each species are not published in the sources we checked. Ask the Park Visitor Centre before planning a trip around a specific species.
Winter: wintering waterbirds
The Park describes the lagoon in winter as crossed by large flocks of wintering waterbirds: Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Mallard and Northern Shoveler, together with herons (ardeids), waders (limicoles) and gulls. The Natura 2000 form for the protected area (which covers the Lesina and Varano lakes together) also gives wintering counts, with the year not stated:
- Common Pochard (Aythya ferina): 3,998 individuals
- Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata): 646 individuals
- Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula): 434 individuals
- Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula): 159 individuals
- Northern Pintail (Anas acuta): 119 individuals
The same form lists as wintering, without counts: Eurasian Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Little Egret, Great Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron, Pygmy Cormorant, Osprey, Western Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Greater Scaup, Ferruginous Duck and White-headed Duck. This is a selection: the full list is in the source.
To be confirmed Which months each species is present, and the best weeks to see them, are not confirmed.
Flamingos
The Natura 2000 form for the Lesina and Varano lakes lists the flamingo (entered under the name Phoenicopterus ruber, the name used in the EU Birds Directive) as a wintering species and rates the area's flamingo population in its top class (A). The form gives no count and no months. The Park page we checked (eastern lagoon) does not mention flamingos.
To be confirmed Whether flamingos are present in spring, summer or autumn, where on the lagoon they gather, and their numbers in a given year are not confirmed by an official source.
Nesting season
The Park names these nesting species on the eastern lagoon: Purple Heron, Little Tern (Fraticello), Black-winged Stilt (Cavaliere d'Italia), Common Reed Warbler and Great Crested Grebe, plus some ducks. The Natura 2000 form adds Pied Avocet and Moustached Warbler, and the Eurasian Bittern as a probable nester. It adds that some rare species, such as Little Tern and Black-winged Stilt, nest only in those places, and that the dune scrub behind the sea holds nesting European Nightjar and Eurasian Stone-curlew.
To be confirmed The months of the nesting season for each species, and any seasonal closures of nesting areas, are not confirmed.
Spring and autumn stopovers
The Natura 2000 form says the lagoons have a very important role as a stopover and wintering ground for many waterbirds. It marks these species as concentrating (stopover) on the site: Squacco Heron, Black Tern, Whiskered Tern, Black Stork, Short-eared Owl, Great Reed Warbler and Aquatic Warbler.
To be confirmed The form does not say in which months these birds pass through, nor how many.
Where to look
According to the Natura 2000 form, the most interesting places for the birdlife are the old river mouths of S. Andrea and Cauto, the Muschiaturo marsh and the wide reed beds of the eastern lagoon (Sacca Orientale). The Park describes the eastern lagoon (a 930 ha state nature reserve, mostly fresh water with dense reeds) as an area not open to visitors: access is limited for scientific reasons. Park contact for the reserve: tel. +39 0884 560944.
To be confirmed Public viewing points, bird hides, opening times, guided outings and the paths that can be walked are not confirmed. Please ask the Visitor Centre in Lesina before you go, and respect every access restriction.
About the data
The Natura 2000 standard data form (updated December 2023) covers a protected area of about 15,200 ha made up of both the Lesina and Varano lagoons, so its species lists are not specific to Lesina alone. The Park page covers the eastern part of the Lesina lagoon only. This page has not been checked against field observations.
To be confirmed A sighting calendar built on local counts (for example from the national waterbird census) is not available to us yet.
