In Kuterevo October was still warm: gardening and picking plums were our main activities!

But this beach boy’s ambiance has quickly changed for the Santa-Claus lifestyle! Now all the fields of the forest have fall on the ground and the landscape is often full of ice in the morning.

The typical birds of the hot season, like swallows (Hirundo sp.) and nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos), have left  Velebit between August and October looking for countries more rich with food.

A Swallow and a nightingale

Birds from northern Europe like the brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) and the Eurasian siskin (Cardelius spinus) began to take their place at the end of October.

A brambling and two Eurasian siskins

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Regarding to the bears, autumn is an important time to become fat. During the winter they enter in hivernation. They sleep a lot and there stomach stop to work, but on the contrary of the animals who spend the winter by hibernation, they keep their temperature enough high to be able to react in case of danger and also to have babies!

In the refuge of Kuterevo, the six adults have experience of hivernation : around the 25^th September they stop to “poo” and a cork appear in their ass. After that they can’t eat anymore and they begin to sleep most of the time.

In the forest of Velebit, the bear’s situation is harder. Their main food during autumn is beech nuts, so when the year is bad for the tree’s fructification, some of them don’t succeed to take enough fat for have rest during all the winter. Then they are forced to stay awake and search for food until the spring.

To conclude, in Kuterevo, the people as much as the bears are ready for winter. But one thing is lacking: the snow ! But it will not be long to come… and stay for a longtime!

Dan.