International Volunteer Day is celebrated on the 5th of December. It’s a day when we, as members of civil society, honour those individuals who choose to spend their free time supporting noble causes. This doesn’t mean we appreciate them only on this day. We understand that without volunteers, civil organisations would be much “poorer” and a society lacking the compassion and solidarity shown by volunteers would be a society without a future.

This year, we gave much thought to how we could show our appreciation for everything they do for the community. We decided to meet with them in three locations across the country to bring us closer together.

In Salonta, Bihor County, we gathered at the Dropia Centre, a place dear to us, created as part of the  “Conservation, protection and promotion of the natural values from Salonta-Békéscsaba crossborder area, ROHU-14 – The Nature Corner” project, entirely focused on the great bustard. Our colleague, Attila Nagy, spoke about this globally endangered species. Before heading out into the field to search for bustards, we experienced another special moment that once again demonstrated the kindness of these people: our colleague, Lőrinc Bărbos, who recently celebrated his birthday, was surprised with a homemade cake prepared by one of our very active volunteers, Ana-Daniela Ciocan.

Volunteers from Cluj Napoca and the surrounding area took a walk along the banks of the river Someș, which flows through the city. They used binoculars and telescopes to take a closer look at the ducks and gulls in the water and the rarer species that appear at this time of year, such as the Grey wagtail and the Water pipit. The most successful was the Common kingfisher posing on the railing of the riverside boardwalk.

The third meeting point was in Mureș County, more precisely at the Fishpond Complex in Iernut, where we observed species such as the ferruginous duck, the red-breasted goose, the great crested grebe, and the bittern alongside our volunteers. However, the stars of the day were the greater white-fronted geese, which filled the sky above the lakes, putting on an aerial display that helped us forget the cold and wind. The day ended with an outdoor meal, a perfect conclusion to the event.

Big thanks to all our volunteers for their hard work!