WWF Italy, Mediterranean Association for Nature and NABU (D)

are organizing the

29^th international camp for the protection of raptors and storks
migrating across the Strait of Messina

8 April - 20 May 2012

INFORMATION FOR PARTICIPANTS

period: 8 April – 20 May 2012

località: Monti Peloritani (Messina)
housing: in a building owned by the Azienda Foreste Demaniali (Forest Service), located along the migratory flyway

necessary equipment: sleeping bag, binoculars, outdoor clothing, sunglasses, sunscreen

climate: extremely variable, even in the space of a few hours, from bitter cold to summer-like heat; elevations range from sea level to more than 1,000 meters a.s.l.; it is almost always windy, sometimes very windy.

attività: from early morning to dusk, volunteers monitor the localities where raptor passage is expected; lunch is in the field. Dinner is back at camp. Weather conditions influence migration, and can stall it for many days, or create the conditions for spectacular one-day flights.
In case of poaching activities, the relevant law enforcement agencies (Corpo Forestale, Carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza) are immediately contacted for intervention.

There is a maximum of 20 participants

The sponsors cover housing, food, and transportations; participants are asked for a contribution of
20 Euros per day .

GETTING THERE

By train: All long-haul trains stop at Messina’s central train station, immediately after the ferry crossing of the Strait of Messina.

By airplane: Reggio Calabria airport is closer, but Catania airport has better transportation links.
─ Many buses leave Catania airport for Messina (Piazza Cavallotti bus station); the bus schedule is available on the Autolinee SAIS website.
─ Reggio Calabria airport is linked to the port of Messina by bus or ferry; the schedule, along with flight arrival times, is available on the airport website.
Once in Messina, call one of the numbers listed below. Depending on our daily activities, we will either pick you up in Messina (central train station or bus station) or ask you to take a city bus to a pick-up point near one of the observation points. City buses leave from the Piazza Cavallotti bus station, which is only a few hundred meters from the train station.

By car: From peninsular Italy via the car ferry; from Sicily (motorway exits Villafranca Tirrena or Messina Boccetta), you can drive directly to the observation points by following the directions we will provide via mobile phone.

Find the observation points on Googlemaps.

You can download this information and the road map to the observation points as PDF files.