Spring in the Danube Delta: Floods, Flowers and Birdsong

For us, spring is the finest season of the year in the Danube Delta. Nature starts a new year: the plants burst into leaf and flower, the birds come back from the south and others pass through on their way north, and the high water floods the willow forests, where the fish crowd in to spawn. A spring trip shows you a Danube Delta very different from the one you know from books.

The plants wake up

From March, the banks come slowly back to life: the first leaves on the trees, fresh grass and the first spring flowers.

April is a festival of yellow. The grey willows bloom first, covered in catkins, and the yellow irises follow close behind along the channels. The first water plants appear on the surface.

By May everything is green. The reeds and reedmace grow fast, the banks fill with flowers, and in the second half of the month the first water lilies open.

The birds

Spring is the season of the birds. Those that spent the winter in the Danube Delta, those that come back to breed and those only passing through are all here at the same time, and it is the richest season of the year for them. The males wear their breeding plumage, the most beautiful of the year, and fill the reed beds with song. Busy with courtship and nest building, many birds let you watch them calmly from the boat, and we keep the distance that leaves them undisturbed. We never enter nesting areas.

The stars of the Danube Delta are back too. The great white pelicans arrive hungry from Africa and fish together in large groups, while the Dalmatian pelicans, which nest earlier, are already feeding their chicks.

Why spring

• Migration brings many northern species through the Danube Delta, in flocks, on their way to their breeding grounds.
• The birds wear their breeding plumage, the most spectacular of the year.
• The males sing to attract their mates, and the reed beds are never silent.
• It is the season of courtship displays, and some of them are a real show.
• You watch the plants come to life: buds, flowers and the new leaves of the trees and shrubs.
• Yellow irises, willows, water lilies and summer snowflakes bloom, flowers you can admire in very few places.
• At Letea, orchids carpet the damp meadows (we know where), the plants of the dunes are at their best and the stallions guard their mares with all their strength.
• Spring is the time of the yearly fishing ban, so there are fewer fishing boats on the water and the Danube Delta is quieter.
• The natural spring floods are vital for the nature of the Danube Delta, and the high water lets the boat reach beautiful places closed at other times of the year.
• The fish come into the shallow, flooded water to spawn, and you can see really big ones in water only a few centimetres deep.
• The great white pelicans, hungry after their journey, put on real shows as they fish in groups, and a guide who knows them can approach without scaring them away.
• The days are mild, perfect for an open boat: you hear the birds, smell the flowers and feel the warm spring breeze.

Spring is when most of our tours run, from the 4 day nature tour in Mila 23 to our birding and photo tours. The spring departures fill first, so plan early.