Bird ringing camp

Bird ringing in the area of the Nature Park Vransko Lake has been taking place for many years:

2001: the ornithological camp on Vransko Lake was founded by the Croatian Ornithological Society (HOD) in cooperation with the Public Institution Nature Park Vransko Lake.
2004: the work of ornithologists at Vransko Lake was significantly improved and expanded. The permanent ornithological station “Vransko Lake” was built, which created excellent conditions for the continuous organization of the ornithological camp.
2015: the camp is coordinated by the Ornithological Society “Brgljez Kamenjar”, which gathers amateur and professional ornithologists, authorized to ring birds by the Institute of Ornithology of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU).
2017: the Institute of Ornithology (HAZU) created a protocol for the implementation of standardized ringing.
2020: the camp was not held due to the pandemic.
2021: the organization of ringing is taken over by the Public Institution Nature Park Vransko Lake in cooperation with the Institute of Ornithology (HAZU).

The ornithological camp lasts an average of more than a hundred days a year and is attended by about 10 main ringers, some trainee ringers, volunteers, as well as small groups of students, pupils and visitors who arrive accompanied by Park’s educators. Apart from scientific, the ringing camp also has an important educational component.

Bird ringing collects data that shows the importance of Vransko Lake in bird migration routes. The birds are caught with fine mist nets that do not injure the birds. The bird ringing process includes placing a light aluminum ring with a unique combination of numbers and letters and the mark of our country on their leg. After ringing, the birds are released unharmed. Ever since the standardized ringing has taken place, there are up to 10,000 birds ringed annually.

Since 2001, a total of 180 different bird species have been ringed. The most numerous ringed bird is the swallow, followed by the Reed Warbler, the Great Reed Warbler, the Sedge Warbler, the Garden Warbler, the Spanish Sparrow and the Blackcap.

Warblers in large numbers use Vransko Lake as a resting place during migrations. 7 different reed warbler species were ringed: Paddyfield Warbler (Acrocephalus agricola), Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus), Blyth’s Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum), Moustached Warbler (Acrocephalus melanopogon), Marsh Warbler (Acrocephalus palustris), Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) and Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaeceus).