Croatia Birding Reviews 14

We spent four days birding with Josip and it was a wonderful experience. We really enjoyed the variety of locations and habitats he chose to take us to with Maksimir Park, Pag Island, Vransko Lake Nature Park, and the Velebit Mountains being some of the highlights. We were excited to see so many new species and I think he was just as excited as we were! He is so passionate about the birds of the region and he also has a very good grasp of the natural and cultural history of the region, we learned so much about Croatia from him. He is a good driver, and he chose great hotels and restaurants for us. We couldn’t have asked for a better person to spend 4 days birding with. We highly recommend him.

Josip was a wonderful guide for a day in Istria! He is the birding expert for all of Croatia and knows all the spots to visit. His fund of knowledge, enthusiasm and warm personality made for a rewarding experience. Highly recommend!

My main target was to see Rock Partridge in the Western Palaearctic, and so Josip adviced me to go to the isle of Pag, maybe the best spot in the World to see this species in the wild. So I decided to go there, and Aurora joined me for guiding on a single day. We met early in the morning at 6.00 A.M., and we saw Rock Partridge just 20 min later, so Aurora did a perfect job! Aurora knows the best places for birdwatching on Pag, so it was a really good decision to get guided by professionell ornithologists. We spent the whole day together, and we saw Rock Partridge at another locality next to our car. Altogether we saw more than 50 species on that day, even Flamingos, which are rare at Pag, and I really learned a lot about the birds of Pag, birding on Pag, and even about people and the landscape of Pag. Everything was well prepared and the tour was perfectly done - I was very impressed by Auroras knowledge in the determination of gulls! So, I highly recommend birding with Croatia Birding - thanks for a wonderful day and for the perfect assistance! Marco Zimmermann

My wife and I spent a quick three days birding with Josip as part of a longer trip to Croatia. We saw 100 species, nearly all of them during our brief time with him. Josip knows the birds of Croatia. He knows the hot spots, which isn't surprising because he created most or all of them. He birds by ear and then worked hard for us to see them. If you plan to do some birding in Croatia, Josip is your guy. He's a terrific, patient and determined man, with excellent English skills, and a lovely, relaxed way about him. I cannot recommend him enough.

My wife and I had Josip take us for a couple days of birding during a recent trip to Croatia. We had an absolutely fantastic time! Josip was very adept at identifying birds by sound, then getting us outstanding looks. We counted over 70 in two days, all of were good, solid identifications with explanations of the differences between some of the similar species. Josip is super friendly and easy to be around, knows tons about Croatia and other birding destinations, and has a true enthusiasm for birding and showing people birds. He also picked out some great places to have lunch during our trips. We would definitely use him again.

Guides took extra care in making sure we found the birds! Long drives were often broken up by birding stops. However we could have used more rest stops for the women on the trip.

Nika is a guide to Alectoris Birding. Even though we did not bird with him in Croatia but in Georgia, Nika´s home, I should like to highlight that Nika is not only an exceptionally experienced birder but also a great person to have around you. We spent a great week with him in Georgia and he became a good friend and we invited him to go birding with us in Germany. Being a keen birder myself for some decades, I gladly confirm that Nika is an excellent birder and a superb spotter. He "knows his birds". Anyone going on a Bird trip with him will benefit highly from his skills and great personality.
Stefan Lunk

I had a day of birding with Josip around Zadar. Even though the time of the year was not the best, we managed to find quite a few of our targets. Josip is a really nice guy, with a lot of knowledge and really easy to get along with. Thanks for you advice and hope to meet you again sometime. Carlos.

This was an amazing trip. The trip leaders were well organized and friendly and so very helpful. The accommodations were amazing, fun and rustic, but comfortable and safe. The meals were amazing and delicious.

My husband Craig and I hired Josip for 7 days of private bird guiding in late April, 2024. Josip picked us up at the airport and we were off to an incredible experience. We were both so impressed by Josip’s knowledge of all the bird species we encountered. His ability to bird by both sight and sound allowed us to identify over 140 bird species. He made our birding adventure more meaningful with his knowledge of bird lifestyles and specific characteristics of each species. He’s also a great person to spend time with. He was so sincere in making sure we were enjoying the trip, and he fun to be around. His passion for birding is contagious. He also arranged fir our hotel accommodations, which all were top notch. He had reservations for local restaurants that made each one a fine ending to the day. We would highly recommend anyone wanting to bird Croatia to contact Josip.

My wife and I bird the world over. Croatia was not a birding trip for us, but we decided to see if we could find a guide for a one-day birding outing as long as we were there. We found Josif online, and he was totally responsive and professional. He took us to the Neretva River Delta, made sure we spotted as many of the local species as we could find, and took care of all of our needs. He followed up with great advice on what to look for on the rest of our non-birding trip as well. It was just what we were looking for.

Josip is a top class and professional guide. I was in Split on a ‘non-birding’ holiday with my partner. I was super keen to try for Rock Partridge but the problem was that I wanted to be back to the hotel for breakfast. Josip offered to collect me at 3:30am from my hotel, which was exactly what I wanted. He is super flexible in terms of start and end times. We arrived on Pag Island at 5:25am and had a stunning Rock Partridge before we even stopped the car. Josip said that he could practically guarantee Rock Partridge for me. I ended up having a few hours of super birding with Josip and I was back to the hotel at 9:30am for breakfast. Josip is excellent company and a superb birder. I couldn’t recommend him any higher. Proper efficient birding. Just what I wanted.

Croatia birding was very responsive and agreed to organize a 1 day birding tour in Krka National park at quite short notice. Josip was very knowledgeable and friendly. I was able to see nearly all the birds announced, and was impressed by the advanced aptitudes of a professional ornithologist. Josip also shared with me the eBird lists of identified species as well as numerous tips. I will definitely use Croatia birding services again and can only recommend them to whoever is serious about birding ! Many thanks for everything Josip!