We are rather blessed.
Slovenia and Nature go well together. Surely, we made our share of fucking around that resulted in finding out, but in general, we do okay. Lying at the intersection of the Alps, the Mediterranean, the Panonnian plain, and the Dinaric mountains, the ecosystems of Slovenia are diverse, quite unique, and ever better preserved. We have a national park, two UNESCO Global parks, three regional parks, 47 landscape parks, 57 nature reserves, and 1.275 monuments of nature. Over a third of the territory of Slovenia is protected under the Natura 2000 scheme. 60 percent of our land is covered in forests, putting us in the third place in Europe.
We (or at least most of us, members of KAP Jasa – kite team Slovenia) live in Ljubljana. Not only was it the Green capital of Europe in 2016, it was declared the very best of all Green capitals. And just south of Ljubljana we have one of the largest landscape parks in Slovenia, the Ljubljana Marshes.
The Marshes are flat, mysterious, beautiful. They hide prehistoric dwellings protected by UNESCO, and boast a multitude of gems of Nature – five strict nature reserves and eight monuments of nature. The peat bogs, the rivers, lakes, streams and strange springs, the rare flora and fauna, the deep woodlands, the painstakingly reconstructed wet meadows …
Ljubljana Marshes are perfect for flying kites, and kites are perfect for flying at the Marshes, for they are silent, natural, unintrusive, and beautiful.
One of the places at the Marshes we visit really often is a strict nature reserve called Iški morost, Iška moor.
Some of the most beautiful wet meadows of Ljubljana Marshes are preserved here. It’s a hugely important and fragile ecosystem, hosting rare grassland birds and other animal species, and a number of protected plants. Hedges, stands of tall herbs, shrubs, flood forest, restored meadows, and old silted-up riverbeds combine into a veritable showcase of Nature’s magic.
Iška moor is managed by DOPPS – Birdlife Slovenia, which established an educational footpath called Corn crake trail, after one of the rarest and most iconic birds that call Iška moor their home.
So how could we better celebrate Earth Day than to fly kites with cameras above this exceptional place!
Happy Earth Day, everyone! 🙂
Kite aerial photos shot with Nikon P330 on The Original Blue rokkaku, and with Insta360 on Cindy delta – both kites made by Dr.Agon kites.
