Birding is not the first thing many think about when considering a trip to Italy, but as birders, it is always a consideration.  On this episode I talk with Marco Valtriani, a guide with the Birding In Italy group of bird guides.  As you can inagine a lot of their business is taking visitors from the U.S. and other far away countries out for a birding break from their other tourist activities in Italy.   We talk about where and when to find birds in Italy, how to best use the services of his birding tour group, the hopeful fact that the killing of birds for food has markedly diminished, the natural park system of the country, and lots more.   I also talk a bit about Christmas Bird Counts, how you can find one, and my experiences with CBCs.   Thanks for listening. As always, check out the blog associated with this episode on the Bird Banter website.   Good birding.