The Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus in the continental part of Croatia

In the first report of the Croatian Rarities Committee, the Red-necked Phalarope is listed as rare species for the Croatia. Therefore, we believe that all findings of this species should be published and that some of the already published mistakes should be corrected. The findings of Red-necked Phalarope for Croatia are: Ja stre barsko – 14.09.1906. (1); Kopački rit – 11.08.1969. (1), Kopački rit (Podunavlje fish ponds) – 08.08.1987.(2), 11.09.(2). and 13.09.1988.(2); Grudnjak fishponds – 2.10.1993.(1); and Kopački rit (Podunavlje fishponds) – 07.(1), 08.(1) and 10.09.2002.(2) Also, in the first report of the Croatian Rarities Committee (KRALJ & RADOVIĆ 2002) the published year of 1971 should be properly corrected into year 1987

Wintering of Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus in Osijek during winters 2014/2015 and 2015/2016

One adult Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus was observed wintering in Osijek town, eastern Croatia, during winters 2014/2015 and 2015/2016. In 2014 it arrived on 25th October 2014 and stayed until 23rd February 2015. During winter 2015, the bird was for the first time observed on 3rd December, and left the area on 21st February 2016. Peregrine Falcon was wintering on the cathedral, the tallest building in the town, and hunting in Osijek on Feral Pigeons, as well as in the Drava floodplain in Baranya region

The Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus in the continental part of Croatia

In the first report of the Croatian Rarities Committee, the Red-necked Phalarope is listed as rare species for the Croatia. Therefore, we believe that all findings of this species should be published and that some of the already published mistakes should be corrected. The findings of Red-necked Phalarope for Croatia are: Ja stre barsko – 14.09.1906. (1); Kopački rit – 11.08.1969. (1), Kopački rit (Podunavlje fish ponds) – 08.08.1987.(2), 11.09.(2). and 13.09.1988.(2); Grudnjak fishponds – 2.10.1993.(1); and Kopački rit (Podunavlje fishponds) – 07.(1), 08.(1) and 10.09.2002.(2) Also, in the first report of the Croatian Rarities Committee (KRALJ & RADOVIĆ 2002) the published year of 1971 should be properly corrected into year 1987

The wintering of Bewick’s Swans Cygnus columbianus in Kopački rit

During a regular bird monitoring on Podunavlje fishponds, Kopački rit Nature Park, between 4th December 2004 and 22nd January 2005 authors observed three Bewick’s Swans. Three adult Bewick’s Swans were wintering in the area at least 50 days when they were observed for 8 times. After 22nd January 2005 authors could not find Bewick’s Swans despite regular monitoring suggesting that the birds left the area. The main reason was probably the weather condition, since after that date a long cold period, with snow and low air temperatures (–20 °C) started

The wintering of Bewick’s Swans Cygnus columbianus in Kopački rit

During a regular bird monitoring on Podunavlje fishponds, Kopački rit Nature Park, between 4th December 2004 and 22nd January 2005 authors observed three Bewick’s Swans. Three adult Bewick’s Swans were wintering in the area at least 50 days when they were observed for 8 times. After 22nd January 2005 authors could not find Bewick’s Swans despite regular monitoring suggesting that the birds left the area. The main reason was probably the weather condition, since after that date a long cold period, with snow and low air temperatures (–20 °C) started

Gniježđenje gačca Corvus frugilegus u Osijeku i Vuki tijekom 2014. i 2015. godine i njegov dugoročni trend populacije

The breeding population of Rook was studied during 2014-2015 in the city of Osijek and the Vuka village. In total, 902 breeding pairs were counted in 14 colonies in 2014, while 928 pairs were counted in 13 colonies in 2015. Over one half of the colonies (ten colonies in 2014 and six colonies in 2015) were classified as small (below 50 pairs), with an average of 24.5 and 19.1 nesting pairs respectively. The number of medium-sized colonies (50-100 pairs) varied between one in 2014 and four in 2015, while two big colonies (over 100 pairs) were present in both years. During the past 23 years, the breeding population trend showed a moderate decline (p < 0.01, y = –0.0186, SD = 0.0060), mainly due to the harassment of the colonies, the destruction of nesting sites, and disturbance during breeding.Gnijezdeća populacija gačca istraživana je tijekom 2014. i 2015. godine u Osijeku i Vuki. Tijekom 2014. godine ukupno su prebrojana 902 gnijezdeća para u 14 kolonija, dok je 928 parova prebrojano u 13 kolonija tijekom 2015. godine. Većina kolonija (10 u 2014-toj i šest u 2015-toj) su klasificirane kao male (manje od 50 parova), s prosječnih 24,5 i 19,1 gnijezdećih parova po godini. Broj srednje velikih kolonija (od 50 do 100 parova) kretao se između jedne (2014) i četiri (2015), dok su dvije velike kolonije (više od 100 parova) bile aktivno obje godine. U protekle 23 godine trend gnijezdeće populacije je umjereno opadajući (p < 0.01, y = –0.0186, SD = 0.0060). Glavni razlozi tome su protjerivanja kolonija, uništavanje gnijezdećih staništa na kojima su kolonije izgrađene, te namjerno uznemiravanje tijekom gniježđenja

Observation of Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis on Vransko Lake during 2018

On 19th September 2018 a flock of 28 Cattle Egrets Bubulcus ibis was observed in the Vransko Lake Ornithological Reserve. Birds have gathered to the communal roost with Pygmy Cormorants Microcarbo pygmeus and Little Egrets Egretta garzetta. However, at 18.53 hours, 25 individuals of Cattle Egrets, triggered by passing flocks of Grey Herons Ardea cinerea and Little Egrets, started with migration and flew southeastwards. So far, this has been the largest flock of this species observed in Croatia. It is assumed that such observations might become more regular with the recent increase of breeding population in Pannonian plain

Protected area characteristics that help waterbirds respond to climate warming

Protected area networks help species respond to climate warming. However, the contribution of a site's environmental and conservation-relevant characteristics to these responses is not well understood. We investigated how composition of nonbreeding waterbird communities (97 species) in the European Union Natura 2000 (N2K) network (3018 sites) changed in response to increases in temperature over 25 years in 26 European countries. We measured community reshuffling based on abundance time series collected under the International Waterbird Census relative to N2K sites' conservation targets, funding, designation period, and management plan status. Waterbird community composition in sites explicitly designated to protect them and with management plans changed more quickly in response to climate warming than in other N2K sites. Temporal community changes were not affected by the designation period despite greater exposure to temperature increase inside late-designated N2K sites. Sites funded under the LIFE program had lower climate-driven community changes than sites that did not received LIFE funding. Our findings imply that efficient conservation policy that helps waterbird communities respond to climate warming is associated with sites specifically managed for waterbirds.Peer reviewe

Benefits of protected areas for nonbreeding waterbirds adjusting their distributions under climate warming

Climate warming is driving changes in species distributions and community composition. Many species have a so-called climatic debt, that is, shifts in range lag behind shifts in temperature isoclines. Inside protected areas (PAs), community changes in response to climate warming can be facilitated by greater colonization rates by warm-dwelling species, but also mitigated by lowering extirpation rates of cold-dwelling species. An evaluation of the relative importance of colonization-extirpation processes is important to inform conservation strategies that aim for both climate debt reduction and species conservation. We assessed the colonization-extirpation dynamics involved in community changes in response to climate inside and outside PAs. To do so, we used 25 years of occurrence data of nonbreeding waterbirds in the western Palearctic (97 species, 7071 sites, 39 countries, 1993-2017). We used a community temperature index (CTI) framework based on species thermal affinities to investigate species turnover induced by temperature increase. We determined whether thermal community adjustment was associated with colonization by warm-dwelling species or extirpation of cold-dwelling species by modeling change in standard deviation of the CTI (CTISD). Using linear mixed-effects models, we investigated whether communities in PAs had lower climatic debt and different patterns of community change than communities outside PAs. For CTI and CTISD combined, communities inside PAs had more species, higher colonization, lower extirpation, and lower climatic debt (16%) than communities outside PAs. Thus, our results suggest that PAs facilitate 2 independent processes that shape community dynamics and maintain biodiversity. The community adjustment was, however, not sufficiently fast to keep pace with the large temperature increases in the central and northeastern western Palearctic. Our results underline the potential of combining CTI and CTISD metrics to improve understanding of the colonization-extirpation patterns driven by climate warming.Peer reviewe

Positive impacts of important bird and biodiversity areas on wintering waterbirds under changing temperatures throughout Europe and North Africa

Migratory waterbirds require an effectively conserved cohesive network of wetland areas throughout their range and life-cycle. Under rapid climate change, protected area (PA) networks need to be able to accommodate climate-driven range shifts in wildlife if they are to continue to be effective in the future. Thus, we investigated geographical variation in the relationship between local temperature anomaly and the abundance of 61 waterbird species during the wintering season across Europe and North Africa during 1990-2015. We also compared the spatio-temporal effects on abundance of sites designated as PAs, Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs), both, or neither designation (Unlisted). Waterbird abundance was positively correlated with temperature anomaly, with this pattern being strongest towards north and east Europe. Waterbird abundance was higher inside IBAs, whether they were legally protected or not. Trends in waterbird abundance were also consistently more positive inside both protected and unprotected IBAs across the whole study region, and were positive in Unlisted wetlands in southwestern Europe and North Africa. These results suggest that IBAs are important sites for wintering waterbirds, but also that populations are shifting to unprotected wetlands (some of which are IBAs). Such IBAs may therefore represent robust candidate sites to expand the network of legally protected wetlands under climate change in north-eastern Europe. These results underscore the need for monitoring to understand how the effectiveness of site networks is changing under climate change.Peer reviewe