Day 4 - Neretva Delta

The eight arms of the delta of the river Neretva form a pattern like a huge bird's foot. And delta lakes, fed by underground springs, narrow river valleys, forests of reeds, lagoons, lush common land pastures, sand banks, riparian forests and river branches covered in aquatic plants create a veritable bird paradise.

Reclaimed land is covered by broad arable fields with a well developed network of irrigation channels which slowly transformed into an excellent natural habitat.

Pied Avocet

Recurvirostra avosetta

Spoonbills on migration.

Eurasian Spoonbill

Platalea leucorodia

In the 20 thousand hectares of the delta spreading from Bosnia & Herzegovina over the Croatian border to the Adriatic, 300 bird species live and rest.

Western Yellow wagtail (feldegg)

Motacilla flava feldegg

Little Stint

Calidris minuta

Hungarian Skipper

Spialia orbifer

Pygmy Cormorant

Microcarbo pygmaeus

Lake Kuti in Neretva Delta.

Collared Pratincole

Glareola pratincola

Bertoloni's Bee Orchid

Ophrys bertolonii

Caspian Tern

Hydroprogne caspia

Small Indian Mongoose

Herpestes auropunctatus

Squacco Heron

Ardeola ralloides

Little Ringed Plover

Charadrius dubius

While the water in the irrigation channels serves as important foraging ground, the dense vegetation provides excellent nesting and hiding sites for the breeding aquatic species.