10/08/2020
All the best,
Pieter
Birds and beaches
Last week I spent 3 wonderful days in the Tuzlovsky Liman National Park. I have seen many wetlands in Europe, but this park is truly unique and amazingly beautiful. Its swaying steppes near wild, white beaches. The turquoise sea. The sand cliffs along the beautiful lagoons. The special smell of brackish water and wild flowers. It all gives every visitor an unforgettable experience.
Especially for birdwatchers it is a sheer paradise. Not only because of the many very special red-listed bird species that live in the park. But also because their abundance is breathtaking and there are so many possibilities in the park to see and photograph them up close.
Of course the two Pelican species and the many Glossy ibises are the main attractions. If you ever have experienced a flock of 50 pelicans flying right over your head, you will never forget this in your life!
The enormous number of the colorful and exotic Bee-eaters and Rollers is simply overwhelming. And Tuzlovsly Liman is probably the only place in the world where you can make a photo of Great black-headed gulls, Caspian terns, Gull-billed terns, a Marsh sandpiper and a Temminck’s stint standing brotherly together in one place!
I furthermore enjoyed observing Spotted redshanks, a Curlew sandpiper, some Tawny pipits and thousands of Ruffs in almost all colors of the rainbow. And this list would not be complete without mentioning the elegant Stilts and Avocets, the mysterious Squacco heron, the rare slender billed-gulls, the many Red-footed falcons and the lonely Red-throated diver (who was perhaps a bit out of her usual migration route…).
I very much admire director Irina and her team for the courageous work to protect this beautiful park from dehydration and overfishing and for their enthusiasm to inform the park’s visitors about its great ecological value. The Tuzlovsky Limani are an essential part of one of the most important routes for European migratory birds. With protecting the park’s biodiversity, Ukraine plays an important part in the shared responsibility of European countries to preserve its nature for future generations. Besides, the preservation of this beautiful park offers an enormous potential for future ecotourism in the region. If only more nature lovers in Europe would know about this park, I am sure they would love to come and visit!
