Birds hit hard by Deliblato Sands fires as reforestation becomes critical

The fires that swept through Serbia’s Deliblato Sands in early August took away much more than vegetation. For birds, the losses include feeding grounds, nesting sites and, in some cases, offspring that could not escape.

The precise extent of the damage remains unclear. Officials have generally cited more than 4,000 hectares, while the nature reserve itself covers about 35,000 hectares. Interior Minister Ivica Dačić said at one point that a third of the Deliblato Sands had been affected, which would amount to between 11,000 and 12,000 hectares.

A report based on satellite imagery from the European Forest Fire Information System estimated that 11,493 hectares had burned by August 25. Jirži Kubeš, who led a team of Czech firefighters, told N1 that they had seen almost half of the Deliblato Sands burned. Whatever the final figure, the damage to the area’s biodiversity is already evident.

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There were certainly some species whose nests collapsed, or nestlings that could not escape the fire. But they were generally not affected so much by the fire in terms of mortality as in the longer term. They now have nowhere to nest and hunt.

Stefan Prekajski of the Society for the Protection and Study of Birds of Serbia said birds were affected differently because they can fly away from a fire. Some species nevertheless lost nests, and young birds trapped in them could not escape. The larger impact may emerge over time, he said, because birds now have fewer places to nest and hunt.

Larger birds may be particularly affected during nesting. Prekajski said the timing of the fires offered one limited advantage, because the nesting season had largely ended. The effect still depends on whether a species is resident or migratory, its size and its nesting habits. Some pigeons, including stock doves and wood pigeons, nest in trees and can breed throughout the year when conditions allow.

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We saw that almost half of the Deliblato Sands had burned.