Yugoslavian
Specialities
(Pause
your cursor on the photo to see the species name.)
Photo
copyright Trident Press
Photo copyright George
McCarthy
Photo copyright E-Tours
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....Birdwatching
Highlights of Serbia - By Dragan Simic. Land-locked
in the heart of Balkans,
the Serbia has about 100 birders and about 340 bird species – as well as
36 globally Important Bird Areas (BirdLife International, 2000) covering
775,560 ha or 8.8% of Serbian territory.
....Durmitor
National Park - Formed by glaciers and cut by rivers on the
surface and underground,
Durmitor is a strikingly beautiful natural park. Along the Tara River Canyon,
with the deepest gorges in Europe, the dense pine forests are interspersed
with clear lakes and harbour a wide range of endemic flora.
....Birdwatch
Belgrade - by Dragan Simic. In an effort to answer the
questions
where to see the birds that epitomize the area, which sites should be visited
and when is the best time to go there, this short guide describes the 15
birding spots in and around Belgrade, and makes brief mention of 6 Important
Bird Areas nearby.
....Birding
Montenegro - Despite its tiny size, less than 14,000 km2,
Montenegro
certainly offers some exciting birding destinations, either in the mountains
or along the ca. 200 km of seacoast. Habitats to bird in vary from bare
alpine terrain, rocky areas and pastures to coniferous forests, southern
European and sub-Mediterranean forests, and, finally, Mediterranean vegetation.
....Ludasko
Jezero (Ludas Lake) - Extremely diverse habitats of the
Ludasko
Jezero (aquatic, swamp and meadow habitats, as well as steppe habitats
on its banks) brought about the rich diversity of plant and animal species
and their life communities. Bird fauna is characterized by the presence
of 214 recorded species, 140 of them being protected as natural rarities.
They represent the fundamental characteristic of this valuable natural
area which is included in the list of especially valuable sites for Yugoslavia
and Europe. Ludasko Jezero is a habitat of many rare and endangered bird
species in Europe, such as: white-headed duck (Oxyura leucocephala),
Ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca), (Acrocephalus melanopogon) and (Panurus
biarmicus), the latter being the most outstanding characteristics
of its avifauna. At the same time, this lake is the place where many migratory
bird species from the large group of "waterfowl" gather.
....Trip
Report: Danube near Belgrade (Yugoslavia), Summer 1996,
Winter
1997 and General Information on Serbian "Important Bird Areas" (IBA) -
by Dragan Simic. This area of the Danube in winter months attracts large
number of waterfowl (over 20 species of ducks were recorded in the last
14 years - White-headed Duck included!). White-tailed Eagles are recorded
here reasonably frequently. I observed the eagles at that very same mud
bank, once even tearing its prey apart - only at the time it was frozen
solid. The Danube is important wintering area for wildfowl and downriver
from Belgrade to Bulgarian border, in January 2000 there were 330,000 wintering
ducks!
....Trip
Report: Iron Gates N.P., Serbia (Yugoslavia), January 1999
The
Danube Winter Season - by Dragan Simic. The International Waterfowl Census
on Yugoslav Danube: More than 300,000 waterfowl come annually from northern
Europe to spend the winter on the Danube at Ram, Golubac, and Donji Milanovac.
....Trip
Report: Skadar Lake N.P., Montenegro (Yugoslavia), January
1997
- by Dragan Simic. In summer, Skadar -- the biggest lake in the Balkan
Peninsula, straddling the border between the Yugoslav republic of Montenegro
and neighboring Albania -- has an area of 370 square kilometers. But in
winter, its waters swell and expand to cover all of 540 square kilometers;
or, to put it in other words, it's 44 km long and 7 km wide in summer --
and 14 km wide in winter!
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