Winter counting of waterbirds in Krka National Park in 2023
The results of monitoring in the Park will be used to implement measures to protect waterbirds and their habitats
Once again this year, the Public Institute of Krka National Park has joined in the world's oldest and largest biodiversity monitoring system, the winter count of waterbirds, aimed at ensuring the ongoing monitoring of bird abundances on water surfaces to collecting new knowledge on the threats to bird species and their habitats. This monitoring is organised and implemented by Wetlands International, a global organisation for the protection of wetland birds since 1967.
In the waterbird count in Krka National Park, the staff of the Public Institute of Krka National Park were joined by Ivan Budinski, an ornithologist from the Biom Society on 14–15 January 2023. In addition to the waterbirds, other significant species were also recorded. The counts are usually conducted by bird watching from land and by vessel.
In the Park area, a total of 18 waterbird species with 1338 individuals were counted. The most abundant species were the coots, mallard ducks and tufted ducks, and the large cormorant, which together made up 87% of all waterbirds recorded as wintering in the Park. The significantly lower number of individuals found in the Park area this winter is the result of the mild winter so far this year.
The most wintering birds were found in the area of Torak Lake, at the confluence of the Čikola and Krka River, where the largest flock of coots was recorded with a total of 190 individuals. In all, seven species of duck were recorded (mallard, gadwall, ferruginous and tufted duck, northern pintail, northern shoveler, common pochard), four species of grebe (horned, black-necked, little and great-crested grebe), while only the grey heron was recorded among the herons.
We are particularly thrilled that since last winter, we have been seeing individuals of common merganser around the Krka monastery. Prior to this, this species was last recorded in the Park area in 1988 in the area of Visovac Lake. The results of monitoring in the Park will be used to implement measures to protect waterbirds and their habitats.
Photo: Ante Pleadin, Marijana Cukrov
Monitoring
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