"Croatia is even more beautiful than I thought, and it fascinates me that you have so many cafes and know how to enjoy yourselves," said the 24-year-old from New Jersey about Split. 

November 20, 2018 - Advent in Split was presented at a press conference earlier this month at the Split City Administration building. The event, which is now titled "Winter Watercolors - Advent and Christmas Celebration in Split" was presented by the mayor of Split, Andro Krstulović Opara, the director of the Tourist Board of Split, Alijana Vukšić, and the director of Spalatum DMC, Ante Šunjić. With over 50 concerts on the Split Riva announced for this winter, here are 8 of the best. 

Mayor Denis Ivanović and his deputy Jadranka Matok Bosančić presented the program for this year's "Advent in Kaštela" event, to be held in Kaštel Stari and Kaštel Lukšić, from December 1, 2018, to January 5, 2019.

A rather unusual discovery on the streets of Split this week for a Hvar resident and bird lover. A Harris hawk seemingly let out by its owner.

I will not deny that the TCN inbox is a fascinating and eclectic place.

An interesting contribution from a birdwatching reader this morning, and perhaps one worth paying attention to if you live in the vicinity of Šetalište Ivana Meštrovića.

Hope you are keeping well.  Is this story any use to you?  I think someone is missing a bird of prey in Split!

 

This morning I was in Split waiting for a colleague at the car park on Šetilište Ivana Meštrovića when I heard a cat crying and found a youngish kitten, maybe 6 months old up the big pine tree in the car park, not stuck but it seemed in distress.  Then there was a second cat calling and it's sibling bounded across the road, followed by a bird of prey, which alighted on the lamp post where I was standing.

 

The cat was under the front of the car, looking at the bird, making itself as big as it could and hissing.  The bird was looking between the cat in the tree and the one on the ground.

 

 

From the attitude of the bird it was hunting and I thought it would swoop at any moment.  The street lights were only small, probably 5 meters, and although I waved my arms and shouted, the bird just looked at me and the cats.  The second cat had rushed down the tree and was now hiding behind me as well.

 

The raptor was big, probably 60cm, but I could see it had what looks like leather Jesslets on both ankles.  It wasn't bothered about me in the slightest but was VERY keen on the young cats.

 

The times of the photos are timed over a 5 minutes period, then it swooped down, across the car park, some grass and disappeared into trees.

 

I believe the bird is a Harris's Hawk.

 

Has someone in Split lost a hunting hawk?

 

Kindest regards.

 

 

Dear Paul

 

I have had a reply from the Falcon Centre in Sibernic.  See below.

 

Lack of health and safety enforcement - it will be OK until a child has something the bird wants!

 

Kindest regards

 

 

Hello, in Split there is a person who leaves his Harris hawk to fly free without control. Because the person is, how to say, a litlle bit strange, nobody wants to do anything about that. So, tnx for the information but it is not the first time that people call us about that bird.

 

Best regards

November 14, 2018 - It has been confirmed that Ryanair is in talks with both Split and Zagreb as the Irish low-cost carrier looks to expand its operations in Croatia.

An interesting development in the budget airline market in Croatia, as it has emerged that Ryanair is in discussions to bring routes to both Zagreb and Split. The Irish carrier, which brought budget flights to the Dalmatian coast with the opening of Zadar back in 2007, had fallen behind some of its competitors in recent years in the Croatian market, with easyJet in particular establishing itself on Croatia's Adriatic coast.  Zagreb has limited options currently regarding the budget market, and for an idea of how Ryanair can change things, our interview earlier today with Budapest Airport CEO Jost Lammers explains how Ryanair quickly established itself in the wake of the collapse of Malev back in 2012. Ryanair has been trying to get into the market in Dubrovnik, with the possibility of year-round flights, but the main sticking point was the financial concessions which Dubrovnik was reluctant to give. 

"In a statement to EX-YU Aviation News, the airline said, "Ryanair has held positive discussions with the Minister regarding longer-term traffic growth and route development at its existing Croatian airports as well as potential new airports like Zagreb and Split". The development comes just weeks following reports that Zagreb Airport's operator requested for the Croatian government to lower its annual concession fee. The operator argues that as a result of the concession fee, it was forced to increase its charges, which has in turn deterred low-cost airlines from flying to Zagreb. This winter season, only one low-cost carrier, Eurowings, will maintain services to the Croatian capital."

For the full story from ExYuAviation with more information about Split and Zadar, click here.

For the latest flight news from Croatia, click here.

The Split Advent Advisory Committee met on Tuesday where the Split Mayor addressed the group from the road via a video call. 

November 12, 2018 - The final report of the fatal air crash at Resnik near Split Airport in June 2015, killing two people on board and permanently injuring a third passenger, has been released by Croatia's Air, Maritime and Railway Traffic Investigation Agency. 

More than three years after a tragic accident which killed two pilots of seaplane company European Coastal Airlines, and severely injured a third, the final official report into the causes and events leading up to the tragedy on June 25, 2015, was published on November 8, and an English-language version copy passed on to TCN today. 

The Lake-LA-4-200 aircraft, which was NOT part of the commercial seaplane fleet, crashed into the shallow waters of the sea at Resnik, shortly after take-off from Split Airport, with three people on board, having clipped a nearby building after the engine seemingly stalled. 

It is a story I have been following closely for some time now, and the final report is an official, very detailed report on the crash, which has primary conclusions for the crash, as well as secondary contributing factors, as well as a list of recommendations for the airline, the airport and the Croatian Civil Aviation Authority. 

"The investigation established the immediate causes of this accident – engine failure and inadequate pilot reaction in this situation. Detected contributory factors were omissions in the maintenance of the aircraft, the incompetence of the pilot to land on the water surface, insufficient knowledge of the aircraft type and company culture."

The unauthorised and unlogged flight in the company's documentation appears to have been a spontaneous act. Split Airport had requested that the plane be moved from its current position at the airport. no flight was necessary. According to the final report, three ECA pilots decided to take the plane for a quick flight instead, having to jump-start the engine with cables to get it started. 

Shortly after takeoff, the engine stalled, which the report attributes largely to the fact that there was a large amount of dirt in the fuel tank. The fuel quality indicator in the main tank had also completely eroded. According to available documentation, the main tank was last inspected for dirt and leaks on July 10, 2014, almost a year before the fatal flight. The plane flew for just 8 hours over the intervening 11 months, according to the official report. 

The report also concluded that human factors played a significant factor in the crash. Although all three were pilots, the pilot for the flight did not have experience of landing on water, nor authority to do so, hence probably the decision to try and return to Split Airport, which was too far away. As there was no flight recorder on board and the only survivor has no recollection of what happened (according to the report), it is impossible to know the final moments on board, but the report states that perhaps a decision to avoid procedures after an emergency landing might have played a part in the decision to try and return to the airport. The report also concludes that the pilot's lack of familiarity with this type of aircraft could have been a factor. 

The report also cites the ECA 'company culture' in the secondary factors. ECA's head office was at Resnik, very close both to the airport and scene of the crash. It would be inconceivable that nobody from the head office would not have noticed the flight, and so the report concludes that even though the flight was unauthorised. the pilots seemed not to be worried about censure from their superiors. 

In the report's conclusions, it states that the flight was approved by control, but that ECA was not informed of the flight. Weather conditions were favourable. 

If any media is interested in reading the report, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject line Resnik.

A look at Croatian emigration in Split-Dalmatia County and a comparison of the number of inhabitants in 2011 and 2017.

The 14th round of the Croatian First League was played from November 9 to 11, 2018, which saw Hajduk finally make the jump up to 6th place. 

After the 'revamped' Split Advent (now called 'Winter Watercolors') was announced at the end of last month, the offers for the highly anticipated 'holiday homes' poured in. Here are the applicants we know so far.