The Flight of the Wild Geese - Let divljih gusaka

Bardača is a lake and marshland. For centuries home to a host of migratory birds. What used to be protected as a nature area has been, for sometime now, turned into high output agricultural land.

Nov 20, 2021

Hello and welcome to this edition of our newsletter from Čardačani, in the north of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This morning I have been looking out of the window and daydreaming, only to be disturbed by the sound of flocks of geese, in typical “V” formations flying south.

A definite sign that the seasons are changing again.

It’s always an impressive sight, but this year it’s tinged with some sadness and anger.

You see, not too far away from us is an area called Bardača.
Bardača is a lake and marshland. For centuries home to a host of types of migratory birds.
What used to be protected as a nature area has been, for sometime now, turned into high output agricultural land.
The area is devastated.

Lake Bardače is located near the municipality of Srbac, in the very north of BiH, about 30 km northeast of Banja Luka. Bardača used to be a complex of 11 lakes located between the rivers Sava and Vrbas. The total size of all lakes was as much as 732 hectares. Today it is just a pale shadow of once one of the most famous ecosystems and natural habitats of birds. You could see as many as 2/3 of all bird species in BiH in Bardača. Today, that number is many times lower ...

Although on the list of internationally important wetlands, Bardača has never been declared a protected area by the Republika Srspka government.

Maybe profit over culture raises its head yet again.

Whatever the outcome. It’s sad.

As a footnote there was a film called “The Wild Geese” back in 1978 and this was the themE song. A favourite of mine too.

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Our Changing World

Across Europe, it looks like COVID-19, or the variant that we know have, is taking hold again. Cold weather seems to be the time when we suffer more, and therefore our governments impose restrictions to try and protect us.

Here in Bosnia and Herzegovina we have been living with this situation reasonably well. Yes, we have had more than our fair share of suffering and death. Our vaccination rate isn’t impressive as we simply don’t have the funds to buy in large quantities of vaccines and, charity/donations from kind countries can only go so far.

As we approach December, restrictions and in particular, the introduction of COVID passports are being discussed, and it’s looking like implementation will be soon.

Fingers crossed we get through the cold snap with as least illnesses as we can.

I have to say again, that while this country is dysfunctional at many levels, at least in the area where I live, the authorities are acting responsibly.

And, thank goodness, living in a rural environment allows us to live as normal life as we almost used to have.

Nowhere is perfect.

Please stay safe.

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Bozo Vreco is simply amazing in so so many respects.

What a life story. What a Talent.

Sevdah, in my opinion, is the soul of my adopted country.

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