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Twenty years ago, flocks consisting of a thousand European Turtle Doves were a common sight in Serbia in spring. As we speak, in Serbia these birds are still hunted in August and September. In all European Union countries to the north and east of Serbia (except Romania), Turtle Doves are strictly protected.
Since August 23rd 2022 it has been considered a part of the newly protected Foreland of the Left Bank of the Danube Reserve. The initiative to protect this area was launched in 2010. And in August 2022, Beljarica and the wider Danube Backwaters finally became officially protected. I am glad it is finally protected.
The night temperatures in Belgrade, Serbia, were already below minus 10 Celsius / 14 degrees Fahrenheit for two weeks. Up to the mid-20th century, Pygmy Cormorant was a common breeding species of wetlands around Belgrade until most wetlands were drained and the birds were lost, at one moment – from the entire territory of Serbia.
Also, it is a part of the international ecological corridor and the “Confluence of the Sava and the Danube Rivers” Important Bird Area (IBA), already proposed for a nature reserve by the Government’s Institute for the Protection of Nature of Serbia. White-tailed Eagles in Beljarica. Young Roe Deer buck in Beljarica.
Last month, I birded my favourite local patch, Beljarica – the best eBird hotspot in Belgrade city and the 3rd best in Serbia – four times. but because this large spillway protects the city from flooding. Photo: VICE. Photo: Gordan Pomorisac. And I felt… relieved?
While Serbia claims to strive towards the EU membership, it is back to the Chinese credit and Chinese environmental standards. And there is only one certain way to protect the lower parts of the city from floods: let the river spread and flood some other area, before it reaches the city. And, with it, its otters, eagles and storks.
Yet, I was there with journalists every other day, the site was in the media almost every day and the first effect of the Save the Belgrade Amazon campaign is now visible: quite unusual for Serbia, the rules are strictly applied. That embankment was technically forbidden, but mostly accessible during working hours.
For example, I simply cannot comprehend how such seemingly common species such as the Common Pochard (yes, for the third time, the common), still allowed for shooting in Serbia and many other countries, found its way into the Red List of Threatened Species. There are many reasons for their decrease and yet, all of them (but one?)
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