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.

Alpine Swift

The Alpine Swift – A Life In Flight

Six months of uninterrupted flight, never landing: this is how the Alpine swifts spend the entire wintering period in West Africa, it even manages to enjoy some form of sleep while continuing to soar in the air. This distinctive behavior was...

Golden Eagle

The Golden Eagle – Queen of the Skies

A spectacular flight characterized by fast ascents, reckless swoops and sudden attacks on the prey, a very sharp sight, a majestic and elegant profile. No wonder that the golden eagle has been loved and venerated by mankind in every age and culture...

Western Osprey

The Western Osprey – The Great Hunter of the Water World

The Western Osprey is a cosmopolitan. Its swooping flight is particularly impressive: at great speed it launches towards the surface of the water, projecting its enormous paws forward just before the impact with its prey. Sometimes it dives...

Goldfinch

The Goldfinch – A Happy Bird Full of Meaning

This agile and acrobatic little bird plays a symbolic role in European culture. According to Greek mythology, Athena transformed Acalante, into a Goldfinch. But it also represents the soul leaving the body when death comes, a legacy of the ancient...

Wild Turkey male

The Wild Turkey – Born in the USA

Benjamin Franklin secretly preferred the wild turkey, rather than the bald eagle, as the United States’ national bird, and for good reasons, as he regarded it as a true original Native American bird. This noble bird was already the favorite...

Black Woodpecker

The Black Woodpecker – Master of the Nest

The black woodpecker is among the most surprising animals of the forest. Its skills in building nests are unmatched, once abandoned, they became quickly reoccupied by other species of animals, and it’s able to vibrate against the trunk up to 35...

Hooded crow (Corvus cornix)

The Hooded Crow – Not So Pretty, But Very Smart

Easily observable at sunset, when it travels in large flocks, the hooded crow is abundantly present in vast areas of the European continent, becoming a very common presence even in inhabited areas. Not graceful, with dull colors and with a not so...

Lammergeier / Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus)

Lammergeier bird / Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus)

Imagine this: you’re on a hike on the alps and above your head you see flying a bird with a lamb in its claws. In the past it was a common belief that the lammergeier was a “lamb thief”. However, this belief is totally without foundation.