Ficedula Press Release, October 31, 2022

Everyone’s Crazy About the American Migrant

At Bolle di Magadino, the first incredible sighting of a North American species—the Yellow-throated Warbler, a small North American passerine—was made last Saturday by Ivan Maggini, an ornithologist from Ticino.

The sighting—the first known record of this species in continental Europe—confirms the importance of the protected area in Ticino within the network of continental wetlands, but it could also be a further sign of climate change.

Dozens and dozens of birdwatchers and ornithologists came yesterday and are flocking to Magadino in the hope of spotting the rare visitor. Enthusiasts are arriving not only from Ticino but from every region of Switzerland and northern Italy, and some have even come from Austria!

The Yellow-throated Warbler is still present this morning, October 31, 2022, and can be seen near the Pèpa Dam.

Photograph by Dolores De Maria.