Comana Nature Park is a protected
\narea of national interest, 35 km away from Bucharest, in Giurgiu County. It
\nstretches over 25,000 ha, is part of the Natura 2000 European network, and is a
\nRamsar site with a remarkable biodiversity. Over 8,000 ha are covered in
\nforests dominated by oak, lime trees, acacia, and elm trees, with a variety of
\nfauna, including pheasants, deer, boars, hares, and foxes. The park has thee
\nprotected areas: the Butcher’s Broom Science Reserve, the Peony Science
\nReserve, and Comana Pond. Here is Valentin Grigore, director of the Comana
\nPark: <\/p>\n
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For the May 1st
\nmini-holiday, tourists will find Comana Park full of blooming peonies. Due to
\nthis milder winter and the early spring, plants bloomed earlier, so the peonies
\nwill be in full bloom in the first week of May, as opposed to their usual time,
\nin the second week. In addition to the
\nPeony Science Reserve we have the Butcher’s Broom Science Reserve, which
\nis a perennial plant, an Atlantic Mediterranean plant with beautiful fruit
\nwhich stays red even through the winter. We also have the yellow crocus, as
\nwell as about 20 ha of wild daisies, whose location I will not divulge, because
\nit is too rare and beautiful.<\/p>\n
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Comana Pond has a surface of some 1,200
\nha. It is the country’s third wetland in terms of biodiversity, after Braila’s
\nLesser Isle and the Danube Delta, according to Valentin Grigore: <\/p>\n
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We have identified here 141 species
\nof bird, 78 of them protected. It is a tiny jewel close to Bucharest. A lot is
\nbeing said about the Vacaresti Delta, but here, in Comana, biodiversity is on a
\nmuch larger scale, and is extremely beautiful. Here, in our small delta, we
\nhave endemic fish species, which can only be found here. There are 10 species
\nof amphibians, frogs, reptiles, and tortoises. We are monitoring the expansion
\nof the jackal populations in the area. It is not on the list of protected
\nspecies, but it has potential, due to the lack of wolves in the area. Now, in
\nspring, migratory birds are coming back. The children who visit are fascinated
\nby storks. In addition to regular storks, we have its sister species, the black
\nstork, which is more frail, more sensitive, and much rarer. About an eighth of
\nthe Romanian population of this species, protected across Europe, can be found
\nin Comana. It is dependent on the existence of old trees, with large canopies,
\nsuch as old oaks on the shore of ponds, and here we have all these conditions.
\nWe have a long list of birds in this area. We have forests, we have salty
\nmarshes, we have flood plains, so we have a plethora of birds. We have
\ncormorants and several kinds of egrets. We have plenty of birdwatchers. Some
\ncome to watch a specific bird, others come for art photography. We have loads of
\nbirdwatching blinds all around the pond.<\/p>\n
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Comana Park is home to the black
\nstork, Ciconia Nigra, and in order to protect them, experts with the Romanian
\nOrnithological Society recently organised an action to plant a special species
\nof oak, Quercus Robur. Here is Ovidiu Bufnila, communication secretary with the
\nRomanian Ornithological Society: <\/p>\n
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Black storks use Comana Nature park
\nfor nesting. We are talking about a very charismatic but very shy species. As
\nopposed to the white storks, which live close to people in villages, nesting on
\nchimneys or electricity poles, black storks are much shier, they nest in the
\nforest. Sometimes they nest in eagle nests, but prefer to make a very strong,
\nvery large nest, just like white storks, in the crotch of branches. That is why
\nwe have decided to have the campaign to plant oaks. This species sustain life
\nfrom top to bottom, you can find all kinds of life forms, from insects to
\nbirds. Jaybirds nest in the branches, while the acorn that falls from the tree
\nfeeds boars and other animals. This is the ideal kind of trees. We called on
\n120 volunteers from the company DB Schenker. They helped us plant 1,000 trees
\nin one day.<\/p>\n
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In Comana Nature Park you can trek, sail,
\nride horses and bikes. Close by you have Comana Monastery, built by ruler Vlad
\nthe Impaler in 1461 as a fortified monastery. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Comana Nature Park is a protected area of national interest, 35 km away from Bucharest, in Giurgiu County.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":153226,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44315],"tags":[44406],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-153225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-green-planet","tag-comana"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n