Winter bird watching has begun in the eastern Croatian nature park of Kopacki Rit, one of the largest and best preserved wetlands in Europe.
A part of the birds have their winter habitat in Kopacki Rit, while a majority of them leave the area in the autumn and fly back in the spring.
The park's director Biserka Vistica said on Tuesday that the number of bird watchers was increasing more and more.
During last year's winter, a total of 21,000 birds were observed, and they were classified into 57 species.
Kopacki Rit provides shelter for 293 bird species through the entire year.
In 2011, the park registered some 40,000 visitors, a majority of whom were school children.
