HUTOVO BLATO First competition in bird watching through the mobile application of the ePATH project completed

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - As part of the EU project „Endemic pathway – ePATH“, a three-day bird watching competition was held in the Hutovo Blato Nature Park, in which 40 bird and nature enthusiasts participated, finding birds using the new mobile application „ePATH“.

The judging panel consisting of Josip Vekić, Irena Rozić and Perica Dodig were satisfied with the new competition format.

“This is the first competition of this type in the Hutovo Blato Nature Park, so it was certainly interesting to participate and observe the reactions of the participants. Given that the application is easy to use, it is readily accessible to different profiles of participants. Although weather conditions did not allow competitors to fully explore the entire Park, a considerable number of attempts and successful bird sightings were recorded. The competitors certainly saw how difficult it is to spot and photograph a bird. The application and this kind of digital observation will surely be interesting to all visitors of the Park, so we look forward to such competitions in the future“, Vekić stated.

The first prize for the best bird photographs went to Roko Vekić, second place went to Niko Stapić, and third place went to Petra Bunoza.

The next bird watching competition in the Hutovo Blato Nature Park is planned for spring 2022.

Let us recall, the project „Endemic pathway – ePATH“ is implemented by three partners: Hutovo Blato Nature Park, the Public Enterprise for the Management of the Marine Assets of Montenegro, and the City of Makarska, aiming to create a joint tourist offer in three protected areas (Hutovo Blato Nature Park, Tivatska solila, and the Kotišina Botanical Garden) through the promotion of natural (endemic species) and cultural values. The project is supported through the Interreg IPA Cross-Border Cooperation Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro 2014 – 2020 as one of the programs of the IPA II funds of the European Union. The total value of the project is 1.5 million EUR, of which 1.3 million EUR are non-refundable EU IPA II funds. The project started on November 1, 2020, and will last 24 months.