Winter counting of waterbirds in Krka National Park

In Krka National Park, winter counting of waterbirds was conducted on 15 and 16 January 2022: a total of 33 species and more than 1900 individuals were recorded.

Counting was performed by observation and listening, from land and from a vessel. A total of 33 species and more than 1900 individuals were recorded. As in previous years, coots, pochards, mallards and tufted duck were the most abundant species, which together account for 85% of the total waterbird population wintering here. This year, somewhat larger numbers were recorded of great cormorants, four species of birds of prey and, in the canyon section, two species of wallcreepers.

The most wintering birds were recorded in the area of Visovac Lake, particularly in the Podbara cove and along the shores at Stinice, and in the area of Torak Lake.

Other species closely tied to the aquatic habitats in this area were also recorded. Counting was performed by Ivan Budinska, a volunteer ornithologist from the Biom association, together with the staff of the Public Institute of Krka National Park.

Winter counting of waterbirds has been ongoing since 1967, and is organised by Wetlands International, a global organisation dedicated to the protection of wetland areas. This is oldest volunteer monitoring programme in the world, and has been conducted in Croatian since 1982. Due to the increased destruction of wetland habitats, waterbirds are becoming an increasingly threatened group of birds.

In Croatia, a total of 573 monitoring locations have been defined, and seven of these are within the boundaries of Krka National Park (https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/iwc-hrvatska_696143#8/).

Ongoing, multiyear monitoring of the abundance of waterbirds enables us to better understand the threats facing the species and their habitats. Thanks to this information, it is possible to engage in better planning and implementation of protection measures.