Lakes, rivers and deltas of Croatia - habitats and birds

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Lakes, rivers and deltas of Croatia - habitats and birds are presented here by ornithologically significant areas, arranged according to their geographical position.

The inland region

River Kupa's basin

Area description: This is a wet lowland area with very rich pedunculate oak forests and meadows. The wetland habitats are rich on carp fishponds Crna Mlaka special ornithological reserve and Draganic, while the fishpond Pisarovina is degrading because of the production deterioration. The river Kupa flows through the southern part of this area. This is the most important stopover and breeding site of Ferruginous Duck in Croatia, and an important breeding site for many other waterbirds. During the periods of migration, this area regularly hosts more then 20.000 birds. The forests of this area are an important nesting site for the White-tailed Eagle, Middle Spotted Woodpecker and Collared Flycatcher. This is a threatened area, mainly because it is dependant on the maintenance of the fishponds, and these are getting more and more abandoned. Besides this reason, other threats to birds originate from changes of water level in wet forests due to drainage, intensified forest management, excessive illegal hunting and withering of traditional farming.
Types of habitats are alluvial oak forrests, intensively cultivated and normal arable fields, and swamps position of the Kupa River's basin river Kupa's basin - air view Great White Egret - Egretta alba White Stork - Ciconia ciconia

Birds:

Great White Egret, White Stork, Red-crested Pochard, Ferruginous Duck, Lesser Spotted Eagle, White-tailed Sea Eagle, Little Crake, Whiskered Tern, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Collared Flycatcher, Bittern, Little Bittern, Night Heron, Little Egret, Purple Heron, Black Stork, Spoonbill, Osprey, Honey Buzzard, Black Kite, Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Common Crane, Spotted Crake, Corncrake, Ruff, Wood Sandpiper, Little Gull, Common Tern, Black Tern, Ural Owl, Short-eared Owl, Kingfisher, Gray-headed Woodpecker, Black Woodpecker, Bluethroat, Moustached Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, Lesser Gray Shrike.

Bjelovar region - Siscani fishponds

Area description: Fishponds, intersected with reedbeds, shrub and woods, are stretching 7 km along the Cesma River, end in an ancient oak forest from the north side, and in rolling meadows from the south side. This combination of diverse habitats makes a feeding, breeding and resting place for a very large number of species, therefore it is ornithologically a highly important Croatian area. During the year more then 100 various species would appear and dwell on these ponds.
Types of habitats are fishponds, reedbeds and shrub, oak forests, meadows and arable fields position of the Siscani fishponds Siscani Black Stork - Ciconia nigra Ferruginous Duck - Aythya nyroca

Birds:

Black Stork, Purple Heron, White-tailed Sea Eagle, Ferruginous Duck, Whiskered Tern, Lapwing, Marsh Harrier, Black Kite, Night Heron, Black-headed Gull, Red-backed Shrike, Kingfisher, Spoonbill, Buzzard, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Raven, Wren, etc.

This article and photos by Darko Podravec

The alluvial wetlands of the lower flow of River Sava - Lonjsko Polje nature park

Area description: This is the largest retention basin in Croatia, a lowland area with large wet pastures, alluvial oak forests, riverine forests and scrubs, numerous temporary and permanent bodies of water - fishponds, ponds, oxbow lakes, pits, rivers (Sava and Lonja as largest, but also many smaller), canals (Strug, Trebez), etc. The most important part of this area is the Nature park Lonjsko Polje, the main Croatian breeding area of Night Heron, Black and White Stork and Corncrake. Forests of the area provide Croatian top breeding sites for White-tailed Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Middle Spotted Woodpecker and Collared Flycatcher. The main threats to birds are generated by drainage, river canalization, agricultural development, withering of traditional farming methods, possible loss of carp fishponds due to abandonment of fish production, intensive forest management and unregulated hunting, recreational activities and tourism.
Types of habitats are alluvial oak forests, mosaic arable fields, rural landscape, grassland - mainly wet meadows, wetland and swamps position of the Siscani fishponds Lonjsko Polje alluvial forests White-tailed Sea Eagle - Haliaeetus albicilla Lesser Spotted Eagle - Aquila chrysaetos

Birds:

Black-necked Grebe, Cormorant, Night Heron, Little Egret, Great White Egret, Purple Heron, Black Stork, White Stork, Spoonbill, Ferruginous Duck, Honey Buzzard, Black Kite,  White-tailed Sea Eagle, Marsh Harrier, Montagu's Harrier, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Spotted Eagle, Spotted Crake, Little Crake, Corncrake, Snipe,  Whiskered Tern, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Collared Flycatcher, Pygmy Cormorant, Little Bittern, Bittern, Hen Harrier, Common Crane, Ruff, Wood Sandpiper, Little Gull, Black Tern, Common Tern, Ural Owl, Short-Eared Owl, Kingfisher, Gray-headed Woodpecker, Black Woodpecker, Syrian Woodpecker, Moustached Warbler, Barred Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike.

River Drava, upper and middle stretch

Area description: This area includes as much as three protected areas - Dravski park of forests, ornithological reservation Veliki Pazut, and significant landscape of Cambina. The strech of the river Drava from Dubrava Krizovljanska to Donja Dubrava, includes three hydropower plant storage reservoirs built on this part of the river, while the free flow of the river is a constellation of shingle-bars and islands, oxbow lakes, ponds and gravel pits. This area is included in the National Ecological Network as a site important for waterbirds' wintering (more then 20.000 waterbirds such as geese, ducks, Coots, etc. dwell here). This is also an important breeding area of two species endangered on the national level: Common Sandpiper and Willow Warbler. The upper stretch of the river Drava, to Terezino Polje, is the only larger preserved area with gravel banks, bars and islands in Croatia. The river system includes many small tributaries, oxbow lakes, ponds and gravel pits. The pedunculate oak forest Repas belong to this area as well. This is one of the most important Croatian breeding areas for Common and Little Tern. The middle stretch of the Drava River (from Terezino polje to Donji Miholjac) is characterized by rich river habitats with sandbanks, sand-bars and islands and vertical, eroded, bare riverbanks, oxbow lakes and ponds.  As much as 35 couples of White-tailed Sea Eagles nest in the woods of this area. This complete area is threatened by river canalization, water pollution, unregulated hunting, recreational activities and tourism, intensive agriculture and forest management
Types of habitats are Mediterranean dry grasslands, thermophilic forests and pubescent oak shrub, coniferous forests, holm oak macchia, Mediterranean shrub, wetland and swampy habitats, orchards, and other - mostly mosaic arable fields position of the Siscani fishponds River Drava Common Sandpiper - Actitis Hypoleucos Night Heron - Nycticorax nycticorax

Birds: 

Common Sandpiper, Willow Warbler, Black-throated Diver, Little Bittern, Night Heron, Great White Egret, Marsh Harrier, Common Tern, Kingfisher, Red-backed Shrike, Gadwall, Icterine Warbler, White-tailed Sea Eagle, Little Tern, Bluethroath, Bittern, Little Egret, Purple Heron, Black Stork, White Stork, Osprey, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Black Woodpecker, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Lesser Grey Shrike, Barred Warbler, Black Kite, Sand Martin.

 

River Danube and the lower flow of river Drava - Kopacki Rit nature park

Area description: In this lowland area the prevailing habitats are rivers, wetlands and riverine forests (oak, willow and poplar). The largest of the wetlands are Kopacki Rit and the fishponds -  Podunavlje and Donji Miholjac. The two big rivers are surrounded with oxbow lakes, ponds and smaller river flows. Important river habitats include sandbanks, sand bars and islands, as well as vertical, eroded, bare river banks. The steppe and the wet pastures are declining, and their revitalization would be quite necessary. This area is an important breeding site of herons and egrets, White-tailed Eagle and Ferruginous Dunk, as well as a wintering site of many waterbirds; also, this is a stopover site of Spoonbills. This area normally supports more than 20.000 waterbirds during migration and wintering periods. Main threats to this area and its birds are: river canalization, drainage, abandoning of production in fishponds which causes the deterioration of the fishponds, water pollution, intensive forest management and agriculture. unregulated and unsupervised hunting, recreational activities and tourism.
Types of habitats are alluvial forests, wet meadows, river and swamp habitats, carp fishponds, intensively cultivated arable fields position of Kopacki Rit Kopacki Rit Squacco Heron - Ardeola ralloides Bleck-necked Grebe - Podiceps nigricollis

Birds:

Black-necked Grebe, Cormorant, Bittern, Little Bittern, Night Heron, Squacco Heron, Little Egret, Great White Egret, Purple Heron, Black Stork, Spoonbill, Graylag Goose, Gadwall, Ferruginous Duck, Honey Buzzard, Black Kite,  White-tailed Sea Eagle, Marsh Harrier, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Spotted Eagle, Little Crake, Black-winged Stilt, Kingfisher, Bluethroat, Whiskered Tern, Bearded Tit, Pygmy Cormorant, White Stork, Osprey, Common Crane, Hen Harrier,  Red-footed Falcon, Merlin, Steppe Eagle,  Spotted Crake, Corncrake, Avocet, Ruff, Wood Sandpiper, Little Gull, Caspian Tern, Common Tern, Black Tern, Short-Eared Owl, Nightjar, Gray-headed Woodpecker, Black Woodpecker, Syrian Woodpecker, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Moustached Warbler, Barred Warbler, Collared Flycatcher, Red-backed Shrike. 

Plitvice Lakes National Park

Area description: this is a mountainous area with well preserved fir and birch forests, conspicuously rich in the area of the primeval forest of the Corkova uvala, while meadows and pastures are present in the fields of the southern part of the area (Homoljacko polje, Vrhovinsko polje, Brezovac and Babin Potok). This is a National Park, and a World Natural Heritage Site.
Types of habitats are forests, mainly fir and birch Dinaric forests, mesophile and Mediterranean grasslands, mosaic arable fields and rural landscape, river and wetland habitats

position of the Plitvice Lakes National Park Plitvice Black Stork - Ciconia nigra Golden Eagle - Aquila chrysaetos

Birds:

Corncrake, Ural Owl, Tengmalm's Owl, White-backed Woodpecker, Three-toed Woodpecker, Black Stork, Honey Buzzard, Montagu's Harrier, Golden Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Hazel Grouse, Capercailie, Eagle Owl, Short-eared Owl, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Black Woodpecker, Woodlark, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Collared Flycatcher, Red-backed Shrike, Lesser Gray Shrike.

Check out the costal region....

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Source of data and photos: State Institute for Nature Protection, other photos by Kristijan Mandic, Darko Podravec, Denis Cizar, Davorka Kitonic, Ivica Lolic, Zeljko Kelemen

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