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BIRDWATCH BELGRADE,
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 14 birding spots in and around Belgrade, and makes brief mention of 6 Important Bird Areas nearby.
Copyright (c) 2000-2003 by Dragan Simic goingbirding@yahoo.com
1) Ten good reasons to visit Belgrade
4.1) Birding spots in Belgrade (within urbanized areas)
4.2) Birding spots around Belgrade (up to 30 km in diameter)
4.3) Important Bird Areas nearby (from 60 to 120 km in diameter)
8) References
1) Ten good reasons to visit Belgrade
Pygmy Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmeus
Black Stork Ciconia nigra
Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca
White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla
Saker Falcon Falco cherrug
White-winged Black Tern Chlidonias leucopterus
Europen Bee-eater Merops apiaster
Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos syriacus
Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio
Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus
Belgrade lies at the confluence
of two rivers, the Sava (with 1,685 cubic meters of water per second) and the
Danube (with 5,476 m3/sec downriver from the Sava mouth); as well as at the
meeting point of two geographical regions, the Pannonian Plains, the north of
the Sava and the Danube and hills of Sumadija in the south. The Danube water
levels reach its annual peak from April to June (maximum in April) and fall
from August to October (minimum in October). The Danube River lies at altitude
of 73 m a.s.l., the Belgrade stretches up to 145 m a.s.l., while the highest
point in the area is the Avala Mountain at 511 m a.s.l.
From the rolling hills in the south to the plains in the north, the area provides a wealth of habitats for birds: open river waters and fishponds (Mika Alas and Zivaca), islands in the Sava and the Danube, mud flats and sand flats (e.g. east of the Veliko Ratno Ostrvo Island), slow-moving water of river branches and oxbows, still water of swampy floodzone and ponds, alluvial forests, poplar plantations, wet meadows, agricultural land, orchards, scrub and grasslands, small woods and hedges, broad-leaved deciduous woods, conifers and mixed woodland in urban parks and gardens, and urbanized and industrial areas, as well as the sand dunes in the Deliblatska Pescara Sands (mostly covered with vegetation).
Floodplain woods along the Sava, Danube and Tamis rivers mostly consist of poplar
and willow mixed with ash, and are often replaced by alien poplar plantations.
Former wet grasslands are often cut of by embankments and transformed into agricultural
land. Loess bluffs along the banks offer nesting places to Sand Martin (Riparia
riparia) and other hole nesters.
In the hills south of the rivers, there are woods of Turkey oak and hornbeam
with linden (Kosutnjak, Manastirska Suma). In the suburban parks like Usce,
Topcider and New Belgrade promenade, introduced exotic trees grow together with
indigenous, while in urban parks like Kalemegdan, Tasmajdan, Karadjordjev Park
and Botanical Garden, exotics dominate.
Agricultural land mostly occupies areas north of the Sava and the Danube (Srem
in the west and Pancevacki Rit in the east) where main crops are corn, sunflower
and wheat. Fields are interspersed with drainage canals bordered by reeds, rush
and bushes; and hedges dominated by hawthorn and dog-rose. Villages in the area
are surrounded with orchards and vegetable gardens, as well as remaining lowland
woods of hornbeam and common oak (Jakovacki Kljuc, Crni Lug, Bojcinska Suma)
with forest floor overgrown with cornel-tree and hazelnut.
To see the birds that epitomise the area, be sure to visit both the floodplain
wetlands in the north and the wooded hills in the south.
3.1) Birds
Within the urbanized city areas 127 species are recorded, while the wider Belgrade area provide habitats to over 180 bird species - this is by no means representing the final number. Even if you are visiting only the capital, depending on the season you should tick some breeding residents (present all year round): White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), Peregrine Facon (Falco peregrinus), Saker Falcon (F. cherrug), Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix), Barn Owl (Tyto alba), Little Owl (Athene noctua), Tawny Owl (Strix aluco), Long-eared Owl (Asio otus), Syrian Woodpecker (Dendrocopos syriacus), Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos medius), Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos minor), Crested Lark (Galerida cristata), Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros), Short-toed Treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla), Raven (Corvus corax), etc.
Breeding migrants (March to September) include: Little Bittern (Ixobrychus
minutes), Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Little Egret (Egretta
garzetta), Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea), Black and White Storks
(Ciconia ciconia and C. nigra), Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus),
Black Kite (Milvus migrans), Hobby (Falco subbuteo), White-winged
Black Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus), European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster),
Hoopoe (Upupa epops), Sand Martin (Riparia riparia), Wryneck (Jynx
torquilla), Nightingale (Luscinia megarhunchos), Marsh Warbler (Acrocephalus
palustris), Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus), Collared
Flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis; migrant and rare breeder), Golden Oriole
(Oriolus oriolus), Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio), Serin
(Serinus serinus), etc.
Migrants passing by (March/April and August/September) include: Crane (Grus
grus), Little Stint (Calidris minuta), Snipe (Gallinago gallinago),
Greenshank (Tringa nebularia), Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus),
etc.
Winterbirds (November to February) include: Red-throated Diver (Gavia
stellata), Black-throated Diver (G. arctica), Black-necked Grebe
(Podiceps nigricollis), Pygmy Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmeus, present
year-round in small numbers), Mute Swan (Cygnus olor), Greylag Goose
(Anser anser), Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca - scarce but regular),
Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus), Merlin (Falco columbarius), Waxwing
(Bombycilla garrulus), Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor), Brambling
(Fringila montifringila), etc. It should be noted that some of the birds
listed as "winterbirds" in the Belgrade area are breeding elsewhere in Serbia
(e.g. Black-necked Grebe, Pygmy Cormorant, Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Ferruginous
Duck).
Wandering Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) and White-headed Duck
(Oxyura leucocephala) were also recorded in the area. Glossy Ibis was
observed west of the New Belgrade in the spring, and White-headed Duck at the
Sava River mouth in the winter. Also, escapees like Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna
ferruginea) and Carolina Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) were recorded.
During the winter, Pygmy Cormorants roost on the Sava River, while White-tailed Eagles hunt around the Veliko Ratno Ostrvo Island. Numerous flocks of wintering ducks concentrate around Belgrade's islands (Konjska Ada and Veliko Ratno Ostrvo at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, and Savsko Jezero Lake east of Ada Ciganlija Island in the Sava River): Wigeon (Anas Penelope), Gadwall (Anas strepera), Teal (Anas crecca), Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Pintail (Anas acuta), Garganey (Anas querquedula), Shoveler (Anas clypeata), Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina), Pochard (Aythya farina), Ferruginous Duck (scarce but regular), Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula), Scaup (Aythya marila), Eider (Somateria molissima), Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis), Common Scooter (Melanita nigra), Velvet Scooter (Melanita fusca), Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula), Smew (Mergus albellus), Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) and White-headed Duck.
From late February to March and from late October to early November, noisy flocks
of Cranes migrate over Belgrade flying high above the city but sometimes
low above the Danube or agricultural fields west of the New Belgrade. Black
Storks migrate over the Danube floodzone on the north bank of the river.
There are two European Bee-eater colonies, which are well worth a visit
in late June and early July, when the young leave their nests and occupy the
nearby branches, urging their parents to continue feeding them. One of the colonies
is at the west edge of New Belgrade, at the steep loess slope of the Bezanijska
Kosa Plateauin Vojvodjanska Street (take the bus 601 from the main railway station),
and the other in Visnjica, at the eastern edge of the city (bus 35).
Golden Oriole is numerous in well-wooded sections of the north, Novi Beograd's
bank of the Sava River (Usce Park, take any of the buses 14,15,16,83 from the
city center; and promenade opposite the Ada Ciganlija Island, reachable by tram
11), where males sing, marking their territory from May to late summer.
For White-winged Black Tern check the eastern, downriver side of the
Pancevacki Most bridge, by the middle of the river: it seems that currents generated
by the bridge coloumns somehow create favourable feeding conditions.
The third largest heronry in Serbia, 800-pairs strong and consisting mostly of Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) and Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) with few dozen pairs of Little Egret and Night Heron, is located in Gradska Suma on the west bank of the Tamis River by the town of Pancevo, 15 km downriver from Belgrade. Word of warning:The birds, especially juveniles, are very susceptible to disturbance - please observe colony from a nearby open ground and don't enter the trees where the nests are.
4.1) Birding spots in Belgrade (within urbanized
areas)
Other good birding spots in and around Belgrade include:
All of these spots are shown on any Belgrade city map (usually available at newspaper kiosks and bookshops), and if you can't find them, any Belgrader should be able to help you locate these places.
4.2) Birding spots around Belgrade (up to 30 km in diameter)
4.3) Important Bird Areas nearby (from 60 to 120 km in diameter)
Serbia has 36 globally Important Bird Areas (places identified as crucial for long-time survival of the wild bird populations) covering 7,756 square kilometres or 8.8% of its territory. All IBAs are described in detail in "Important Bird Areas of Southern Europe", published by BirdLife International, 2000. IBAs close to Belgrade are:
Belgrade has temperate continental climate of hot and dry summers and warm winters. On the average, summer temperatures are around 26 degrees Celsius and winter temperatures in between 0 to 5 C (but often climb to 10-15 C). An early start to any birding day is essential - mid-day summer temperatures often climb well into the thirties.
Depending on your particular interest, March/April (spring migration), May/June
(breeding in full swing), August/September (autumn migration) and November to
February (wintering wildfowl) are probably the best months to bird. Breeding
season may be the most exciting period, while October - with migrants already
gone and wintering birds not yet arrived - is probably the dullest month. Winter
months offer great concentrations of wildfowl on any larger body of open water
(e.g. more than 300,000 waterfowl over winter on the lower Danube from Belgrade
to Bulgarian border). All in all, Belgrade area is good for a birding trip at
any time of year.
The goal of the League for the Ornithological Action of Serbia and Montenegro (LOASM) is protecting the birds through the preservation of their species, habitats and sites through the involvement of people. Dedicated to educating the people of Serbia and Montenegro in the importance and enjoyment of birds, LOASM care for birds for people and for the environment. Belgrade group has monthly evening meetings (on the second Friday of the month) at the Natural History Museum’s Gallery in the Kalemegdan Park, starting at 7.30 pm and featuring talks and slide shows. Bird walks take place tomorrow morning in and around Belgrade. Membership fee includes a free copy of quarterly popular newsletter Dvogled (The Binoculars). For information, please write to: Liga za ornitolosku akciju Srbije i Crne Gore, 51 Njegoseva St., 11000 Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro; or directly to the LOASM chairman, Dragan Simic, at goingbirding@yahoo.com.
A - Arriving in Belgrade
Belgrade's Surcin Airport, 20 kilometers west of the city and accessible by public transportation from the Slavija Sq. and Crkva Svetog Marka church, connects Serbia with all the major capitals of Europe and North America.
International trains run to Budapest and Vienna, Temisoara and Bucharest, Sofia,
Black Sea Coast and Istanbul, Skopje, Thessaloniki, Athens, Sarajevo and Zagreb.
Serbian trains are slow, crowded and aged, making somewhat faster buses a better
option. Extensive network of intercity buses connect Belgrade with northern
towns of Subotica and Novi Sad, southern Nis and Pirot, Montenegrin capital
of Podgorica and Adriatic seacoast, as well as national parks and other resort
areas. Both main railway and bus stations are located along the river Sava,
connected with Terazije by artisan quarter of Balkanska St. (if you're carrying
heavy luggage, avoid climbing this steep street), and to Slavija Sq. by trams
going up the Nemanjina St. (passing by the NATO blasted headquarters of Yugoslav
Army).
C - Customs & Etiquette
When visiting Serbian families, bring an odd number of flowers- even numbers are brought only to funerals. Both men and women show their affection with three kisses on the alternate cheeks. Taste in clothing is casual and unpretentious (at least for men). Women commonly go to restaurants alone. Though legal, homosexuality may not be tolerated.
At cafes and restaurants, tipping is not obligatory. Serbs usually round upward
the amount to the nearest whole (maybe 5% more, 10% is generous) and tell the
waiter to keep the change: "u redu je" (u redu ye - it's OK). For majority
of Serbs taxi is expensive and no one tips taxi-drivers.
D - Dangers & Annoyances
Although crime is widely publicized, in Belgrade you can walk around after dark - the streets are surprisingly safe. Mugging is unheard of. Pickpockets are most active in unbelievably overcrowded buses in rush hour. While occasional shootings do take place, criminals are dealing with each other leaving general public at peace. However, skinheads are on the rise and minority travelers should regard them with caution.
Not surprisingly, social chats soon develop into political discussions. Confine
yourself to "your country is very beautiful and people very hospitable" routine
and you'll end up with a free drink or two. No need to feel like a cynic: the
country is beautiful, and depending on a particular person, people can be very
hospitable.
H - Health
The tap water is drinkable, but sometimes white of chlorine. Bottled water is available, usually carbonated ("gazirana"), but also un-carbonated ("negazirana"). Pick a small bar of soap and some toilet paper for public restrooms, most of them lacking soap, towels and toilet paper.
On a hiking tour, use repellents regularly. Mosquitoes are just a harmless nuisance,
but check yourself each evening for ticks, one third of deer ticks carrying
Lyme disease. Serbia has two venomous snakes, nose-horned viper and adder, but
snakebites are rare, serum widely available and snakebite related deaths unheard
of for decades.
L - Language
Interestingly, Serbian language (actually, Serbian dialect of Serbo-Croat, two dialects being maybe as different as British and Australian English) is written in both Cyrillic and Latin characters and everyone understands both. Words are pronounced exactly as they are written. Italian "ciao" is often used as informal greeting, while good morning/good day/good evening are "dobro jutro/dobar dan/dobro vece" (pronounce c in "vece" as ch). Key phrases also include:
thank you "hvala",
please/you're welcome "molim",
yes/no "da/ne",
excuse me "izvinite",
airport "aerodrom",
bus/railway station "autobuska/zeleznicka stanica" (pronounce the second word
as zheleznichka),
post-office "posta" (poshta),
pharmacy "apoteka",
open/closed "otvoreno/zatvoreno",
beer "pivo",
street "ulica" (ulitsa),
boulevard "bulevar",
square "trg",
when "kada",
where "gde",
how much "koliko",
leave me alone "ostavi me na miru",
do you speak English "govorite li engleski"
bird "ptica" (like ptitsa)
birder "posmatrac ptica" (posmatrach ptitsa)
birding "posmatranje ptica" (posmatranye ptitsa)
Street names are changing, thus it is useful to know both old and new name (e.g. former Marsala Tita become Srpskih Vladara St.). Street designations on maps often differ from those on signs (e.g. Knez Mihajlova Ulica and Ulica Kneza Mihajla are both in use, first meaning Duke Mihajlo's St. and second Street of Duke Mihajlo).
M - Maps
One-sheet Belgrade city maps, as well as street atlases are available at larger bookshops (try "Jugoslovenska Knjiga" at the beginning of the Knez Mihajlova Promenade), newspaper kiosks and street stalls along the main Terazije - Knez Mihajlova artery. At the same places reliable Serbia and Yugoslavia road maps can be found. If you are arriving by plane/train, check the magazine stands in the airport/railway station building.
S - Self-Catering
Both quality and variety of food available in larger supermarkets of Belgrade and Novi Sad is satisfying. Variety of food in small towns is lower, so stock in advance. On the other hand, open markets are well stocked both in large and small towns (in later being the better option), offering seasonal vegetables and fruit. In small towns ask around for the local "market day" ("pijacni dan" in Serbian, pronounced as piyachny dan) - usually only one day per week when all the farmers from the neighboring villages are selling their goods. If you miss that day of the week, your choices can be fairly narrow.
W - Where to Stay
Check the hotels at http://www.hotels.co.yu/ (includes addresses, phones, prices, façade photos, number of bedrooms, credit cards accepted, etc), or check their locations on the city map at http://solair.eunet.yu/~rabotic/map.htm. For hostels go to http://www.yuhostels.com/.
For more detailed info on transport and accommodation logistics check Lonely Planet's Eastern Europe (6th Edition, Published January 2001) or Mediterranean Europe (5th Edition, January 2001).
For any further information, feel free to e-mail the author at goingbirding@yahoo.com
- I am considering the idea to start up guiding business in the region, if there
is enough interest, and I would be thankful for any comments and suggestions.
Dajovic, M. (1998). Results of bird observations in Belgrade area in 1990-1997. Ciconia, vol. 7. Novi Sad
Puzovic, S., Gergelj, J. & Lukac, S. (1999). Heron and Cormorant Colonies in Serbia 1998. Ciconia, vol. 8. Novi Sad
Simic, D. & Puzovic, S. (1998).The White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) in the Belgrade area. Ciconia, vol. 7. Novi Sad
Stanimirovic, Z. (2000). Faunistical list of birds of Banjicka forest and Banjica (suburbia of Belgrade). Ciconia, vol. 9. Novi Sad
Stojnic, N. (2000). Red-rumped Swallow (Hirundo daurica) - new breeding species of Vojvodina. Ciconia, vol. 9. Novi Sad
(c) Copyright Notice
Material contained within these pages is copyright (c) 2000-2003 Dragan Simic. Permission to reproduce this material in any manner must first be obtained in writing from the author.
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