The young shall inherit the earth, as the saying goes. However, to encourage children and young people to actively participate in nature conservation, we need to develop their love for nature from an early age. That is why, last week in Park Maksimir, we held a birdwatching event for primary school children from Petrinja. Our volunteer Hrvoje, a student at the Faculty of Teacher Education and a bird ringer, took the students for a walk around the park and showed them how to observe birds and which species can be found in one of Zagreb’s largest parks.

Birdwatching is an activity which requires one to carefully listen, watch the treetops, and react quickly if they want to observe the bird more closely with binoculars. The students had a chance to see and learn more about robins, blackbirds, kingfishers, nuthatches, hooded crows, greater and middle spotted woodpeckers, sparrows, cormorants, mandarin ducks, mallards, as well as blue, long-tailed, and great tits. They also saw nests of a grey heron colony, a rare example of this bird nesting so close to an urban area. Best of all, they got to experience it all right next door!

The students were surprised by the diversity of birds they saw and we hope this experience will spark their interest to learn more about the animal and plant life, and that this birdwatching will be the first of many to come.

Take a look at the gallery!