Swan Lake Šoderica (49)

ENG:                                                                                                          Swan lake – Šoderica

In the northwest part of Croatia, nested between the Drava River in the north and slopes of Mount Bilogora in the south, a curious traveller will find Podravina, my homeland and Koprivnica, my home town. Podravina is known for its hardworking people and beautiful lowland landscapes shaped by the River Drava.

Along  the Drava River various birds have their habitats, and Veliki Pažut, which is on the mouth of the Mura River into the Drava near Legrad, is also the ornithological reserve. Next to the Drava, there is also Lake Šoderica, a popular summer excursion destination and the place where locals go swimming. Šoderica is the all-year-long habitat for many species of cormorants, herons, wild geese and ducks, but true stars of the bird population are the swans. Huge white flying cruisers, together with younger birds of brownish feathers, which have yet to become completely white, are in a constant search for food. They patrol the entire lake and draw attention of the curious visitors, especially children.

There were around thirty swans at Šoderica in the autumn of 2016 (hundreds over the winter) and we spent a lot of time together. I respected the fact that these are wild animals distrustful to people. Therefore, I was trying to win their trust through careful approach, peaceful movements and a few pieces of bread. In return, the swans were ready to pose in front of the camera. The photo session was often backed up by two geese and a duck.

This is a photo story not only of an interesting company, but also of surreal sunrises and sunsets at Lake Šoderica near Koprivnica. If you like the story, come to Croatia, and Podravina, which in return, is going to tell you more lovely stories like this!

HRV:                                                                                                           Labuđe jezero – Šoderica

U sjeverozapadnom dijelu Hrvatske, između rijeke Drave na sjeveru i obronaka Bilogore na jugu, nalazi se moj zavičaj Podravina i u njoj moj rodni grad Koprivnica. To je kraj poznat po vrijednim ljudima i prekrasnim nizinskim krajolicima koje je oblikovala rijeka Drava.

Područje uz Dravu stanište je velikog broja raznih vrsta ptica, a na ušću rijeke Mure u Dravu pored Legrada, nalazi se ornitološki rezervat Veliki Pažut. Neposredno uz Dravu smjestilo se i jezero Šoderica, omiljeno ljetno izletište i kupalište Podravaca. Šoderica je cjelogodišnje obitavalište raznih vrsta kormorana, čaplji, divljih guski i patki, ali prave zvijezde ptičjeg svijeta su labudovi. Velike bijele krstarice, zajedno sa mlađim primjercima smeđeg perja, koje tek treba pobijeliti, u stalnoj su potrazi za hranom te patroliraju cijelim jezerom i privlače najviše pažnje radoznalih posjetitelja, pogotovo djece.

U jesen 2016. godine na Šoderici je bilo 30-ak labudova (kroz zimu ih se sakupi i više stotina) i dosta smo se družili. Cijelo vrijeme sam uvažavao činjenicu da se radi o divljim životinjama koje se boje ljudi te sam njihovo povjerenje zadobivao opreznim pristupom, smirenim pokretima i pokojim komadićem kruha. Labudovi su zauzvrat spremno pozirali pred fotoaparatom. Na foto seanse su često dolazile i dvije guske te jedna patka.

Ovo je fotografska priča o jednoj zanimljivoj ekipi, ali i o prekrasnim, ponekad i nestvarnim izlascima i zalascima sunca na Šoderici pored Koprivnice. Ako vam se priča svidi, dođite u Hrvatsku, dođite u Podravinu. Još mnogo toga lijepog će vam Podravina ispričati!