Michele has a lifelong interest in nature. Since childhood, animals, flowers, and nature in general fascinated him deeply and, nowadays, as he spends most of the year out in the wild, nature is, basically, his homeland.
His main area of study are birds (he is a longstanding member of the COI – Italian Ornithological Committee) and he played an important role in the last “split” of the European avifauna: the recognition of Mediterranean Flycatcher Muscicapa tyrrhenica as a distinct, separate species from Spotted Flycatcher M. striata, the former being endemic to Sardinia, Corsica, Balearic Islands and a narrow strip of Italian coast.
However, over the years, he has added many other groups to his interests such as mammals, dragonflies, butterflies, grasshoppers, reptiles, amphibians, and orchids. In the last few years, he has been working mostly as a researcher for environmental assessment projects in Italy during spring and autumn, and as a mammal watching tour guide in Western Sahara during winter.
An experienced professional naturalist and tour leader, Michele’s good humour and wide-ranging knowledge make him extremely popular with guests.
