Birds I Bumped Into

Over the years, I have come across many beautiful birds while exploring nature reserves, protected areas, and natural parks. This page is a collection of my photographs—snapshots of unexpected encounters with birds in their wild habitats. I’m not a bird photographer by attitude, but every now and then, while focusing on flowers or insects, a feathered visitor would cross my path and catch my eye. Just as per title ” Birds I Bumped Into “

All the photos in this gallery were taken in nature reserves and protected areas, where birds are free to live and move without disturbance. These places offer safe spaces for wildlife and wonderful opportunities for people like me to enjoy moments of quiet observation. Whether it’s a curious robin, a shy heron, or a group of noisy finches, each sighting has been a gift.

Most of these birds were photographed in parks and wetlands around my home area, often during slow walks with my camera in hand. Still, every photo tells a small story about that place, that season, that little moment shared with nature.

I hope this gallery encourages others to look up while walking through a forest or sitting near a lake. You don’t need special equipment to appreciate birds in nature reserves. Sometimes, all it takes is patience and attention.

If you’re a fan of wild birds or enjoy visiting natural parks, this page is for you. Scroll through images, and discover the birds I bumped into — no planning, just chance, and a little curiosity. Each image is a reminder of the beauty we can find when we take the time to notice.

The images on these pages relate to the photographic shots taken since FEBRUARY 2021. Photographs taken mainly in North East of the Milan province (Lombardia region – Italy). If not in this area, each image will include location/site of the shooting. Time by time, these images will be replaced with new ones (same subject), better in my opinion. I apologize for any incorrect classification of birds in the images of the site. If you have any suggestions, these are welcome. THIS SITE PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND COMPLETION

If you wish to see more photographs and/or possibly purchase them. Both of this species and others NOT yet presented here… You can connect to the DEDICATED page of my SHUTTERSTOCK portfolio. HIGH DEFINITION photographs, captured over the last few years, are downloadable. In case of purchase, you WILL HELP me to keep the website open and enrich it with new content – Thank you !

*** Alphabetical order, following scientific name in Latin

Cyanistes caeruleus – Eurasian blue tit s a small passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae. It is easily recognised by its blue and yellow plumage and small size. Eurasian blue tits, usually resident and non-migratory birds, are widespread and a common resident breeder throughout temperate and subarctic Europe and parts of Western Asia in deciduous or mixed woodlands, often with a high proportion of oak. Eurasian blue tit prefers insects and spiders for its diet. Outside the breeding season, they also eat seeds and other vegetable-based foods. The birds are noted for their acrobatic skills, as they can hold on to the outermost branches of trees and shrubs and hang upside down when looking for food. Eurasian blue tit is usually 10.5–12 cm. long with a wingspan of 17.5–20 cm. for both sexes, and weighs about 11 gr.. A typical blue tit has an intensively blue crown and dark blue line passing through the eye, and encircling the white cheeks to the chin, giving the bird a very distinctive appearance. The forehead and a bar on the wing are white. The nape, wings and tail are blue, and the back is yellowish green. The underparts are mostly sulphur-yellow with a dark line down the abdomen; the yellowness is indicative of the number of yellowy-green caterpillars eaten, due to high levels of carotene pigments in the diet. The bill is black, the legs bluish grey, and the irises dark brown. The sexes are similar and often indistinguishable to human eyes, but under ultraviolet light, males have a brighter blue crown. Juvenile birds are yellower and have fewer contrasting colours. They become similar to mature ones in September, although some parts of the wings are kept until May/June next year. – Location: Trezzo sull’Adda (Milan) – Photos Taken: March 2024, December 2025

Dendrocopos major – Great spotted woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker with pied black and white plumage and a red patch on the lower belly. Males and young birds also have red markings on the neck or head. This species is found across the Palearctic. Across most of its range it is resident, but in the north some will migrate if the conifer cone. crop fails. An adult great spotted woodpecker is 20–24 cm. long, weighs 70–100 gr. and has a 34–39 cm. wingspan. The upperparts are glossy blue-black, with white on the sides of the face and neck. Black lines run from the shoulder to the nape, the base of the bill and about halfway across the breast. There is a large white shoulder patch and the flight feathers are barred with black and white, as is the tail. The underparts are white other than a scarlet lower belly and undertail. The bill is slate-black, the legs greenish-grey and the eye is deep red. Males have a crimson patch on the nape, which is absent from the otherwise similar females. Juvenile birds are less glossy than adults and have a brown tinge to their upperparts and dirty white underparts. Their markings are less well-defined than the adult’s and the lower belly is pink rather than red. The crown of the juvenile’s head is red, less extensively in young females than males. – Location: Trezzo sull’Adda (Milan) – Photos Taken: March 2024

Erithacus rubecula – European robin known simply as the robin, is a small insectivorous passerine bird that belongs to the Old World Flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is 12.5 – 14.0 cm. in length; the male and female are identical in plumage, with an orange-toned red breast and face lined with grey, brown upper-parts and a whitish belly. Juveniles are distinct, freckled brown all over and without the red breast; first-winter immatures are like the adults, except for more obvious yellow-brown tips to the wing covert feathers. – Location: Trezzo sull’Adda (Milan) – Photos Taken: February 2021, March 2024

Ixobrychus minutus – Little Bittern is a small heron, easily recognized by its distinctive plumage and size. Males have black crowns, napes, backs, tails, and scapulars, contrasting with buff-white wing coverts and underparts. Females are duller with brownish-black upperparts and streaked underparts. Both sexes have pale forewing panels. They are the smallest of the breeding herons in Europe, with a length of 33-38 cm and a wingspan of 52-58 cm. – Location: Trezzo sull’Adda (Milan) – Photos Taken: May and June 2025

Parus major – The Great tit is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common species throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and east across the Paleartic to the Amur river, to parts of North Africa; where it is generally resident in any sort of woodland. Most great tits do not migrate except in extremely harsh winters. The Great tit is large abt 12.5 to 14 cm in length, and has a distinctive appearance that makes it easy to recognize. The breast is bright lemon-yellow and there is a broad black mid-line stripe running from the bib to vent. There is a dull white spot on the neck turning to greenish yellow on the upper nape. The rest of the nape and back are green tinged with olive. The wing-coverts are green, the rest of the wing is bluish-grey with a white wing-bar. The tail is bluish grey with white outer tips. The plumage of the female is similar to that of the male except that the colours are overall duller; the bib is less intensely black, as is the line running down the belly, which is also narrower and sometimes broken. Young birds are like the female, except that they have dull olive-brown napes and necks, greyish rumps, and grayer tails, with less defined white tips. – Location: Trezzo sull’Adda (Milan) – Photos Taken: March 2024

Phylloscopus collybita – The Common chiffchaff, or simply the Chiffchaff, is a common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds in open woodlands throughout northern and temperate Europe and the Palearctic. It is a migratory passerine which winters in southern and western Europe, southern Asia and north Africa. Greenish-brown above and off-white below, it is named onomatopoeically for its simple chiff-chaff song. Chiffchaff is known to be difficult to observe due to its habit of moving quickly through the vegetation. – Location: Trezzo sull’Adda (Milan) – Photos Taken: March 2025

Prunella modularis – The Dunnock, is a small passerine, or perching bird, found throughout temperate Europe and into Asian Russia. It is the most widespread member of the accentor family; most other accentors are limited to mountain habitats. A robin-sized bird, the dunnock typically measures 13–14.5 cm. in length. It has a brown back streaked blackish, somewhat resembling a small house sparrow. Like that species, the dunnock has a drab appearance which may have evolved as camouflage to avoid predation. It is brownish underneath, and has a fine pointed bill. Adults have a dull grey head, and both sexes are similarly coloured; juveniles are browner on the head, looser, ‘fluffy’ feathering, and more obviously streaked overall. Dunnocks are territorial and may engage in conflict with other birds that encroach upon their nests. Males sometimes share a territory and exhibit a strict dominance hierarchy. Nevertheless, this social dominance is not translated into benefits to the alpha male in terms of reproduction, since paternity is usually equally shared between males of the group.- Location: Trezzo sull’Adda (Milan) – Photos Taken: March 2024

Regulus regulus – The Goldcrest is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. Its colourful golden  crest feathers, as well as being called the “king of the birds” in European folklore. This kinglet has greenish upper-parts, whitish under-parts, and has two white wingbars. It has a plain face contrasting black irises and a bright head crest, orange and yellow in the male and yellow in the female, which is displayed during breeding. The Goldcrest is the smallest European bird, 8.5–9.5 cm. in length. With a 13.5–15.5 cm. wingspan, and weight of 4.5–7.0 gr. – Location: Trezzo sull’Adda (Milan) – Photos Taken: November 2025

Tachybaptus ruficollis – Dabchick, is a member of the grebe water bird family. At 23 to 29 cm. in length, it is the smallest European member of its family. It is commonly found in open bodies of water across most of its range. Rounded head, puffy rear end. Seen mainly as singles and small loose flocks, often sleeping during the day. Breeding plumage often looks dark overall; in good light note dark rusty head and neck sides with yellow patch at base of bill. Non-breeding plumage dingy pale brownish overall with dark cap. – Location: Trezzo sull’Adda (Milan) – Photos Taken: May 2024, November 2025

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