The routes of migratory birds link different continents and take them from Europe, where they stay in summer, to their wintering grounds by the Mediterranean Sea and in Africa. Water birds from Central, North, and Eastern Europe prefer the migratory route over the Balkans and the Adriatic Sea, the so called Adriatic Flyway.

      It was not until a few years ago that the Adriatic Flyway became well-known. Before, the Balkans indeed has been uncharted territory on the migration map. But today we know that twice per year millions of migratory birds commute between their wintering and their breeding grounds on this route.

      Migratory birds crossing the Mediterranean Sea and the Dinaric Alps are confronted with significant ecological and geographical barriers. "Successful migration is only possible when suitable and undisturbed stopover sites are available along the route. However, such habitats are limited along the coastal stretch between Slovenia and Albania," explains the late Martin Schneider-Jacoby, EuroNatur project manager and ornithologist, who has been engaged in the conservation of migratory bird populations in the Balkans for more than two decades.