Episode 67

Dobar dan, poštovani slušatelji!

Good day, respected listeners!

Join us for another fun episode as we take a walk in the garden.

Today we’ll learn some words for you gardeners who are enjoying the arrival of spring!

Lesson - Garden

garden - vrt

gardener - vrtlar/vrtlarica

shovel - lopata

plants - biljKe

flowers - cvijeće

weeds - korov

caterpillar - gusjenica

butterfly - leptir

lizard - gušter

ladybug - bubamara

Super Slatko Report

Since we are spending time outside with nature, DJ Moe dedicates this edition of the SSR with a great summary of Croatian Falconry.

Yes! Hawks, eagles and falcons!

If you’d like to know more, tune in!

By definition, falconry is the taking of wild quarry (an animal that is hunted or killed) with trained birds of prey. All diurnal (Day Time, opposite of Nocturnal) birds of prey are termed “Hawks” in the language of Falconry - whether they are falcons, hawks, Owls or eagles - and all hunt naturally in their wild state.

The objective of Falconry is to use a hawk, falcon, eagle, etc to hunt and return prey to its master. There are several types of hunting that vary between the different types of raptors. (Aka: Birds of prey) Falcons typically hunt other birds in flight and tend to travel long distances.

How does Croatia fit in to all of this?

Well as recently as DECEMBER 2021, UNESCO, the committee for Intangible Heritages, included Falconry to the Representative List of the Intangible Heritages of Humanity. 

Meaning: UNESCO said, Falconry as a tradition needs to preserved for generations to come, we can’t let it fade away.

Croatia joined a multi national list, with 24 other countries, that will in turn make concerted efforts to keep this tradition alive for generations to come. The full list of the 24 countries involved is listed on line. 

Fun Fact: By Croatia joining this List, Croatia as a country now boasts a total of 18 Intangible Cultural assets under UNESCO.

How did Croatia qualify for this?

Croatia has several Falconry clubs, that are very active in preserving Falconry. The Croatian Falconry Club is one, with other Falconry clubs found in cities throughout Croatia; one in Zagreb, another in Karlovac, in Šibenik, Slavonski, Brod and in a few other places as well. The Croatian Falconry Club is also a member of the IAF, the International Organization for Falconry and Protection of Birds of Prey. Which focuses on education for kids, skill development as well as competitions.

I also wanted to highlight the Šibenik Falconry Centre Association. Which started up back in 2000. Its purpose is to preserve and protect the birds of prey of Croatia. The Falconry Centre is a licensed institution of the ministry of Environmental and Nature Protection. At the time of a 2016 article: Annually, more than 150 injured, wounded, sick or starved wild birds passed through the centre. Due to the absence of professional veterinary care for wildlife, through independent initiative in 2009, the Falconry Centre became the first and only veterinary service for wild animals in Croatia.

The Šibenik Falconry Centre is located in the woods near Dubrava, outside of Zagreb. 

There are tours you can take, where you learn about the facility, learn about the birds, get to feed a few and even hold a few. There is a cost to visit the Centre, but its a well worth it, as its a win-win for all who visit. The visitor walks away with more knowledge on birds of prey than they arrived with, as well as some great new memories. And the Centre gets to use your contribution to help more amazing birds.

Maybe one day, I’ll make my way to the Centre myself and make some new avian friends myself.

There you have it, another Super Slatko in the books!