Our Beautiful Local Wildlife

Whilst exploring around our garden and lanes, listen out for some of our feathered friends.

The Golden Oriole has the most amazing, oily, flute-like song and can regularly be heard from the garden. Whilst very rare in the UK, we are luchy enough to have them all around. Spotting them is a different matter altogether!

Click on the oriole to link to the RSPB and listen to this stunning bird.

If you are lucky, you may spot one of the beautiful buzzards circling overhead. They love to fly high on the thermals, looking for prey over the garden. Listen out for their kitten-like meow.

Click on the buzzard to link to the RSPB and find out more about this graceful bird.

One of the most colourful sights in our garden (apart from the Oriole which is difficult to spot!) is definitely the amazing Hoopoe. With its tan body and stripy wings, huge crest and long beak, he really is an odd looking fellow. About the same size as a large thrush. Hope you get to see one whilst staying at The Hideaway

Click on the hoopoe to link to the RSPB and listen to this colourful bird.

There are many wild deer along our country lanes, so keep your eye out whilst driving along.

One of our favourite local places to go for a walk is the lake at San Ruffino, where deer can be spotted through the woods in a fenced area for their protection. The best time to go is just before dusk, when they are being fed - the other day we spotted 16 all together including this very beautiful chap.

One of the funniest looking creatures around these parts is the porcupine. He can be spotted along our lanes looking quite dizzy as they get disorientated by the cars headlights.

Porcupines are not originally indignious to Italy - they were brough here as a food souce by th Romans as they are easy to look after as they could survive the wide variety of temperatures throughtout the Roman empire. The meat aparently tastes of pork, hense the name 'porcospino' or spiny pig.