Federico "Fred" Fiorillo

Federico Fiorillo is an Italian nature guide and content writer based in the magnificent Val de Bagnes, Switzerland. He’s an avid hiker and snowboarder and he travels to the great wilderness areas of the world to see the wildlife and birds he’s passionate about.

In 2008 and 2011 he joined two Brazilian wildlife field trips in Bahia and decided that observing birds in their habitat was going to be one of his driving passions. He completed a birdwatching course with EBN Italia in 2013, and then in 2014 and 2015 he travelled to South East Asia, Australia and the United States where he joined a photographic workshop at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah.

From 2016 to 2018 he lives in New Zealand, where he collaborates in environmental projects at the Otorohanga Kiwi House, which since 1971 protects kiwi and other New Zealand native birds, among the projects he worked hands on the most rewarding was the one aiming to release Brown Kiwis into the wild.

In 2017, he completes a backcountry survival course obtaining the skillsets needed to thrive in-stead of just survive in the face of adversity in the wilderness. In 2017 he also joins a NZ Bird Photography Tour in Ulva Island and at the Royal Albatross Center of the Otago Peninsula, home to the world’s only mainland Royal Albatross breeding colony.

After his travels across the South Pacific, following his experiences in 2018 he moves in the Swiss Alps where he’s now a nature guide leading tours in the alpine region between Switzerland, Italy and France. Leading nature walks and overnight hiking trips, teaching tourists and locals the secrets of the plants and animals living in this alpine region.

Inspired by an alternative lifestyle he believes in the importance of being in connection with the natural environment and feels the responsibility of interpreting the natural wealth of a site, educating and informing other of the different aspects of that particular area.

Mandarin duck

The Mandarin Duck – The Beautifully Colored Asian Duck

Originally coming from a small area of Eastern Asia, the colorful males of the mandarin duck, with their showy orange ornamental feathers, are often raised as ornamental birds. The species was introduced in Europe as far back as the early 18th...

White-naped crane

The White-Naped Crane – A Graceful Asian Dancer

The White-naped Crane (Antigone vipio) is a species of East Asian origins, nesting in northeastern Mongolia and northern China and wintering on the Korean peninsula and Japan. During the breeding season it lives in pairs and leads a very reserved...

Budgerigar

The Budgerigar – A Sociable Bird That Loves To Sing

The budgerigar is a bird native of Australia and belongs to the parrot family. This big talker, with its brightly colored plumage and curved beak, is today one of Europe’s most loved pets. in its homeland, the budgerigar lives in flocks that...

Common shelduck

The Common Shelduck – A Duck Who Thinks He’s A Fox

When a fox chooses to burrow its lair in brackish areas, near sandy shores or lagoons, it runs the risk of having to soon share its refuge with a feathered host, the common shelduck. This bird has the extravagance habit of reproducing using the deep...

White stork

The White Stork – Large, Elegant And Majestic

Since ancient times, the white stork has been adored and protected by some peoples as a messenger of fertility. The intensification of agriculture and modern farming methods have created numerous problems for this wader who today is no longer able...

Tula fighting geese

Tula Fighting Geese – An Ancient Russian Fighting Species

The Tula is the biggest of the fighter species of geese and also the one that’s classified as the oldest. Bred from 1814 in the Russian city of Tula for competitive purposes. The merchants and the wealthy citizen of Tula used to have regular bird...