Birdwatching in Poland

The Warta Bird Reserve

birdwatching poland

Poland is a great country for birds and birdwatchers: there are vast marshes and forests, a long coastline, thousands of lakes, high mountains and mile after mile of traditionally worked farmlands. One of the best and most accessible places, as far as ornithology is concerned, is the Warta River Mouth "Ujscie Warty" National Park, located where the Warta River meets the Odra River, in the north-west of the Lubuskie region. Its landscape is made up of water-logged, periodically inundated meadows, willow bushes, channels, old river beds, lanes and causeways. The Warta reserve (formerly known as the Slonsk Nature Reserve) is one of the biggest bird sanctuaries in Europe. Hundreds of hectares of almost inaccessible, regularly flooded meadows make an ideal refuge for mainly mud and water birds. Some 245 species live here and during the spring and autumn migrations up to 200,000 birds can be seen at the confluence of the Warta and the Odra. To watch them, you can walk or bike around the park with the aid of a map or a local English-speaking guide. Some of the many bird rarities you should look out for in and around the Warta bird reserve include: Aquatic Warbler; Great Bittern; Black Stork; Black Tern; Bluethroat; Corncrake (Corn Crake); Great Reed Warbler; Hoopoe; Lesser Spotted Eagle; Little Bittern; Red-backed Shrike; Red-necked Grebe; and the White-tailed Eagle.

Use the contact form here to find out more about the Warta bird and nature reserve or to get further information on unique birdwatching holidays and tours. More about wildlife in Poland.