Before my trip, I used colored markers and tried to be aware of some birds I may hear and/or see on my trip. Above is one possible bird.
My travel through the Balkan countries: Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Slovenia was not a “birding trip”. However, I cannot help but notice when birds are or are not around. Then if I have some time I like to read about the bird and sketch it. I only used pencil to keep my backpack light in weight on this trip.
Of course, if it is a new bird for my life list, that is very exciting. But what I also noticed, is if I think I know the bird and work to identify it, the bird may be a totally different name and a new bird for me, such as the shag you’ll see in a sketch below. Surprisingly I knew house sparrows are all over the world. In Albania though, it got listed as a new bird in my life list. Had I never listed that bird before? Wow, I guess not!
Eight new birds in Albania, seven in Croatia and three in Bosnia-Herzegovina. No new birds in Montenegro and Slovenia since the birds there were already seen in a previous country.
Here are some quick sketches. Nothing is to scale!
In AlbaniaIn CroatiaAlso in CroatiaIn Bosnia-Herzegovina In Slovenia
Will I see new birds in Italy and Greece? Time will tell!
The water in Lake Bled at this time of year is simply beautiful. Here it is…
We drove from Ljubljana to Lake Bled through green countryside to arrive at this scenic spot. High above the lake, clinging to the rocky cliff, is an 800 year old castle which we visited.
Castle on the cliff
In the middle of the lake is a 17th century church which we rode a pletna to get to it. A pletna is a boat similar to a gondola.
A pletnaOff to the islet to visit the church
We had fantastic weather for this day trip as we climbed the steps to these locations and learned about this area’s history. We returned to Ljubljana by way of Radovljica for lunch and a walk through the town.
Back at Ljubljana we also had a snack … one that went to space! You may know the info about NASA astronaut, Sunita Williams, celebrating her heritage by bringing a traditional Carniolan sausage, kranjska klobasa, to the International Space Station in 2006. (Info is specifically on the sign.)
Celebrates her mixed heritage
Yes, I got a chance to taste this sausage! It was delicious with a touch of mustard. Others added horse radish.
Or eat it with no condiment; the sausage is delicious!
The next day we cruised on Ljubljanica River, I visited with my Slovenian friend who I met in Naples, Italy a couple of years ago, and my fellow travelers and I had our farewell dinner. A few of us will now continue with a new guide for 5 nights as we explore the Istria area of Croatia and sleep in Poreč. I’ll be back in a few days. Look at this food in the photos below… so tasty!
My friend and I shared this cibanica… it has 4 layers: poppy seeds, curd cheese, walnuts and apples separated by filo (phyllo) dough. Light and delicious and was served warm.We shared this also -jabolčna pita which is apple pie… yum!
While we drove toward Postojna Cave in Slovenia, I thought I was in upstate New York! The rolling hillsides with varied shades of green remind me of upstate NY’s countryside. But in the distance the treeless, sharp-edged 8K to 9,000 foot rock of the Julian Alps is seen and I realize I am in Slovenia!
Postojna Cave is a must see! I have been in many caves and this one is huge and beautiful in its own way. It is the only one I have ever entered by railway. The small railcar takes you on a 15 minute, 3.7km ride through the cave; duck your head if you are tall person! Then you walk 1.2km through the cave looking at a variety of cave formations. There is an audio guide that explains the karst formations you are looking at which is very helpful. This cave is huge and all I could wonder about is who discovered this and what a find!!
Walkway surface in cave felt very safe.At the start of rail car ride… soon to enter cave. Staff are very well organized at this popular site. It is not a UNESCO site, but a nearby one of 4 other caves is. This cave may be a future UNESCO site.
Plus in the cave, there is a sightless, whitish with red tufts amphibian only found here called an olm. They can go without food for 10 years, live for 100 years and is the largest animal in the cave. Legends abound about this “baby dragon”. They had a few in an aquarium while we were in the cave so we could see them. However, no photos could be taken to protect them. This photo is of a video display the info board provided.
An olm is a cave salamander about 8-12 inches long.
No photos really capture the cave, but here are some. I’ll continue with Slovenia tomorrow.
On our way to our hotel in Opatija, we stopped at a pasta-making class. With our aprons on, a swig of wine and clean hands, we made pasta! So simple, why don’t I make it at home!? Anyway, we created two differently shaped pastas and ate them! Delicious!!
Pasta-maker taught us how to make pasta! She went to Italy to learn pasta-making.IngredientsLunch!And more lunch!
Arrived at our destination…. Opatija. Wealthy people and tourists stop in this town where hotels are huge and overlook Kvarner Gulf, part of the Adriatic Sea. Way across the water is Venice, Italy. This place is so relaxed compared to any of my Venice visits!
Lady of the Seagull with live one on her head!Water is so clear!Some resorts have a swim area available. People were dipping their toes in the water.Beautiful!Our hotel’s use of the old ballroom!
My fellow travelers visited the hilltop towns of Motovun and Hum. It was an optional day tour with a truffle shop stop. I remained in sunny, windy Opatija to walk part of the 7.5 mile waterfront promenade.
In my free time I sketched some of the 14 new birds I have seen on the trip thus far. No colored pencils or paint with me here.
My farewell dinner at Opatija: pizza and wine:
I ate the whole pizza!A glass of Syrah wine.Chocolate and pistachio cake enjoyed when I joined my fellow travelers to hear about their truffle – tasting and lunch in the town of Hum, population 11 people. Good thing I walked many miles today as my dinner was huge!
Off to Slovenia tomorrow and I’m looking forward to our cave visit. Back in a few days…
It’s a couple of hours drive from Zagreb to this UNESCO World Heritage Site, Plitvice Lakes. We stopped at a small town where waterfalls were running under people’s homes! I spent some time talking with a bicyclist. He had a fully loaded bike. It is his first adventure. He is German and started in Germany with hopes to cycle through the Balkan countries and finish in Turkey in two months.
Waterfall under a home in this small town.Bicyclist stopping for lunch at this small town. There are no bike lanes on the road to the national park, Plitvice Lakes.
I had seen a Rick Steves program about the 16 turquoise lakes linked by waterfalls which Plitvice Lakes is known for. On our day hike we only saw 4 of the lakes and the “Big Waterfall”. Plenty of wildflowers; I saw a trout in the water and others did see a frog. Only a few birds were heard. Despite it not being peak season, there were plenty of tourists on the paths and boardwalk. I think the photos show its beauty.
Off to another town in Croatia to make pasta! I’ll be back in a couple of days!
We stayed at a “living history” farmstead in Karanac, a small farming village. Each property has a narrow front yard with a long depth of land. This is to their advantage since their property tax bill is determined by the frontage measurement. I liked the fact they have the road, then a strip of grass, sidewalk and then the front of the home. It makes for a spaciousness in the area even though this is a rural area already.
Road, grass then home.
Upon our arrival we made cheese for the following morning’s breakfast. A plain cheese and the other was with dill and garlic. Learning the cheese-making process and eating our final products was wonderful.
Final cheese product the next day
The son is 8th generation on this land. He showed us the vegetable garden for home use and pointed out the chickens, quail, fruit trees, etc that they produce many products to barter and/or sell. The family works hard throughout the year. All is organic and they rotate their crops to keep their land healthy too.
Our cooking opportunities came in making fry bread for breakfast and learning how to make goulash in clay pots for lunch. All the food, consisting of meats, vegetables, cheeses, jams and bread, was delicious!
The mother of the household is a master at stenciling. With the advent of wallpaper, fewer people need to stencil an entire wall; however, with her work you would never realize this is not wallpaper. She has collected many rollers with patterns and is very well known for her stencil work!
Our lunch was enjoyed at another family’s home. A few of us had lunch with a couple. They have 4 children and work in a nearby town. We talked about taxes, healthcare, elder care and various other things. Interestingly, with each birth there is 3 years of leave allowed so this woman has maintained her work position even with the birth of 4 children. Yes, a large percentage from salary goes to these benefits. While they wish they could be lower, they do appreciate the ability to have the paid time, even if it be 70%, to provide care as needed.
The next day we have a long ride to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. I’ll be back in a few days!
Bird watching was not something I did during my youth. In my college days, the common loon may be considered my “spark bird”. (A spark bird is that bird making you more serious and interested in birding.) But in reality, I just loved seeing that bird. Hiking miles to Adirondack Mountain lakes in upstate New York State to see a common loon and sometimes its chicks was just a thing I did. Then I thought I started birding when the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. I did not.
Recently I found a bird journal of mine. It looked like I took my bird watching to another level on August 30, 2018! I literally recorded more specific notes than I ever remember completing. Amazingly I was teaching myself the difference between some birds as I was identifying my observations. I had a 30 -70 mm camera lens at the time to help with my identifications. Two years prior, in 2016, Merlin Bird ID became available for uploaded photos which no doubt helped me identify birds.
In 2019, I continued to list birds per outing along with the guidebook page, some notes, and additional info about other wildlife seen. I also collected pictures of birds I hoped to see when visiting upcoming locations, such as “Ding” Darling Wildlife Refuge in Sanibel, Florida.
I was really learning so much about birds!
On December 25, 2019, at Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson, Arizona, I was caught standing between a good-sized javelina and a bobcat. I do remember that day because a woman from Florida was birding also and very scared. My only way to calm her was to have her stand on a bench as I was convinced the javelina would walk by and the bobcat would turn and leave. Which all of that did happen!
That was an interesting day; will always remember it!
August 2020 I attended my first bird festival in Tucson, Arizona. I may have believed I was a birder now as I bought camera lenses for improved bird photography. (In reality though I was birding since 2018.) Photography really helped me learn the names of birds. Attending bird festivals in Texas and California were most informative too.
I noticed in my December 2020 listing I was keeping track of my life list of bird species in eBird. So I was well on my way with 177 species, yet I thought I only began birding at the start of the pandemic. Interesting! Through 2021 and 2022, along with my sightings, I listed places for future birding visits. Time of year with possible bird sightings and directions to the place. Of course, I did set out to visit some of these places!
Interesting seeing these notes now that I am over 700 birds on my life list.
2023 I set a personal challenge to record one bird sighting, therefore bird checklist, per day. For 365 days there is at least one checklist per day of birds I saw, and sometimes there were more than one checklist per day. It was an especially fun activity as I traveled cross-country in my van and stopped at wildlife refuges, rest areas, family member’s backyards and parks … wherever I thought I’d see a bird … and created a checklist for the observations.
An endangered bird I did see here and 2 other times in my life so far.
2024, only a few notes of the many birds I saw in Sicily, Italy and later in the year in Australia and New Zealand. Now I no longer have a paper trail of the checklists of birds I see per outing. All is entered in eBird and I search there for date and locations of specific birds I need to know about from my observations. Part of me misses the writing of the info in a book. I do scribble in a list in my travel journal, but it feels different than the listings of years ago when I started birding. Now I am pre-occupied with sketching birds … that I hope to see … or did see. Who knows what format my future listings will take. But now I know I actually started birding in 2018!! In my future travel I hope to see this bird: European robin.
Will be looking for it in upcoming months!
If you are interested in learning about birds and to have access to all of the free and valuable apps from Cornell University, check out, click on this link at All About Birds. Go have some fun!
“Agua caliente” in Spanish means hot water. Here in Tucson, Arizona where this park is located it is very hot right now! We are twenty degrees warmer than the average temperature this time of year. No one is really enjoying it, especially the wildlife. Not every animal or plant can burrow into the ground or have enough energy to travel to a distant cooler location. Their survival rate can be affected. And similar to humans, animals can dehydrate and be in need of shade.
Things we can do to help wildlife: Provide shallow water containers with resting stones. Even bees can make use of it and not drown or have a way for small animals to move out of the water. Change the water often to keep it clean, disease-free and don’t use a metal container that will get hot. Provide shade and shelter. A good reason to not prune bushes right now. Lizards and others will hide out in those spaces. I’m sure if you research this topic you’ll find more suggestions.
Here’s what I did see at Agua Caliente Park in Tucson:
Cormorants spread their wings to dry them after swimming to catch fish or frogs, etc.
Allergies … Airborne pollen loves to tickle my nasal passages and force me to take antihistamines, darn! Unfortunately, I have learned and experienced allergies since my move to the desert. When I first spoke with an ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) physician he explained how pollen loves dark, moist places to hang out. Lovely! At that point, my allergic reaction …. itchy eyes and breathing difficulties were due to the pollen from palo verde trees. Those trees will be blooming very soon. The palo verde is the official state tree of Arizona so it is never going away! But I now discovered velvet mesquite trees are the latest source of my misery and happening before my usual allergy season. Mesquite trees have been around forever and used in multiple ways, plus they love the desert with its hot temperatures and little water. They’ll be here longer than me for sure!
I love that spring has sprung upon us and everything seems to be blooming, but when it brings on my allergy misery I am ready to cry. Might as well since I am already blowing my nose and wiping my eyes every hour! However, thanks to some good medicines and antihistamines, hot tea and air-conditioned spaces, I will be able to face the world without a sniffling nose and runny eyes! Summer will be here and everything will be so hot … and that’s a whole other world!
“Tipping point bird species” are those birds having lost more than half their population in the last 50 years. Reading so many reports about the decline of bird populations is simply depressing since the environmental threats affecting birds are also warning signs for our own health. (Remember the canary in the coal mine?) Simply put, we do breathe the same air as the birds! Beyond that their habitats are being destroyed and also areas to land, rest and feed during their migration. Fortunately some conservation groups, ranchers, farmers and others are addressing some of the issues.
While I knew the California condor and burrowing owls were, and have been for a while, on the “tipping point” list with more than a hundred birds on it, I recently learned the Lewis’s woodpecker and piping plover are on it. So I just wish to share some of my observations about these two tipping point birds: Lewis’s woodpecker and piping plover.
First, the piping plover:
Piping plover are small, move fast and a challenge to find!
The piping plover is a bird of major concern. A friend was part of helping protect a nesting area in California. I saw other protected nest areas in Indiana Dunes National Park in Indiana and also at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park in Michigan. I was fortunate to observe this bird in April 2022 in Middletown, Rhode Island and in May 2023 at Jones Beach in New York State. They are not the easiest bird to spot! I had no luck photographing one. This bird is endangered and I can only hope the nesting sites continue to be protected so future human generations will see this bird.
Notice the very small orange and blue areas where the birds might be!!
About Lewis’s woodpecker:
Lewis’s woodpecker
It was May 2021 and I was almost finished with a hike in Flagstaff, Arizona. I saw a large-sized woodpecker with a purplish-pink belly in a tree; unlike other woodpeckers I had ever seen! It was beautiful and I regret never getting a photograph. The greenish-black feathers, gray collar, red face and pinkish belly are most striking when you see it. I had no idea this bird is only spending time in a few western states in the USA.
Notice the winter and summer locations for this bird.
I didn’t realize when I saw the Lewis’s woodpecker again how fortunate I was. May 2022 again in Arizona and December 2023 at Death Valley National Park in California, there was the bird! Now I am worried about this near-threatened bird since I have not seen it in the past 3 years! By the way, the bird was discovered on the Lewis and Clark 1804-1806 expedition and named for the expedition’s co-leader.
If you are interested in knowing more about birds, download the free Audubon Bird Guide app at the app store. There is plenty of information about every bird. Give it a try! In the meantime, please be aware of the importance in caring about birds, thanks!
Easy app to use, plus it is FREE!
These are only 2 of hundreds of endangered and near threatened birds.
