WWF Marmirolo Oasis

Address and contacts

Via della Pace - 42122 Reggio Emilia
+39 328 7695155 - Reggio Emilia WWF branch (for guided tours of groups and schools)
emiliacentrale@wwf.it
www.wwf.it
WWF Emilia Centrale

Environment and inhabitants

The area is a reclaimed reservoir, originally created from the extraction of clay for the brick-making industry. The birds are the most spectacular and varied zoological element of the flooded quarry, with the presence of numerous species which use the Oasis as a stop-off place, for resting and nesting.
The reservoir has filled up naturally with rainwater, transforming the place into a marshy stretch of water, ideal for the spontaneous colonization of various animal and vegetable species, typically found in flat humid zones. Today, it is full of water, much of which is spring water and reaches a depth of 4 or 5 metres. The most interesting zoological element is the birdlife. The light grey heron is present all year round, while in spring and summer night herons and bitterns can be seen. Among the anatids which come to the stretch of water the most common are: mallards, teals, and garganeys. The little grebe sometimes stops off here during migrations, the water hen is present all year, the coot is frequently seen in autumn and winter.

The most common birds of prey are the sparrow hawk and the buzzard, and the osprey is a guest in the migration period. The common snipe and the sandpiper are the most easily observed species. The kingfisher and white wagtail are non-migratory. The surrounding environment, composed of groups of trees and shrubs, regularly hosts swallows, great tits, yellow wagtails, long-tailed tits, chaffinches, greenfinches, serins, goldfinches, jays, magpies, crows, tawny owls, turtle doves, green woodpeckers, red woodpeckers and pheasants.

Opening times

Saturday
3.00 - 7.00 p.m.

Sunday and holidays
9.00 a.m. - 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 - 7.00 p.m.

Opening periods

March, April, May, June, September, October, mid-November

Prices

Free entrance

Additional notes

The Oasis has been given in management to the WWF and LIPU associations which guarantee its opening to the public and provide expert staff to guide visitors and school groups.