Birds of Podblanicko - Summary
Pavel Vašák
Podblanicko region follows more or less borders of Benešov district. It is mainly a hilly cultural landscape lying in the southern part of the Central Bohemia Region. The total area is 152 345 ha, out of which 62 % represents agricultural land, 27 % forests and more than 2 % water bodies. The altitude differs from 200 to 700 metres. In the northern part lower altitudes prevail, while in the southern and south-eastern part there are mainly uplands merging into Českomoravská vrchovina uplands. Medium annual temperatures vary from 7 to 8 °C according to the altitude.
Although the region is densely populated, dispersed villages prevail in the landscape. There are only few towns (for example Týnec n. S., Neveklov, Votice, Sedlec-Prčice, Vlašim, Čechtice a Divišov). Benešov, a district city, is the administrative centre with 16 208 inhabitans. The landscape used to be dominated by forests (oak prevailing in lower altitudes, beech in the higher altitudes) in the Middle Ages. The forests were reduced mainly between 13th and 18th century in order to gain agriculture land, to build ponds and settlements. As the result there are more biotopes convenient for more bird species than it used to be in an uninterrupted forest.
Nowadays, prevailing biotopes are secondary pine groves, influenced deciduous and mixed forests, fields and meadows, where the dispersed vegetation (bush and trees) has the function of refuges and ecological corridors. To complete the list of biotopes, we must note also municipalities, ponds built by the man and two dams (about 1 400 ha) on Vltava and Želivka rivers.
The issue summarizes important data about occurence, passage and breeding of birds of Podblanicko between the end of 19th century and the beginning of the 21th century. The main sources were regional and national zoological and countryside studies and vertebrate card file of the Podblanicko Museum, which was created step by step by the museum biologists and by a great deal by local birdwatchers. These friends of birds also participated in national bird-counting events and surveys of breeding or their occurence during winter. The surveys took place in the standard net of quadrates with angle about 10 km. In this issue, the assesment is based on these quadrates divided by four. The grids and counted quadrates (with variable level of demonstrativeness of breeding) are enclosed to the most of texts about separate species.
| Breeding between 1985 – 1989 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Used symbols | B – Breeding is possible | (the small dot) |  |
| C – Breeding is presumable | (the medium dot) |  |
|
| D – Breeding is proved | (the large dot) |  |
|
| Breeding between 1990 – 2001 | |||
| Used symbols | B – Breeding is possible | (the grey quater of the quadrate) |  |
| C – Breeding is presumable | (the grey half of the quadrate) |  |
|
| D – Breeding is proved | (the full grey quadrate) |  |
|
Thirty-one ornithologists participated in the survey on Podblanicko between 1985 – 1989. They studied the occurence of birds within 20 standard quadrates, i. e. 68 small quadrates. The number of species varied between 81 and 120 according to the variability of the locality and the number of the researchers working in one quadrate. Maps are added for species widespreading at the end of the 20th century.
The result of the surveys between 1985 – 1989 is as follows: the most frequent birds were for example Wood Pigeon, Collared Turtle-dove, Cuckoo, Skylark, Swalow, House Martin, Robin, Black Red Star or Black Cap. Rare species were Teal, Hen Harrier, Nightjar, Nightingale, Barred Warbler or Red-breasted Flycatcher.
Changes in quality were accompanied by the estimate of changes in quantity between 1950 and 2000. It was found out that the following species are rapidly decreasing: Little Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Teal, Lapwing, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Little Owl, Reed Warbler. Following species have died out: Hazel Hen, Black Grouse, Capercaillie, Crested Lark, Wood Lark, Wheatear. Conversely, in the second half of the 20th century there was increase of these species: Heron, Black and White Stork, Mute Swan, Marsh Harrier, Kite, Wood Pigeon, Fieldfare, Jay, Magpie, Raven a Redpoll. White-tailed Eagle was found out to be breeding in Podblanicko at the beginning of 21th century, it has occured here for the first time.
Protection of birds is an important aspect of practical ornithology, which in a modern sense developed during the second half of the 20th century. It is focused on large-scale protection of breeding sites, wintering sites or resting sites for passing birds and also protection of chosen vulnerable and endangered bird species. Two regional centres of Czech Union for Nature Conservation in Vlašim and Votice carry out meritorious protection and awareness activities. These activities include protection of biotopes, installing of bird boxes, preparation of artifical breeding sites, technical improvements of transmission towers, additional feeding to wintering bird populations, but also treatment of handicapped individuals and eventually returning them back to nature. All these activities are presented to the public. Teenagers participate more and more in the protection activities and the importance of education is growing. Both conception and practical activities have got completely new dimension due to implementation of Natura 2000 network after the Czech Republic became a member of the EU in 2004.