The Winter Water Bird Census (International Water Bird Census - IWC) is a traditional international initiative in which citizens participate voluntarily, collecting valuable data on bird populations for many years. This year's winter census took place from January 13th to February 15th, thanks to the efforts of 133 volunteers at 311 locations in Croatia. During this action, a total of 104,053 birds belonging to 151 bird species were counted, with 1,232 birds counted at the mouth of the Neretva River, reports Dubrovacki Vjesnik.
The largest number of birds were counted at the reservoir near Varaždin (10,016), followed by Stobreč (6,116), Lake Vrana (4,229), the Končanica fishponds (4,040), Grabovački rit (4,002), the Podunavlje-Kozjak location near the Kopački rit Nature Park (3,911), the Drava River near Osijek (3,461), Brijuni National Park (2,378), Pantana near Split (1,683), Draganić fishponds (1,673), fields near Topolje (1,018), Kopački rit Nature Park (1,274), the sea coast near Split (1,603), the Pag salt pans (1,322), and the Siščani fishponds (1,048). The coordination of IWC in Croatia at the national level is led by the Croatian Society for Bird and Nature Protection from Osijek, with Biom and ZEUS associations, as well as Geonatura, participating in regional coordination.
Data on the abundance of water birds in specific areas help identify internationally important wetland habitats, leading to numerous decisions on bird protection at international, national, and local levels. Water birds, encompassing various bird species associated with water habitats, are a particularly vulnerable group directly threatened by the disappearance of such habitats, as explained by the Biom association.