Kikinda: overwintering long-eared owls and hot-air balloons

Wintering long-eared owls: off to Kikinda

As it turns out, many of you have never seen the wintering long-eared owls in Kikinda. Let's fix this misunderstanding right away: on December 6 we're going to Kikinda!🦉

Kikinda once counted as many as 734 owls in a single winter — a world record. So why do they choose this particular town? Is it true that long-eared owls have such huge "ears"? And why do they sleep during the day?

All these questions (and the ones you come up with on the way) will be answered by:
🦉 David Grabovac, ornithologist.
🦉 Irina Barabanova, birdwatcher, volunteer at a bird-ringing station and author of the channel "Radio 'Dipper'".
We won't just watch the owls resting on the branches, we'll also listen to a fascinating open-air lecture — a deep dive into the mysterious world of nocturnal predators.
We'll learn how owls have adapted to life in the dark: from their hearing and the structure of their feathers to their hunting strategies.

We'll talk about their nesting sites, how they find their way in the dark, and why Kikinda in particular became their winter all-inclusive.

After this meeting you'll definitely see owls differently — you'll discover a fragile, complex and at the same time amazing world that's usually hidden from the human eye.

And then — off for a walk!
🏘️We'll find the street in Kikinda that made the list of the 50 most beautiful streets in Europe and check whether any beauty is left in December.

Generally, Kikinda is a delightful provincial town with plenty to do besides the owls. According to one legend, this is where Attila, ruler of the Huns, may be buried.
🦣They also found an almost perfectly preserved mammoth here, named Kiki, and now it lives in the National Museum. And of course we'll go and meet it.
We'll drop by the Terra gallery — a huge collection of terracotta sculptures that impress even people who don't care about art.
If there's time left, we'll see Suvača, an extremely rare horse-powered mill running on a "dry" mechanism.

All in all, we'll count owls, listen to a fascinating lecture, take photos under the mammoth, admire terracotta sculptures, walk, have dinner, chat — and have a great time whatever the weather.

💰 Price:
60 euros — transfer, lecture, all museum tickets.
Not included: dinner and souvenirs.

Departures from Belgrade and Novi Sad - all spots are taken, but you can join the waiting list or sign up for January

Sign up in the comments and tell us where you're starting from: Belgrade or Novi Sad

Published November 17, 2025 · Open the post in Telegram ↗

Bird ringing in Mokrin: how I held an owl

🦉Have you ever held an owl in your hands? Like in "Harry Potter"? Now I can say — yes. I held it, looked into its huge eyes… and then set it free.
That day I also saw a huge hare, roe deer, a fox and loads of different birds. I want to tell you how the bird-ringing trip with Irina Barabanova and David Grabovac went.

🚗 The trip to Mokrin and first impressions
On Saturday morning we met up, piled into Irina's car and drove to Mokrin — a small village in North Banat. Our goal was to find the wintering long-eared owls. We found them in the trees next to the fire station – they know where it's safer) Not all of them are visible in the photo, but believe me — I counted about 12 birds on one birch.

Further along the route there was a field with a pond, but apart from a fat hare and some roe deer through the binoculars, we didn't see anyone.

The next location was a fish farm (a stocked canal), a very picturesque spot in itself. The guys with big lenses shot lots of different birds there. The rest of us watched them through a telescope or binoculars. There were various ducks, grey herons, curlews, a white-tailed eagle, cormorants and so on and so forth. And along the way we came across lots of buzzards, and a kestrel flew past quite often. Now I can easily tell them apart. And it's all thanks to Irina and her fascinating stories about birds – you can tell she lives and breathes this. That day I learned a lot about our feathered friends, their habits and quirks, endangered species and conservation programs.

As soon as dusk began to fall, we headed to the bird observation station. In the field we helped set up the nets, which is a fascinating activity in itself. While we waited for an owl to turn up, we watched a film about rollers and great bustards. After about an hour of waiting, a bird was caught. Irina carefully took it out of the net, and we all watched the ringing with bated breath. The ring on the leg isn't just a tag, it's a scientific tool. Data on a bird's routes, numbers and the wellbeing of the species depends on every bird caught. We got a long-eared owl; if cats were birds, they would definitely be long-eared owls. It stared at us with huge eyes, and was 💯% sure we were going to eat it). We gave it a name — Varvara. And once the ring was on, I was lucky enough to release her. Varvara spread her wings — and vanished into the night. Honestly, it's a feeling like no other.

It's an experience that stays with you for a long time — not just content for social media, but a feeling that you've gotten a little closer to the wild. Irina often organizes trips like this, so if you want to feel like a wizard even for a minute, message her @lar_f. The next trip is on December 6

A couple of useful tips and observations from me:
🦉After this trip I concluded that birdwatching is a very meditative activity. You have to move from place to place, and then you stand, listen, wait — and gradually nature reveals itself… or not)) For someone like me who's used to moving a lot, standing still was a bit tough)
🦉Dress warmer, because at night it's sooooo cold in the field, and in the hut too.
🦉Bring plenty of food, a thermos of hot tea and maybe a little rakija to warm up and make the waiting more pleasant. An owl might only get caught after 2 or 3 hours. Be ready to get home late. And good luck with your photo hunt!

Very soon, on December 6, Irina, David and I are going to Kikinda, where we'll watch owls resting on the branches and listen to fascinating stories about their lives. Join us🦉(all spots are taken, but you can join the waiting list or sign up for January) or come bird-ringing with Irina and David

In the comments: photos of birds you can see at this time of year, from the channel Radio "Dipper"

#thisisthebalkansbaby #owl #kikinda #serbia

Published November 26, 2025 · Open the post in Telegram ↗

Photo exchange: The Great Kikinda Adventure 🦉 🦉 vs 🦣

And so our great Kikinda adventure is over. It was definitely one of our most educational trips.

In a not-so-small intercity group from Belgrade, Novi Sad and even Subotica, we arrived in Kikinda and managed in a single day to learn absolutely everything about owls, see them wintering on the branches, and see the greenest street in Kikinda with no greenery at all! We took photos with Kiki the mammoth and touched everything we could in the National Museum, and saw tons of fired clay in all sorts of forms. I almost forgot our leisurely lunch surrounded by stuffed animals and antique utensils – that's another one for the collection of Balkan memories))
Thank you for trusting me once again – I think we had a great time together) I was happy to meet new participants 🤗 guys, you're awesome!! And the old-timers, you know💘

Now that everyone's back home — warm, with a cup of hot tea — looking back on the trip, share: what stuck with you the most?

I'll definitely never forget the pogačka🙈 and the mouse skull, and also the velvety feel of an owl feather, the carriage on the restaurant ceiling, the čorba in a porcelain tureen, the 3-meter clay kangaroo, the sculpture of a girl with a glassy gaze, the painting of sheep in a grey fog.

Huge thanks to Irina for the great lecture and to Olya for everything, everything🤗❤️

And don't forget to share your photos and videos↘️

Published December 6, 2025 · Open the post in Telegram ↗

Winter roses and another side of Kikinda

I've been living here for over two years now, and I'm still amazed by the winter roses every time😍. These December ones were spotted in Kikinda.

By the way, in these photos of Kikinda you won't see a single owl, clay sculpture, pumpkin or mammoth)

A different Kikinda

Published December 19, 2025 · Open the post in Telegram ↗

Hot air balloon festival in Kikinda 29.05–1.06

If you've ever dreamed of soaring into the sky in a hot-air balloon — Kikinda in May is exactly the place where dreams come true! In the picturesque setting of the Old Lake, the Hot-Air Balloon Festival takes place every year — one of the brightest spring events in Serbia.
And if you don't feel like flying yourself, you can watch others fly and take some great photos.

Schedule:
— 30–31 May hot air balloon flights (morning and evening, weather permitting)
— 30–31 May tethered balloon rides for children aged 7 to 14
— 29 May from 20:00 — the magical night show Night Glow

Besides the flights, there'll be photo zones and a fair. And, of course, Kiki the mammoth at the local museum. There's plenty to see

There isn't much information publicly available; some sources say the flights are free with advance registration, but this needs to be double-checked.

For information and registration, call 0230426300 (from 07:30 to 15:30)

Date: May 29 - June 1
Place: Staro jezero, Kikinda
Free entry!

Follow the news here:
kikinda-turizam.rs

Kikinda on Instagram

Owls, pumpkins, and now hot-air balloons too! Kikinda never stops surprising)

By the way, if anyone is going by car and wants to split the fuel costs, or thinks it's more fun in company – write in the comments how many free seats you have.

Published May 21, 2025 · Open the post in Telegram ↗