On Saturday, 20 September 2014, 14 DOPPS’ volunteers, among them many young –elementary school and university students, cut down this year’s vegetation on the artificial island on the Lake Ptuj, that was constructed in 2004 and created conditions for nesting of black-headed gulls and common terns in the next year. The action of removing vegetation was done within the project LIVEDRAVA.
They cut down the vegetation with the sickle mower, that was brought to the island by boat for that occasion. Dr. Damijan Denac, initiator and long-time organizer, explained the importance of the working action: »Without continuous mowing the island would be overgrown by vegetation and become inappropriate for nesting of both species in already a year. We care for the population of species that are both endangered by managing it regularly. The results of our effort are impressive and encouraging for continuation – 72 pairs of common terns and 595 pairs of black-headed gulls were nesting on Lake Ptuj this year.«
Participants also payed a visit to so called Small Island, that was cleaned recently on society’s iniciative within the ecological sanation of Lake Ptuj. Alien plant species were removed from the island, the upper layer was covered with fine pebbles. Ideal conditions for nesting of tern has been reestablished on this island, and we are secretly hoping that also little tern would return to Drava river after its extinction in 1979.
Even the ornithological curiosity of the day was in the spirit of the working action: 7 Caspian terns stayed at the lake for quite a long time!
Photo: Tilen Basle
