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Description
The Lake Srebrno jezero (Silver Lake) is actually an old oxbow meander of the River Danube. On both points connecting the meander to the main Danube watercourse it was dammed in 1971 by the Veliko Gradište-Zatonje road, which crosses the island following the river bank in the length of 7 kilometres. And those 7 km represent an excellent birding route.
A spot deserving special attention in spring is a cove with a valkoposkitiira colony on floating water-lily leaves. Coming from the eastern side, it is located after the embankment and the car park, when you first spot the river Danube on your right, there it is. But the birds will not start breeding before the leaves are fully formed and strong enough to support the eggs. A good spot to spend more time checking for every conceivable bird hiding in the reeds. One of them is the rastaskerttunen, singing from every patch of reeds along the bank. Other birds to look for are mehiläissyöjä, pikkulepinkäinen, mustaotsalepinkäinen (uncommon), kultarinta (mostly by song) and keltahemppo. Resident species include ruskosuohaukka, merikotka, tammitikka, vihertikka and palokärki.
In winter, another spot deserves special attention, a cove in front of the Zatonje Village (photos) at the western end of the route (on the Danube and not the meander). That is where I found local rarities such as pikkujoutsen and mustakurkku-uikku. All sorts of wintering waterfowl can be spotted here and it is best to plan for a longer water surface scanning (scope needed). This section of the Danube is known for its wintering tundrahanhi, haapana, tukkasotka, telkkä (numerous here), uivelo (numerous here), isokoskelo (fairly common), mustakaulauikku, kaakkuri (uncommon), kuikka (uncommon), pikkumerimetso, isolepinkäinen, järripeippo, punatulkku, etc.
A strong easterly wind is common in the area, which can make birding challenging. A spotting scope is necessary in winter, but not in warmer months when binoculars are sufficient.
Details
Access
Located 110 km ( 1 h and 40 min) east of Belgrade, the lake is reachable by the Belgrade - Niš motorway, where you should turn off at the Požarevac exit and then follow the signs leading for the Veliko Gradište Town and the Srebrno jezero tourist resort. It is about 50 km from the motorway to Silver Lake. For driving directions, zoom in on the map and click on the "P" (parking) sign.
Keep in mind that the northern ring road around the town of Požarevac (marked Ramska St. on Google Maps) is now closed due to the new road construction, hence use the southern road heading east to avoid the town.
Explore by car only. Park wherever you like, but at the side – each straight section of the road inspires the locals to press the accelerator as if they were racing! Explore by walking, or further driving.
In warmer months, the Silver Lake tourist resort is seriously overcrowded and best avoided (and in winter it is closed anyway).