Birdwaching in Croatia

Day 1. Zagreb-Jastrebarsko Once we arrive to Zagreb airport, we drive for around one hour to our first base southwest of Zagreb. We should see White Storks as we go and we will make roadside stops for other birds. Night in Jastrebarsko. Day 2: Crna Malaka bird reserve All day around Crna Mlaka. This mosaic of wetlands and woodlands has fishponds of various sizes, reedbeds, meadows, parkland and old oak woods. We will work the area on several easy walks and in the middle of the day have a picnic in a suitably birdy spot. Possibilities include Black Stork, a range of herons and egrets, Ferruginous Duck, Garganey, Marsh Harrier, Goshawk, Wryneck, Grey-headed, Middle Spotted, Lesser Spotted and Black Woodpeckers, Great Reed and Savi's Warblers, Short-toed Treecreeper and Hawfinch. There should also be some tern and wader passage with flocks of Ruff and Spotted Redshank likely. Night in Jastrebarsko. Day 3: NP Krka Today we head south through impressive hinterland landscapes into Dalmatia, the coast and finally to the Krka National Park. We will stop as the birds demand. This is an impressive landscape of karstic limestone plateau, dry macchia scrub, meadows and broadleaved forests through which the rushing River Krka flows. There are some impressive gorges and waterfalls and a rich range of flora and fauna. Scops Owl, Blue Rock Thrush, Serin and Spanish Sparrow can all be seen near our hotel. Night in Skradin. Day 4: NP Krka All day in and around the Krka NP. Krka is a fine area for birds of prey with Short-toed and Golden Eagles possible. Two very scenic spots we will visit are the waterfalls at Roški Slap and Skradinski Buk where Pygmy Cormorant, Yellow-legged Gull, Nightingale and Cetti's Warblers are not uncommon. Its rocky gorges are home to Black-eared Wheatear, Rock Nuthatch, Black Redstart, Crag Martin and Alpine Swift. Scrubby hillsides hold Subalpine Warbler and Rock Partridge. On easy walks we will also come across reptiles with Hermann's Tortoise, Balkan Green Lizard and Italian and Dalmatian Wall-Lizards possible. Night in Skradin. Day 5: Lake Vrana and Pag Island Coastal drive stopping at Lake Vrana and Pag Island. Lake Vrana is the largest natural lake in Croatia and recognized as an internationally important wetland for migrating and breeding birds. The lake lies by the Adriatic and is a migration stop-over in both April and September. One of Croatia's most important bird reserves and an ornithological research station, lies at the north-western end of the lake. A key species here is Pygmy Cormorant and there should be gulls, terns, herons and wildfowl. Next we visit Pag Island, reached via a road bridge. Pag lies in the Dalmatian archipelago and is the fifth largest island on the Croatian coast, and the one with the longest coastline. Most of the interior is of stony terrain though there is some macchia scrub, vineyards, olive-groves and bush-dotted, grass-sage grazing land, criss-crossed by dry-stone walls. Typical birds here are Stone Curlew, Short-toed and Crested Larks, Tawny Pipit, Hoopoe and Woodchat Shrike. Rock Partridges are here, too. At the heart of the island is a freshwater wetland, Veliko Blato, where we will look for Squacco and Purple Herons, and the black-headed race of Yellow Wagtail. We will also stop to check the island's coastline for passage waders, ducks and divers. Night in Starigrad Paklenica. Days 6 & 7: All day in the Paklenica NP. The Paklenica National Park lies is part of the Velebit Mountains range, and the views of the Adriatic coast are often stunning. The park is dominated by two gorges, Mala Paklenica and Velika Paklenica. Once again, we will take our time and make several fairly easy walks. Birds we should see here are Blue Rock Thrush, Sombre Tit, Alpine Swift, Alpine Chough (at low levels!), Cirl Bunting, Rock Nuthatch and Crag Martin. Rock Partridges are fairly common here. The Rock Doves here are genuinely wild, too. The sea often hosts birds on passage such as Black-throated Diver and Red-breasted Merganser. This arid landscape is ideal for reptiles and we may come across the endemic Dalmatian Algyroides. Nights in Starigrad Paklenica. Day 8: Head for Zagreb Airport for departure.