BIRDWATCHING

The International Council for Bird Protection, Bird Life International, introduced the Neretva, its native, wetland and migratory birds, precisely the multitude of bird species that have always surprised guests, travelers, travel writers, and captured the special attention of scientists.

The Neretva River, its native, wetland and migratory birds, a multitude of bird species that have always surprised guests, travelers, travel writers, and captured the special attention of scientists, have been included in the Ramsar List of the Convention on the Protection of Wetlands and in the Important Bird Areas program of the International Council for the Conservation of Birds, Bird Life International. Ornithologists have recorded more than 310 bird species in the last hundred years.

We will mention only the most important, most numerous and most interesting, as well as some of those that, unfortunately, no longer live in the Neretva region. (The Natural History Museum in Metković shows the entire splendor of the numerous bird world, present and past, in the most vivid way.) In the bushes and groves of the surrounding areas, flocks of wild turtledoves, golden eagles, goldfinches, cuckoos... a total of about 90 different bird species nest, feed, chirp and flutter. In the highest and most inaccessible places, on the steep cliffs, live (albeit rare) golden eagles, bonito eagles, falcons, kestrels, but also wild pigeons, white-tailed eagles... There is no historical or noble coat of arms in Neretva without a falcon.

Closer to settlements, swallows, black grouse and the indispensable house sparrows find food and a home. We feel them almost like pets that bring life to gardens, orchards and vineyards. As many as 21 specific species nest in wetland habitats: in the deepest waters, grebes lay solidly built floating nests, in willows and reeds we will encounter colonies of crows, jays and herons that feed on amphibians, reptiles, small, low-quality fish and even mice.

Three species of ducks nest in the dense marsh vegetation: mallard, pintail and auk, and the most famous bird in the Neretva is the black coot (Fulica atra) - the most interesting species for hunters and gourmets due to its excellent taste.

The pebble banks of the river provide shelter for a multitude of smaller birds, including the excellent diver, the kingfisher and the yellow bee-eater. Although there are more of them than in any other area of our coastline, native birds make up only a third of the total number of species that appear in the Neretva. Migratory birds predominate. They populate the Neretva when ice and winter snows cover northern Europe. “The great migration of birds at the mouth,” says ornithologist Rucner, “is a precious and indescribable experience that no one who deals with this science should miss.” We add: even non-experts, ordinary fans, will not be left any less amazed.

The Neretva is a perfect wintering area for birds in many ways. It is an ecologically interesting combination of continental and North Sea conditions in the middle of the Mediterranean. Migratory birds find important biotopes and habitats here, identical to those in which they nest. They recognize an area abundant in food, and also climatically ideal, because the waters do not freeze. When, at low tide, the sea recedes, a multitude of worms, crabs, shellfish and smaller fish remain on the sandy and muddy shore, a real feast for flocks of curlews, terns, gulls and other species that belong to the shores of the northern seas, the northern tundra, and some even to the Arctic zone.

Due to its good location on the migration route to Africa, the Neretva has an exceptionally high frequency of birds. The vast wetlands within the valley, the floodplain forests and the surrounding karst forests attract many wetland, steppe and forest species during their migration. Along the entire wetland area, along the canals and riverbeds, flocks of snipe, coot, heron and as many as 17 species of ducks reside. During the coldest winters, several species of geese also find refuge here.

The Pod Gredom and Prud ornithological reserves encompass the remainder of the Neretva delta wetlands, covering an area of about 880 hectares, and are one of the few preserved Mediterranean reedbeds. They have had the status of Special Ornithological Reserves since 1965, and in 1993 they were included in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance and are part of the European Natura 2000 network of protected areas. Their main feature is dense marsh vegetation consisting of reedbeds and other marsh flora, making them an ideal area for nesting and wintering grounds for various bird species, among which the most significant populations are the bittern (Botaurus stellaris), the little egret (Ixobrychus minutus), the marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus) and the auk (Aythya nyroca). Interestingly, this is one of the Neretva nesting grounds that is the only coastal nesting ground for the whiskered warbler (Panurus biarmicus).

Despite the land reclamation that turned the swamp into fertile soil, the wealth of animal life has been preserved in the ornithological reserves Pod gredom, Prud and Orepak, and on the hill above Metković is the significant Predolac–Šibanica landscape. The Metković Natural History Museum, which developed from the Ornithological Collection in Metković, perfectly evokes the rich diversity of flora and fauna of the Neretva Valley. Thanks to Dr. Dragutin Rucner, an ornithologist from Zagreb, the Ornithological Collection was opened to the public in 1952. It contained more than 340 specimens, including specimens of 218 bird species out of 310 species recorded in the Neretva River so far. The museum exhibits herbarium collections, collections of insects, butterflies, shells and an ichthyological collection. The specimens are arranged in habitats and provide a clear insight into the former exuberance of life in swamps, swampy groves, thickets, reed beds and rocky areas, as well as on reclaimed and cultivated areas. The museum is located in the very center of the city and was opened on July 17, 2015.