On Monday July 1st our journey began at 8am. We drove to the Palud bird sanctuary in the morning. This stunning nature reserve is located in Istria (Croatia) about 10 kilometers south of Rovinj and covers 210 hectares. It was declared an ornithological reserve and is the only one of its kind in Istria.
Palud offers a mix of wetlands, meadows, forests and Mediterranean vegetation that support and promote high biodiversity. Over 220 bird species have been recorded here so far, including purple herons, ospreys and kingfishers. In addition to birds, there are also amphibians, reptiles and mammals such as wild boars and foxes.
The vegetation includes reeds and Mediterranean plants. Reed stands are the ideal breeding place and habitat for stilts, avocets and little egrets. Furthermore, mullets find a perfect spawning place there.
During the beautiful tour we saw impressive birds such as the black-tailed godwit, shelduck and little egret, but we also saw many other aquatic creatures such as crabs, eels, brackish water shrimp and mullets. On the way back to the bus we saw a stag beetle.
- Jonas Rischan and Ferdinand Rumpfer
