17.10.2014 change 17.10.2014

Last skeins fly over Warmia-Masuria

Warmia-Masuria is an "air corridor" for wild geese flying from Siberia and Estonia to the West of Europe; even 50-100 thousand of these birds can be observed every day.

Head of the Regional Office of the Polish Society for the Protection of Birds (Polskie Towarzystwo Ochrony Ptaków, PTOP) in Olsztyn, Sebastian Menderski told PAP that the mass flights of two species of geese: bean geese (Anser fabalis) and white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) can now be observed over Warmia-Masuria.

"Both species are flying from the areas of Siberia and Estonia to their wintering grounds in Western Europe, including the mouth of the Warta River" - added Menderski. He emphasised hundreds of skeins of these birds can be seen over the region; there may be 50 to 100 thousand per day.

He pointed out that the skeins are easy to hear, because geese are quite noisy. He told PAP that the flights of these birds can be observed for approx. one, maximum two more weeks. According to Menderski, geese choose less and less remote areas for wintering, also in order to be able to return to their breeding grounds faster in the spring and take better breeding sites.

The species native to Warmia-Masuria is greylag goose. Most of these birds have already flown away to the West, for example to Germany or the Netherlands, where they overwinter.

According to Menderski, most cranes have also already flown away from Warmia-Masuria, although you can still find last birds. "Crane monitoring clearly shows that the population of this species continues to grow. Importantly, cranes also reduce the distance to man, which causes problems in some places because cranes eat sown corn seed or grain on farms" - he said.

Ornithologists from PTOP office in Olsztyn have already noticed the migration of tits; those native to Poland fly away to the west and south of the country, and tits from the northern regions of Europe arrive in Warmia-Masuria.

"Such behaviour of birds testifies to the fact that autumn evidently prevails in nature. When the flights of geese end, we will be waiting for ornithological winter and the arrival of waxwings (they have not been seen yet).

Menderski told PAP that this year\'s migrations take place approximately one week earlier than usual, but in his opinion it has no connection with the weather in the upcoming winter; it is only the result of the fact that the birds returned to the breeding grounds earlier in the spring.

PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland

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