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.
News from Roztocze
Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus)
Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus) is one of the four harriers occurring in Poland. Its number is approximately 1,500 pairs. It is most numerous in the east and central part of the country. It inhabits wet meadows, sedges, peat bogs and vast fields of cereals and rape in the agricultural landscape. This bird of prey is slightly smaller than the Buzzard. While gliding over the fields, it characteristically folds its wings in the shape of the letter "V". Male and female are significantly different from each other in appearance. The male is gray with red lines on the wings and belly, and the tips of the wings are black, and the female is brown with a white spot on the upper tail. Young Montagu’s Harriers are similar to females, but have a rusty underside as shown in the accompanying video. Montagu’s Harriers hunt rodents that destroy crops, and farmers can enjoy higher yields. However, the habitats of this bird of prey are threatened by drainage and overgrowing of wetlands and the destruction of nests during harvest. The observation of Montagu’s Harriers in Roztocze is a great joy.
Turtle Dove (Streptopelia tortur)
The Turtle Dove (Streptopelia torur) is a very rarely seen pigeon in Roztocze. This bird is closely related to the Collared Dove, which is well known to all. It inhabits the edges of forests of various types, young forests, mid-field plantings in the open landscape. It has a slender body and a long tail which makes it an extremely fast and agile flying pigeon. The species name of the Turtle Dove comes from the specific voice it produces, "turr-turr". The Turtle Dove often forages by walking in the fields where it looks for cereal grains. It also eats fruit, seeds of weeds and conifers. It is quite a skittish bird and it is very difficult to notice it walking in the field or hanging around on telephone wires. Watching this beautiful pigeon in Roztocze brings a lot of joy.
The sejmiks of White Storks
The sejmiks of White Storks have just begun. Birds gather in larger groups of up to 50 individuals. Places for sejmiks are chosen instinctively by Storks. These birds feed intensively for several days and prepare for the long flight that awaits them. You can often see how the herds of Storks follow the tractors that plow the fields, then it is easier for them to find food in the freshly plowed soil. Stork assemblies take place in mid-August and soon, before the end of August, these birds will set off on a long journey to eastern, western, central and even southern Africa. White Storks nesting in Poland have two migration routes: one through the Bosphorus and the other through Gibraltar. During the flight, birds use thermal currents, which enable them to abandon active flight, which is used at short distances, in favor of gliding. Such adaptation gives them a chance to cover about 250 km a day. The first to fly are adult birds that have not bred this year, then this year's young ones, and the last are adult birds that have achieved breeding success. Migration is a very dangerous time for birds, many of them die along the way. In some countries they even hunt these birds during migration !!! White Storks appear in Africa in October and November, they stay there until February or March, depending on the part of Africa in which they are located. In Poland, we can expect them with the arrival of spring, in March. Roztocze is located on the eastern migration route of White Storks and therefore we can observe their flights and numerous sejmiks in fields and meadows.
Young Bee-eaters (Merops apiaster)
Young Bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) have already left their nests - mink after a very fast pace of development (from hatching to leaving the nest - one month). This year, the weather was favorable for the feeding of the chicks, there were very few rainy days, so there was time to catch large insects (butterflies, wasps, grasshoppers, horseflies, etc.) and the young to grow rapidly. Now they will learn independence under the watchful eye of their parents, and soon they will fly off together to distant Africa. In Roztocze, it will be possible to observe them until around August 15. This is the last moment to take a look at these beautiful birds that come to Roztocze every year.