Saturday I took the boys on a bird watching trip organized by Milan Ruzic from the Wild Serbia web site. We accompanied a large group of nature enthusiasts from Novi Sad. The first stop was at the Rusanda Park, outside the town of Melenci, in the heart of Vojvodina. Vojvodina is the northern part of Serbia and is the “breadbasket” of the country. Near Melenci, there is a lake that is famous for the curative powers of the mud nearby. Older people come for treatment of skin disorders, etc. and a spa with baths and hotel is on the site.

More importantly for us, there is a small forested area which an NGO is studying and protecting birds. They set up mist nets for us in the morning and they caught the Blue Tit above. In my yard in Belgrade, I’ve seen the more common, Great Tit, but never the blue species. It was a great opportunity to see one up close on for the boys to even pet the little guy. The scientist banded the bird and entered the measurements into the data base.

Blue Tits are quite common throughout Europe and there is a wealth of information about them on the internet. I see the Great Tit in the city all the time, but not the Blue Tit. I would like to build some nesting boxes and feed birds this winter and spring. It is known as the Plava Senica in Serbian. This is the 23rd bird species I’ve identified while living in Belgrade.