The Irish Naturalist

By Owen Beckett

Tag: Croatia

Zadar and Paklenica: July 2018 (Day 4)

September 18, 2018 /

Before I came to Zadar, one area I read about consistently whilst searching various websites for information on Croatia’s wildlife was Paklenica National Park. From what I could gather it was filled with interesting rock formations, pristine forests, a myriad of wildflowers and tonnes of different animal species; so when the day came where I was finally able to visit it I admit I was rather excited!

Because I only had one day to visit I planned a route which would allow me to see as wide a variety of wildlife as possible, or so I hoped. My planned route would take me from the entrance of the park, through a large gorge up 400m to a small hut. From there I would ascend a further 1000m up a valley through Beech and Pine woodland to a large, open mountain meadow called Struge and then return to the park’s entrance. All in all it would take me about 10 hours to complete so on the 28th of July I woke at 5 in the morning full of anticipation!

After a 30 minute drive I began my hike. Starting at 6:30 allowed me to get a good portion of my walking done before the sun rose above the gorge and it got too hot. After about an hour of walking I reached the Paklenica Mountain Hut, where I took a much-needed break. The temperature was creeping up steadily and it wasn’t long until I saw my first butterflies of the day. 5 minutes from the hut was a small hostel with some patches of Cream Scabious flowers, which attracted a lovely range of species, including Queen of Spain, Silver-washed and High Brown Fritillaries, Southern Small Whites and Large and Mallow Skippers. At this point the pathway became a little more ambiguous so I stopped to ask the hostel owner, who insisted that i take some local Rakija before we spoke, which I politely declined (homemade brandy before 9am before an arduous hike above steep cliffs seemed like a dodgy idea) Under the assurance that I would be back later for a drink, he guided me in the right direction and I was on my way.

From this point the path veered westwards, as I began to walk through the dense Pine and Beech woodland up the side of one of several valleys and the shade it provided was rather welcome. The odd clearing allowed for several flowers to grow, such as Wild Thyme, Italian Eryngo, Allium, Cream Scabious and Greater Knapweed, which in turn attracted many butterflies. Holly Blues were rather numerous, along with Silver-washed Fritillaries and Woodland Graylings, with the odd Marbled White and Pearly Heath making an appearance. I was delighted to find Meleager’s and Chalkhill Blues, as they were both new species for me. As I climbed higher to around 1000m, Scotch Argus butterflies became quite abundant, although they were very reluctant to settle for me!

As I continued to ascend the landscape opened up and I soon found myself among light scrub with a whole new host of species. Crag Martins and Swifts soared above the peaks, along with what I believe to be Choughs and the odd larger bird of prey, mostly Peregrine Falcons. Thyme and Scabious flowers hugged the path’s edges, which in turned were hugged by Blue-spot Hairstreaks. One or two Mountain Small Whites were about along with the usual combination of Fritillaries (Silver-washed, High Brown and Queen of Spain). A Great Sooty Satyr perched nicely on the pathway in front of me, as did several Meadow Browns, Scotch Arguses and Graylings. The star of the show was one of the prime targets of the trip: the Apollo. The large mountain butterfly glided around the rocky pass as if it was viewing its kingdom and it had a certain ‘aura’, which despite the myriad of other species flying around, managed to totally captivate me.

Just on up from the Buljma Pass was Struge, the large alpine meadow which was as far as I had planned to go. It was odd that two locations in such close proximity would display such a contrasting range of species. Gentian flowers, Thyme, Scabious and Thistles, along with several fine grasses, dominated this area, which was fringed by clumps of Dwarf Pine, a species restricted to mountains. Mountain Small Whites and High Brown Fritillaries , along with Chalkhill Blues, were very abundant here. Several Erebia species, such as the Mountain, Black and Ottoman Brassy Ringlets flew here too which was a real highlight for me. I sat there for about 45 minutes just soaking up the atmosphere, as long as I could spare before it was time for me to begin my descent.

On my way down in addition to many species mentioned already, I saw a Brimstone and a rather fierce-looking Stag Beetle, as well as a Southern Comma and a Balkan Whip Snake. I’ll admit I didn’t pay as much attention to the wildlife on the way down, as my descent was hastened by the promise of dinner by the promenade in Zadar! My only stop was for an ice-cold beer in the hostel before meeting mum again in the car park; not a bad way to finish the hike!

Zadar and Paklenica: July 2018 (Days 1,2 &3)

August 5, 2018 /

Anyone who knows about European butterflies will tell you that the Balkan countries are some of the most species-rich in Europe and Croatia is no exception. The port town of Zadar and the neighbouring Paklenica National Park lie half-way down the Dalmatian coast and offer a mix of Mediterranean, Continental and Alpine ecosystems: perfect for wildlife.

The area around Zadar would fit into the ‘Mediterranean’ category, with mild winters and hot summers and a landscape dominated by maquis scrub. What has enhanced its  wildlife value even more is, oddly enough, the  Serbo-Croatian War. During the early 90s, landmines were laid throughout the country and many remained there for years, allowing the wildlife there to thrive due to the lack of human disturbance. Most of the mines have since been cleared by the Croatian government, but there are plenty of ‘wild’ areas on Zadar’s outskirts that I was able to explore.

I found a track that led from the north of the town through scrub and olive groves to a small pine forest and it was here that I was able to find many different types of wildlife.  In the first few hundred metres of the track, there were numerous butterfly species such as Geranium Bronze, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Brown Argus, Southern Small White and Spotted Fritillary, of which the latter two were new species for me. A few Scarce and Common Swallowtails were around too; both equally large and impressive species that always make me stop and stare in admiration. A solitary Great Sooty Satyr sat amicably for me on the stony path, which was also a nice sight.

Several other unfamiliar butterflies were flying further down the path, one of which was the Oriental Meadow Brown. Similar to the Meadow Brown found in Ireland, this species is found in southern Europe and has scalloped hindwings, making it distinctive. The other was the Orbed Red-underwing Skipper, a small species which flies low and fast but one which eventually settled for me, just! Tree Graylings were quite abundant around the edges of the pine forest, where they often settled on tree trunks and in shady spots, likely trying to avoid the intense midday heat. One of the most exciting species I saw was the Cardinal fritillary, the largest fritillary in Europe. Unfortunately I flushed it up from the forest floor and didn’t have time to get a photograph, as it zoomed away into the dense canopy and didn’t return! Two other new species were also seen along the edge of the woods, which were the Eastern Bath White and the Lang’s Short-tailed Blue.

Aside from the butterflies there were other species, particularly insects, that were common here. Blue-winged grasshoppers along with several other grasshoppers sat on the stony path and only flew off when I was practically on top of them! A few Lily Bush Crickets and what I believe to be Migratory Locusts also were found here. As ever in the Mediterranean, Ash Cicadas were in full song and were so numerous in the pine forest that it was almost deafening. The flock of Pheasant that I encountered didn’t seem to mind though, as they browsed through the undergrowth quite happily.  The most interesting animal I encountered whilst walking was the Hermann’s Tortoise. Being from Ireland, seeing a tortoise plodding across a country lane is something I’m not familiar with but I could very much get used to it.

The area around Zadar was just a small taste of the wildlife that the area had to offer; and the real goal was Paklenica National Park, which I will write about in the next post!

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