Monday, October 20, 2014

Visiting Hutovo Blato [Part 1/2] Inside the Nature Reserve

Hutovo Blato is a nature and bird reserve located in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina that me and my friend Selma visited this past weekend. We had a great time, and in this two-parter I want to show you the sights.

The reserve is on the list of BirdLife International's Important Bird Areas. It is the largest reserve of its kind in the region, in terms of both size and diversity. It is home to over 240 types of migratory birds and dozens that make their permanent home in the sub-Mediterranean wetlands surrounding Deransko Lake.

This is a two part photo series, for more check out the links below:
Part One: Inside the Nature Reserve
Part Two: The Outer Wetlands

click on the images for a bigger view



This reserve is located 57 km (35 miles) driving distance south from Mostar.


A sign with "Nature's Prayer" written on it, telling you that we are all part of nature, and that we should respect it.


Upon arriving you will find a small Motel, where you can spend the night. We also had lunch here.


Other visitors are parked on the lot, and spread out through the reserve.


We make our way into the forest.


I really like the light in these woods.



Our path through the forest begins. There is no paved road here, just a small walking path.



Unfortunately I wasn't able to photography any birds on that day, but there are many people who come here to observe them.


Feeding stations can be found along the path.


The whole zone is well protected from human impact and functions as an important habitat for many plants and animals.


When you come to the wetlands, you can take boat rides on them, but our journey took us somewhere else...


End of Part One
To be continued

In part two we will explore the outer wetlands, see more of the inside of the forests surrounding Hutovo Blato, and have lunch!



Thank you for visiting. I hope you enjoyed the sights and stories.

45 comments:

  1. It looks a wonderful area. Pity about the birds.

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    1. I know you would have enjoyed them. Maybe another time.

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  2. hvala na ovim prekrasnim slikama...bila sam tu prije skoro 40 godina...lijepo se bilo podsjetiti na to prelijepo mjeste i još ljepše trenutke provedene tu...pomalo i bolno...hvala

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    1. Drago mi je da su ti se slike dopale! Puno pozdrava.

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  3. Hello Mersad,

    The pretty young lady sure can jump HIGH! What a lovely place you've shown us. Isn’t it fun finding blue?

    I'm looking forward to reading your comment on my blue grocery post. Please come back.

    Happy Blue Monday!

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  4. Wow, cooler Ort, ich bin gespannt, ob ihr auch paar Wasservögel gesehen habt. ? LG

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  5. I love the sun coming through the trees, like that!! I am rather jealous that you still have green, when we are so much closer to winter...

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    1. The amount of green surprised me as well. The north of the country is full of orange and yellow leaves. But here in the south the warm days like to linger a bit longer.

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  6. I'm looking out across the sea at the rain and the impending gales and your photos are very welcoming and make me just a little bit envious at this moment.

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    1. It really was a beautiful day. We had some rainy days before.

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  7. I wish I could jump that high... or jump at all.. Ha Ha on that one. love those wooded paths and you are right the light is beautiful. those boats look like fun to.

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  8. Beautiful place to walk, Mersad. Some days when I'm looking for birds I don't find any for good photos either. Luckily there are lots of other photo opportunities out there!

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  9. beautiful woods! like that directional signage shot!

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  10. The wooded paths are indeed beautiful and what a wonderful place to walk/spend time!! Terrific captures as always -- the next best thing to being there myself!! Thanks as always for sharing the fun and the beauty, Mersad! Hope you have a great new week!!

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  11. As Sylvia says, terrific captures! Thanks for letting us see....

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  12. This is a beautiful preserve and I love the Nature's Prayer as I am a firm believer in all of us being a part ot nature and that we Should respect it. I too have experienced the lack of wildlife (birds) in our forest preserves mainly, I think, because they have all migrated already. I am seeing flocks of ducks on our lake as they go through still. This is a beautiful place and I am curious how you take a picture of your friend jumping without an inkling of motion in it ... pretty amazing. Wonderful post , as usual, Mersad.

    Andrea @ From the Sol

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    1. I have to confess, I wasn't on the lookout as much, because we didn't have that much time. But on the other hand I think you are right, they probably migrated.

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  13. Love the first Jumping-Photo so much ;-)))!!

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  14. Ahhhhhhhhhh, a day of quiet, enjoying the scenery, fresh air and beautiful, beautiful weather. Everything here is glorious. Now tell us...did you really JUMP that high or is this a trick of digital prowess/skillful trick?

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    1. No tricks here. It's all real (excluding some minor color correction)

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  15. Hi Mersad,
    What a beautiful journey y'all undertook.
    I notice the Ivy growing on many trees.
    We have Ivy in our backyard, but we try to keep it from climbing our trees, because Ivy can actually hurt the trees. I suppose in a forest, that's the way things go round.
    Looking forward to partie deux.

    Peace :)

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    1. I didn't know that about Ivy. I o ly saw it on a couple of trees. I'm sure it's taken care of in the park.

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  16. Looks like a lovely park. These are important places for wildlife as well as fun to walk around. The light in your photos is great.

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  17. That's a gorgeous place! My kind of place. Beautiful photos!

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  18. Eine sehr schöne Gegend! Tolle Fotos! Das letzte gefällt mir besonders gut!

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  19. The light and shadow in the woods are lovely. It looks like a good place for a walk.

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  20. HI Mersad It looks a wonderful place to walk and explore. the lighting in the tree is fantastic and that looks a great place to lunch.

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  21. Wonderful shots - so full of joy.

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  22. What a lovely place to spend a day!

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  23. Sunlight goes so well with the greenery. It makes me yearn to put on the hiking boots and get out there.... there meaning where you are, of course.

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  24. Oooooo, those boats. Can't wait to see the wetlands.

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  25. Looks a very beautiful reserve, with much variety in landscape. A nice place to spend a day or two!
    Greetings, Hilde

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    1. There is a lot of variety, from wetlands to woods.

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  26. Mersad, a lovely nature preserve.. I am sure the birds and wildlife love it living on this preserve... Wonderful photos, thank you for sharing your visit.

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  27. Looks like a great place to explore.

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  28. Looks like a beautiful place.It would be a joy walking those paths

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    1. They are really great for a quiet walk.

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  29. Wonderful photographs and wonderful place to visit. I love following trails and I would have loved to look for birds. I'm wondering if you have a lot of birds that are not when known in England or the States. The US has a lot of birds that are different from the UK. Thank you for your visit.

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  30. It is so important to keep some areas natural and it makes me smile to see any protected area knowing that it is vital habitat for wildlife. It looks beautiful and quiet.. a place to rest and enjoy the peace of nature... Michelle from Nature Notes..

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  31. A birder's paradise! Well, a paradise for all nature lovers, looks like. Great photos! I love the shot of the Nature's Prayer sign. A lovely reminder.

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  32. Love to be in these adorable woods and spend some peaceful time, alone.
    long stay parking heathrow

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