Thursday 15 June 2017

Danube Delta - top highlights

1. Having the opportunity to observe many Otters Lutra lutra in their natural habitat.
2. Seeing on a daily basis one of Europe's rarest waterbirds: 
the Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus.
3. Seeing large numbers of White Pelicans Pelecanus onocrotalus too.
4. Finding up to 7 Citrine Wagtails Motacilla citreola in a singe day.
5. Finding the nest of a White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla (1st pic). It was even more exciting than seeing an adult bird landing in front of our noses (2nd pic).
6. Tracking down woodpeckers for whole days on end and finding two nests of  
Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius.
7. Having Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus as a common garden bird and hearing it even from the toilet!
8. Watching numerous Bitterns Botaurus stellaris in Europe's largest reedbed.
9. Watching elusive and rare Ruddy Shelducks Tadorna ferruginea in the salty steppes.
10. Seeing Hoopoes Upupa epops everywhere on a daily basis in spring.
11. Getting to know some Syrian Woodpeckers Dendrocopos syriacus in the local villages.
12. Having Pallas's Gulls Larus ichthyaetus flying overhead as a standard gull on a regular basis.
13. Being completely bored of watching Golden Jackals Canis aureus after a while.
14. Experiencing the very east of Europe.

Our Danube Delta Experience was amazing and very formative, but at the end we are happy to be back home. That's because of one main reason... this :-)


Keep tuned to Carniolicum and enjoy!