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The Palud swamp

Ornithological park Palud

Ornithological park Palud

The Palud swamp is near Bale(10 km southwardly of Rovinj).
It was created by the melting of Ice and from smaller streams.
In the early 20 century the Austro Hungarian army digged a canal to the open sea because they belived they would stop the malaria desease. Doing this they changed the swamps fauna so today there can be found also some sea species.
In the rainy periods the swamp size is 20 hectares and during the dry periods 2 hectars, but it never dries out because of it's conection to the sea.

The swamp is asll surrounded by a thick vegatation of oaks and a willow forrest on the northern part. The water is rich on plankton and its a habitat for eels, turtles and many others.

The Palud swamp is the only ornithological reservation in whole Istria and it's a natural habitat for around 200 bird species:, pheasants, partridge, ducks, coots, grebes, quail, snipe, Warbler, Golden Orioles, woodpeckers, pipits, Shrike ...

The territory is espetially ineressting for the bird apassionates. The track from Bale to Palud is well marked and indicated and leads to the swamps observatory wood house. The swamp can be visited by foot or by bicickle on the 3, 5 km long track . You can observe the birds inside the wooden obsevatory house using binocular and photographic equipment. For all the lovers of birdwatching-this is the ideal place. At the infocenter is a permanent exposition of photoghraphs of all the birds and animals that live in the swamp.

A path starting from the Palud swamp leads to the beach Palud.