Academy of Nature in Roztocze
The best experience with the Academy of Nature in Roztocze
A passion for birdwatching combined with an excellent knowledge of the terrain ensures an exciting experience every morning. Active rest in the fresh air in a group of several people is an opportunity to establish mutual relations and get to know the unique nature of Roztocze.
RegisterEnjoy bird watching with the Academy of Nature in Roztocze
Bird watching in the morning is a real emotion and positive energy for the whole day. Birdwatching combined with cycling gives wings to the mind and body. This elite hobby is achievable for all of us.
Upcoming expeditions
We offer trips Bird & Bike and Bird & Car, which provide observations of the most interesting species of birds living in Roztocze. The offer is constantly modified and takes into account changes in the number of individual bird species related to their biology and current environmental conditions.
A bird morning in the forest
A bird morning in the forest is trip Bird&Bike combined with the observation of birds living in forest areas, mainly woodpeckers. The route of the trip covers the area of the Roztocze National Park and the central park in Zwierzyniec. Each participant of the expedition will observe the birds with binoculars.
A bird morning in the forest
A bird morning in the forest is trip Bird&Bike combined with the observation of birds living in forest areas, mainly woodpeckers. The route of the trip covers the area of the Roztocze National Park and the central park in Zwierzyniec. Each participant of the expedition will observe the birds with binoculars.
A bird morning in the forest
A bird morning in the forest is trip Bird&Bike combined with the observation of birds living in forest areas, mainly woodpeckers. The route of the trip covers the area of the Roztocze National Park and the central park in Zwierzyniec. Each participant of the expedition will observe the birds with binoculars.
A bird morning in the forest
A bird morning in the forest is trip Bird&Bike combined with the observation of birds living in forest areas, mainly woodpeckers. The route of the trip covers the area of the Roztocze National Park and the central park in Zwierzyniec. Each participant of the expedition will observe the birds with binoculars.
A bird morning in the forest
A bird morning in the forest is trip Bird&Bike combined with the observation of birds living in forest areas, mainly woodpeckers. The route of the trip covers the area of the Roztocze National Park and the central park in Zwierzyniec. Each participant of the expedition will observe the birds with binoculars.
Winter surprises
Winter surprises are a field trip Bird&Car with the observation of sedentary and migratory birds that visit us in winter in the vicinity of Zwierzyniec and Roztocze. There is a chance to observe Redpoll and waxwings, among other things. Each participant of the expedition will observe the birds with binoculars.
News from Roztocze
Greenfinch (Chloris chloris) the winter guest in the feeder.
Greenfinch is an olive green bird in the finch family, with a yellow tint on the edges of the wings and the base of the tail. The female is grayer with less yellow. The beak is short, wide and strong, adapted to the type of food consumed. It eats mainly the seeds of trees and plants, which are perfectly peeled from the shells. In winter, he eats sunflower and cereal seeds. When he visits the feeder, he does not tolerate other birds and chases them from the feeder. It lives in parks and gardens near human settlements. The nest is mostly founded on spruce. In the past, Greenfinches, just like Goldfinches, were bred by people for their beautiful singing. Today, these birds are less and less observed in feeders in winter, but you can still enjoy their view in Roztocze.
Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) is most cammon owl in Poland
Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) is the most common owl in Poland, which, like other owls, feeds mainly on rodents, it also does not disdain smaller birds, earthworms, lizards, snakes and even bats. This owl with greyish-brown feathers, the construction of which enables noiseless flight at night, is a bird of prey and territorial. In early spring, preferably on clear and windless nights, you can hear their voice. Males call females and females respond. They become silent when incubating the eggs. Young tawny owls call for food from their parents and only then can you realize that they are present in a given place. Tawny Owls lead a sedentary lifestyle and sometimes occupy specific places in old hollow trees for years, which are less and less due to uncontrolled logging. At the same time, the use of chemicals in agriculture and the use of poisons for rodents in open areas, as well as collisions with vehicles at night, are associated with a decrease in the number of these beneficial birds in Poland.
Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes) in Roztocze
Nutcracker is a bird from the crow family, very alert and skittish. It inhabits vast spruce, pine, fir and mixed forests, preferably with an admixture of hazel. Its delicacy is nuts, but it also eats acorns, fir seeds, or pine trees in the mountains, it also does not disdain insects, larvae and invertebrates. In autumn, it stores nuts in various places in the forest (some in the ground, some in hollows). These industrious birds are usually unable to exhaust all the reserves accumulated for the winter, or they forget about some of them, thus contributing to the creation of diverse forest ecosystems. Nutcracker is found mainly in the mountains (Carpathians, Sudetes), islands in eastern Poland and Pomerania, and also in single sites in the Lublin region, including Roztocze. Its habitats are shrinking due to the cutting down of old forests and the creation of forest monocultures. Meeting these rare birds in Roztocze is a great event for birdwatchers.
Waxwing- winter visitor
Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) is a beautifully colored bird that comes to Poland for the winter. It appears in late fall and flies away in March or April. Waxwings live in the taiga in the vast coniferous and mixed forests of the Scandinavian countries and breed there one brood a year. At the top of the waxwing head there is a distinct triangular tip made of gray-brown feathers, which is like an extension of the forehead. Both males and females are similarly velvety in color. These birds live in herds of several dozen. Their presence reveals a characteristic sound, similar to bells. As the name suggests, this bird eats mainly mistletoe fruit, but it eagerly eats other fruits (rowan, hawthorn, privet, blackthorn, rosehip, snowball, buckthorn, juniper, yew, guelder rose). Usually, we can observe how these birds sit a dozen or so on one branch and eat mistletoe fruits. Digestion of the swallowed whole fruit is shortened and undigested food remnants (including seeds) are excreted, which contributes to the dispersal of seeds from various plants. They can often be watched when they drink water from rivers, and when most of the water is frozen, they eat snow. In Roztocze, waxwings are observed every year, mainly at the end of winter, and are a great attraction for birdwatchers.