Vendicari Oriented Natural Reserve

The Vendicari Nature Reserve is an important and significant wetland area, also included among the Ramsar sites of international importance, consisting of a narrow strip of land along the coast of the Gulf of Noto, in the extreme southeastern corner of Sicily. It represents, at the ecological level, a coastal area of high biological and naturalistic value for the presence of different biotopes such as the rocky coast, the sandy coast, the Mediterranean maquis, the marshes, the salt marshes and the garigues that determine a richness and diversity, of ecosystems and species, unique in the world. The reserve, in fact, stretches along a limited marshy coastal strip, of fundamental importance for migratory birds of all origins, where the strong presence of marshes, some with high salinity, has contributed to the creation of an ecosystem that welcomes every year hundreds of species of avifauna that, alternating according to the seasons and the climate they encounter, stop to overwinter, rest or find refreshment during the long stages of transfer from one continent to another before reaching their migratory destinations. For this reason Vendicari has been referred to over the years as “the hotel of birds,” a characteristic that has made it famous as an unparalleled place for birdwatching activities. In addition to several species of waders, including grey herons and flamingos, mallards, cormorants and the stilt-bird, which stops in the reserve on its way from Africa to its nesting sites in northern Europe, during the winter period, it is possible to observe the rare osprey engaged in hunting mullet and bass in the reserve’s marshes. During the spring period, however, it is possible to observe both white and black storks. Floristic species found in the reserve include juniper, tamarisk, and glasswort, as well as halophilous and rufous species such as limonium and thorny chicory. In addition, there are examples of garrigue composed of low shrubs such as thyme, spinaporci, and dwarf palm.