Photo-tour in Danube Delta

I just found another nice presentation of the Danube Delta. Is done in a photo tour in May 2009 :
Nice images of the birds, but also the people and the landscape. And is not only the quality of pictures that I like, but also the music is well chosen.

Images from Danube's delta

And another slideshow with images from Danube's delta. It starts with a curly pelican, continues with other birds, like a white pelican and swans, the terns, the squacco heron., the grey heron, the ibis or the egrets.
The reed formations are not forgotten, as well as the fishermen. At 1:15 one can see the passenger boat connecting Tulcea with some remote places, like Sulina or Sfântu Gheorghe village

Snake vs fish

I just found this amazing video of a snake eating a goldfish near Sfântu Gheorghe. Fishing in Danube Delta is not only a way to relax and mind-wash, but also a way to discover a fabulous wildlife

Birds and lifestyle in Danube Delta

Here is a nice presentation of yet another vacation in the Danube Delta. We can see birds, like the Glossy Ibis, the traditional rowing boats, sterna hirundo and the White Pelican, a colony of terns taking off, a Marsh Harrier (Circus Aeroginosus). But also peasants loading the hay, a shepherd's flock.

Uzlina holidays village

Images from a holidays village in Uzlina, that looks really, really nice,
Pictures of birds, the egret, the pelicans , coots, seagulls or elegant flying swans.

all on a music background represented by Iosif Ivanovici's "Waves of the Danube". The slideshow ends with few images from Olimp, Black Sea.

Photos from Danube Delta, Romania

The fourth of the photo slideshows made by Kerucov. This time, we admire pictures from Lacul Rosu (the Red Lake), Caraorman, Erenciuc. Nice sunrise on the beach, birds (we can admire the the egret Egreta Garzetta, people gone fishing, reed, cormorants, willows and Danube's Arms. It ends with people kayaking on the Danube

And a very relaxing music.

Well done, guys !

Boating in Danube Delta

Here is the third part of the pictures slide-shows. Boating on Danube Delta Reserve's narrow and larger channels, admiring the birds, taking pictures at the sunset and sunrise. I particularly like the photo of the old boats and the new, engine boat, sitting next to each other. But also the one at 00:14 , with the road going in the mist of time,

Pictures from Danube Delta

Here is the second part of the slide-show from a trip in Danube's Delta. Images from the Black Sea, the beach , the dunes of sand, the boats:

Here is a nice photo slide show made by the photo website kerucov.ro.
Travelling from Tulcea to Sfântu Gheorghe by the passenger boat, images from Sfantu Gheorghe, waterlilies , a nice sunset over the Danube, fishermen's boats.

Waves of the Danube

Waves of the Danube ("Valurile Dunării", in Romanian) is probably the most famous Romanian waltz. The atmosphere of the melody matches very well the feeling one has when going to the Danube Delta.

You can find more details in the presentation Icutsa wrote for the slideshow on youtube.
By the way, the slide-show starts with a first image from the Danube Delta, a picture that I took in Sulina in 2007, at sunrise, while going birdwatching very early in the morning. Normally, I would get angry for my image being used without my permission, but this time I don't mind, for three reasons:
1) the presentation is not used for commercial purposes (hopefully)
2) I like the fact that someone finally decided to remind us about Ion Ivanovici and do a nice presentation of him
3) the slideshow itself is nice, it highlights the main aspects of the Danube Delta: the birds, the population and traditions (fishing), the places, the landscape.

Canoeing Tour in Danube Delta

Again, a canoeing trip. this time is not a video I found on the Internet, but a video Andrei and Laurenţiu took, in guided tour the Danube Delta. I humbly processed it.
Being active, having fun, singing (when we don't disturb the wildlife), but also admiring the birds and the reed landscape, the Nature Reserve of Danube Delta.

Danube Delta general presentation

Today I wrote a short presentation of the Danube Delta for a partner and I thought of sharing it with my readers also

The Danube Delta is EUROPE'S NEWEST LAND and one of the most impressive areas in Europe. Not only is it part of UNESCO World Heritage, since 1991, but the Danube Delta is the best conserved of European Deltas.

After flowing through 10 countries and 4 capital cities (Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Belgrade), the mighty Danube splits in three branches: Chilia at the North, Sulina (in the center) and Saint George (at South), forming the Danube Delta.

Counting the big lakes in the south, Razelm and Sinoe, the total surface is 5050 km². Only 732 km² belong to Ukraine, the rest being in Romania.
Danube's delta is an alluvial plain, with a declination of is of only 0,006 ‰. There are lakes, marshes, channels, streamlets.

WHAT TO SEE

The Danube Delta is a favorite destination for birds and bird watchers as well. There are over 325 different species of birds that feed, breed and find shelter in Danube Delta.
Words' biggest continuous formations of reed, numerous species of plants and small animals.
Impressive landscape like Letea Forest (protected area), with a jungle-like vegetation or Cardun Forest, as well as the Black Sea coast.

WHAT TO DO

Birdwatching. That the main reason why people from allover the world go to Danube Delta each year.
Canoeing or kayaking. The water running slowly or the speed of a channel formed by the Danube flooding a lake, the Danube itself or a hidden lake, all can be used for canoeing. Many of the canoeing tours in Danube Delta combine this activity with birdwatching or fishing.
Fishing. The main reason for many Romanians to visit Danube Delta is fishing. Sturgeons, pike-perch, the carp, the tench or the wels catfish are only few of the species populating the Danube and the lakes.
On the beach. The beach at Sulina offer biggest number of yearly sunny days in Romania. The sand is great, the water is shallow allowing kids or people not swimming well to practice swimming safety.

WHEN TO GO

May and October are perfect for birding. Birds migration is a unique show, with a great director, Mother Nature. You shouldn't miss this.
During summertime days are longer, sun is heating and the weather is perfect for sunning on the beach or swimming in the Black Sea. Some mosquito repellent should be considered however.
In wintertime keen birdwatcher can see unique species of birds, that come here from the North only for the winter.

Fishing and relaxation in Danube Delta

OK, yet another amateur production. A fishing trip in the Danube Delta. Equipped with an inflatable boat, good fishing gears and a lot of patience, this guys had a great vacation.

I especially like boating on the narrow channels, with reed all-around and the calm water. The feeling is great.


Here you can find a trip dedicated to fishing in Danube Delta

Canoeing in Danube Delta

I found this video. Is not made by me, but is nice, so I decided to present it:

Holidays in Danube Delta

Here is another short clip of a great vacation destination: Danube Delta. The description is in Romanian (for those understanding Romanian, it really worth listening is a nice description), but the video is great nevertheless. The flooded forest is one of my favorite landscapes in Danube's Delta.

Flying over Sfântu Gheorghe

While I'm not a fan of motor sports and prefer the silence of paragliding, I found this video of a flight over Sfântu Gheorghe, by a light plane.

It presents unique images from the place where Sfântu Gheorghe arm of the Danube (the southernmost one flows into the Black Sea, the beach and the village. So it worth presenting here. Congratulations to the producer!

Images from Danube Delta

Here is just a compilation of images from the Danube Delta. Nice pictures, nice music, looks like the author had a great trip:

Kayaking in Danube Delta

While I didn't do this video, I'll post it 'cause it is really well done, I like the music a lot. And it gives a feeling about kayaking in the Danube Delta.


Again, the music, just perfectly chosen...the best way to describe the feeling of freedom experienced during a kayaking trip here.

Danube Delta

Here is another short movie presenting Danube Delta:



I don't know the guys that made it, but they did a nice job briefly presenting the essence of the Danube Delta: the reed, the channels, the birds.

Video presentation of Danube Delta

This is not my movie, but I like it !
No comments. just admire the natural beauty of the landscape:

Animals of the Danube Delta

Today I found this short article about the animals in the Danube Delta. Even if the descriptions are very short, and sometimes the names might be confusing for a Romanian (like The Egret - which one ?), the pictures are nice and they correspond to each animal described. Rather than a detailed description is written a curiosity about each animal. I'll try to add some knowledge about each one.

1) Dobrudja Tortoise. Is a vegetarian, but in harsh conditions it can eat soil rich in nutritive minerals. You can also here a see a picture of the Dobrudja Tortoise

2) The Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna). they build nests underground, or in burrows left by foxes or badgers.

3) Pygmy Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmaeus) - Romania shelters the biggest number of pigmy cormorants in Europe. It is protected by low and you can meet it in the Danube Delta, mainly in the maritime area.

4) The otter - lives in the water and on the ground, in burrows with double entries. Has feet with five toes, joined by a membrane.

5) Grasshopper with sawmill legs. Known for eating partner after having sex (Bad habit, huh ?)

6) Glossy Ibis - lives in colonies, in the middle of the delta. It leaves the delta in the autumn, migrating towards Africa of Mediterranean countries. They sit in trees and them excrement are so acid that practically burn the tree down until it dies.

7) Wild cat - resembles the house cat, but is bigger. It can reach up to 10 kg.

8) Small white egret. In the past, was hunted for it's beautiful feathers, used for the hats.

9) The spoonbill - a rare, big bird, reaching up to 80 cm. It's name came from the beck with a spoon-like form and it feeds with fish, frogs or insects' larvae.

10) The stoat (Mustela Erminea) - once per year, gives birth to 12 cubs.

11) The Red-breasted Goose (Branta ruficollis) - a rare, protected bird, nests in the arctic areas, coming to the Danube Delta in winter. Is one of the rearmost geese in the world, depending on the wetlands.

11) Sturgeons - The sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus), Acipenser stellatus, Acipenser gueldenstaedti and Huso huso are part of the Sturgeons family.
They have a cartilaginous skeleton (the only bones being the maxillary) and very poor vision.

12) Meadow Viper - Although it's name might sound scary, it's bite is equivalent to one of a bee. It feeds with grasshoppers and, seldom, a small mouse.
It swallows the prey alive without first paralyzing it by venom.

13) White tailed eagle - is a prey bird, living in Danube Delta between March and October. Females hatch one or two eggs, once in two years. Read more about Haliaeetus Albicilla here.


14) The Yellow Jackal - Resembles the wolf and is an omnivorous, but prefers meat. Member of the family Canidae, eats insects, birds and mice and hunt especially during the night.

15) European Mink (Mustela lutreola) - Minks are carnivore mammals, living along the shoreline or riverbanks. Are very sensible to stress, a scaring could lead to spontaneous abortion.

16) The Pelican - Symbol of Danube Delta, the pelican is an water birds and is the biggest bird in Danube Delta (The one in the article's picture is the Dalmatian Pelican - Pelecanus Crispus).

17) The Black Winged Stils (Himantopus himantopus)- Easily recognizable by it's long, red or pink legs. Hunts small animals, hidden in the shores or among the rocks.

Spring in Danube Delta

This short movie presents the Danube Delta early in the spring. We can see the flooded forests, a traditional household, a fishery and some nice landscapes.

Cousteau's expeditions

This video presents images from Cousteau's expeditions on the river Danube and in the unique eco-system of the Danube Delta. Incredible images of huge collonies of pelicans, swans taking off in a way that always make me think of a 747, the word of reed and multi-color waters. We can notice the young pelicans (Pelecanus Onocrotalus) with the dark plumage, as well as the fishing tradition.
It also talks about polution, that lead to disparition of the sturgeon.

Storm on Razelm Lake

While this video is not that spectacular, I find it interesting as it shows how a storm could be on one of the great lakes in the South of Danube's Delta, Razelm Laxe (a.k.a. Razim Lake), the largest lake in Romania:


for a better orientation, here is the location of the lake
View Larger Map

Reed Burning in Danube Delta

I recently found this short movie with some reed burning on Saele sand barrier, near the road going to Histria citadel. While the images are not very spectacular, neither amusing at all, I posted this short video to remind about the problem of burning reed in the Danube Delta.

Blazing the reed on small areas helps regenerating it, due to the rich ash acting as a natural fertilizer, but when the areas are bigger it affects the wildlife habitat. Istria area is on one of the big European migration corridors, so many birds , mainly smaller ones might be affected if they don't find the reed.

Apparently lifeless in winter the reed area are used as a shelter by number of birds like the long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus), the Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus), the smew (Mergellus albellus) or the the great tit. So burning it means destroying a natural habitat for this species of birds and other small animals.



Also, intentionally burning the reed near the strictly protected areas (like Istria - Sinoe) can cause a blaze inside the protected area, where the man's intervention is strictly forbidden.

Wild Horses in Letea

Letea forest is a striclty protected area, for it's unique aspect of rainforest. One of the things to see in the forest are the almost wild horses.
While the semi-wild horses are present allover the Danube Delta, lately they become subject of discussion due to the rising number.

I have seen them near Cardon, in an area that is to become protected area soon. I've been told that some of them recognize the initial owner, but there are now new generations that are really not used to man's presence at all.

The author of this movie explains that the horses eat tree's crust and this eventually leads to the death of the trees. Some estimate around 2500 horses, while other estimation indicate about 1000. This horses have the way of life of wild animals. Is very difficult to get close to them, because they can imediately feel you and once you get under a certain distance they run away scared.

Each herd is led by a pair that takes care of the rest of the group. The stallion has the biggest authority, being the one that signals the fact that they have to move (retire). It does this by a short neighing and by hitting the ground with the hoof. Sometimes, when they feel the group is in danger, the stallion runs in one direction, to attire the attackers , while the female runs in other direction together with the rest of the group.

The horses did adapt the tough winter in Danube Delta as well as the hot summers. In winter-time them hair grows three times faster than the domestic horses' one. They adapt also by better prelucrating the cellulose, so when the food is scarce they can resist with only thistles and dried plants. "Nowadays, the racing horses loose the resistance to diseases, to cold temperatures or the capacity of effort. In the future, this horses will become a real treasure, still conserving while the other horses will have lost. We don't have to regard them as baneful but as real treasures", declared Stefan Raileanu, from the National Institute of Research and Development of Danube Delta.

Here is the video, courtesy to Lucian Reniţă and Irina Stelea, who made this video and posted it on youtube:

Photo-Tour in Danube Delta

What a photo - tour in Danube Delta is like ?

Thanks to the courtesy of Mr. Andrei Pârciog, Outdoor Holidays' program manager and guide in Danube Delta, I have some nice pictures that better reflect the beauty of this young piece of land.

All pictures are taking during a canoeing and kayaking trip in the Delta, in May-June 2008.

Remember, if you like photography, late spring is the best time to visit Danube Delta, while colors are vivid and the big spring migration is going on.








Paddling (kayaking or canoeing) is maybe the best way to explore this unspoiled area. If you are keen about birdwatching you'll see much more birds if you don't scare them with the noise of a boat engine. You'll be rewarded by your effort by getting very close to some unique species of birds.

Like this White Pelican flying just few meters away from your kayak.




Why Camping ? Because accommodation in Danube Delta is (fortunately I would say) concentrated in the few villages. This leads to the alternatives: either walk/kayak around the village , or try to go from one village to another in one day either camp.
Although there are only few places suitable for spending the night camping gives some freedom that nature photographers will definitely appreciate. It'd be such a pity to miss the spectacular pelicans hunting around or a kingfisher (Alcedo Atthis) feeding the babies 'cause you to have to leave to rich the next guest-house


But Danube Delta is not only about birds, water and reed. Is also about the inhabitants, them traditions and them tough way life. as soon as the fishing season is open you can meet the fishermen going fishing at 3 a'clock in the morning, before the sun will shine and water will get to warm hiding the fish away in the reed.

Well, if you wake up early, you might see the fishermen coming back from the lakes.





Is it difficult to take pictures from a kayak or canoe ? Well, all I can tell is that is not like using a tripod :D.

But don't worry, you'll soon learn to protect your camera from the waters and to find the maximum stability point that would lead to ..that picture you'll proudly show to all your friends.






Stop paddling, from time to time, before forgetting to walk :)

Portiţa - simply fascinating

Photographer Răzvan Voiculescu's project is the kind of action I'd like to see more often. People talk to much about protecting the nature, things we should do, we must do , etc. Răzvan did something, and I really appreciate it. I don't know him directly (not yet) but I have to congratulate him for this project.

A lot of interesting details about this area, as well as very fine photos. Although I personally don't aggree taking motors in the wild areas, in this case I kind of understand the necesity, considering the big distance and the lack of human activity into that area (well, I might have preffered a bike however :) ).

Here is the video I found on youtube (by the way, bery inspired choose of the music of Nicu Alifantis):

New Tourist Resort in Danube Delta?

Sarichioi could become a tourist resort in the next years.

Here is the map:
View Larger Map

Here is the piece of news: The Local Council of Tulcea approved a decision that stipulates building a small tourist harbor in Sarichioi. An area of 13.44 hectares went from the administration of RBDD (Danube Delta Reservation of Biosphere) under the administration of the local council Tulcea. The local council Tulcea approved a feasibility paper, with technical and economical details. A total investment plan of 6m. Euro in 2 years is going to contribute to building a harbor capable of hosting 230 ships. According to the first version, the mini-harbor will be able to shelter 148 floating ships and 72 platforms up to 8 meters, as well as 10 boats of 8 to 10 meters.
The money will be given by the Romanian Government according to the program "Sustainable development of the Danube Delta and Black Sea coast"

This mini-harbor will allow small ships to enter Razelm and Portita lakes, as well as highlight Enisala fortress, which will be illuminated in order to emphasize the architecture details.

And here are my concerns: While highlighting the natural beauty of the area and the rich history (Enisala fortress, rebuilt by the Genoese people in the XII-th century) is more than welcomed, I fear this is a start for an eco-disaster. Taking some area from the administration of the biosphere into the administration of local council means practically the start for destroying the natural area under the pressure of the economic factors and local interests. This happened in many other places in Romania, so is not difficult to assume the same will happen also here.

Winter in Danube Delta

I just found this amateur short movie. It presents a period of high water and lot of channels free, but the lakes just begun to freeze. So lots of waterfowl gather on the channels. Also, winter is less crowded, much less motor boats.
I like this video for it's very natural air and feeling:

The Last European Sanctuary : the Danube Delta

This documentary presents the largest marshland in Europe and the biggest contiuous reed area in the world. More than 320 species of birds can be found here, among which the spoonbills, the glossy ibis or the white pelicans

The way the pelicans hunt is presented and I can assure you is a spectacle to see this live on the spot.

Illegal hunting in Danube Delta

As presented by hotNews, recently a lot of protected birds have been found shot in the Danube Delta, Uzlina area. Among them the people from Romanian Administration of the Danube Delta found two curly pelicans/dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus Crispus) killed and another two wounded, two pygmy cormorants (Phalacrocorax pygmaeus) shot dead, a swan killed and another one wounded.

This is really bad piece of news, considering that Pelecanus Crispus is one of the rare species for which the Danube Delta has been declared Reservation of Biosphere and part of the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. There are about 400 breeding pairs of Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus Crispus) in the Danube Delta, comparing 4000 pairs of common pelicans (Pelecanus Onocrotalus). Meantime the Dalmatian Pelican is the biggest bird in the Danube Delta, with it's 160-180 cm from the top of the beck to the rear of the tail, 11-15 kg (24-33 lbs) in weight and just over 3 m (10 ft) in wingspan.

I discussed about this with Outdoor Holidays' expert in birdwatching, Andrei Pârciog, and he assumes that people hunting birds illegally are not very interested of the species of birds they shot. While they don't know if they are hunting a Common Pelican or a Dalmatian Pelican, they DO KNOW they are hunting a pelican (confusing a pelican with another species is very improbable) therefore there are no circumstances to consider the fact less severe. They are, indeed, easy to differentiate, but the hunter (should i have said the killer ?) is not a bird-watcher or at least passionate by birds. Neither do they differentiate a number of other species of birds. Some of the hunters just come to the Danube Delta and shot whatever bird they see.

Let's hope more severe laws as well as better surveillance measures will stop this in the future.