Do you know that: the ferruginous duck Aythya nyroca belongs in Poland to a rare and endangered duck species, entered into the Polish Red Book of Animals [Polska czerwona księga zwierząt] (a list of most endangered species in Poland). In Poland only 100-130 breeding females have been identified. Polesie is one of the most relevant breeding areas in the country – ponds in Stary Brus, ponds in Pieszowola in the Polesie National Park and Lake Wytyckie.
View over the southern-western part of the Lake Wytyckie where ferruginous ducks, Caspian gulls and many other aquatic birds may be observed.
Existing environmental protection forms: the Polesie Landscape Park, buffer zone of the Polesie National Park, Nature 2000 protection area of Polesie (PLB060019), Nature 2000 protection area of Ostoja Poleska (PLH060013).
Directions: We set off from the Urszulin Commune Office (GPS coordinates: 51○23’29.67’’N; 23○11’40.76’’E) and drive along the national road no. 82 towards Włodawa. Having passed about 4.4 km we turn left to the village of Kochanowskie and then, we arrive at an observation tower situated at the southern shore of Lake Wytyckie (GPS coordinates: 51○25’23.12’’N; 23○12’37.38’’E; elevation: 166 m).
Bird watching equipment: spotting scope or binoculars.
Transport: on foot or by bike.
Difficulty level: easy in terms of moving, difficult in terms of distance.
Length of the trail: about 10 km.
Periods for bird watching
| Month | I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII |
| bird watching period | ||||||||||||
| the best season for birding |
Trail description: the trail leads around Lake Wytyckie, the most important lake (at present retention reservoir “Wytyczno”) of the Łęczyńsko-Włodawskie Lakeland. The Lake is situated between the forests of the Polesie National Park (from the west and north), buildings of the village of Kochanowskie (from the south) and Wólka Wytycka (from the north-west) and open meadows of the Krowie Marsh from the east.
The most important bird species to be seen or heard during the best season for birding: the ferruginous duck, the Caspian gull, the Eurasian bittern, the common goldeneye, the greylag goose, the great crested grebe, the red-necked grebe, the black-necked grebe, the common rosefinch, the great reed warbler, the common tern, the mute swan, the whooper swan, the black-tailed godwit, the ruff, the northern lapwing, the Eurasian eagle-owl, the crane, the white-tailed eagle, the common shelduck, the great egret.
The best observation points: 1 – observation tower – view over the southern part of the Lake where ferruginous ducks, Caspian gulls, great crested grebes, Eurasian coots are to be observed; 2 – in the forest in the neighbourhood of the Lake we can hear the middle spotted woodpecker. It is also a great point for the observation of ferruginous ducks, Eurasian bitterns and other birds; 3 – it is possible to watch ruffs, black-tailed godwits and northern lapwings, foraging greylag geese and cranes on the adjacent meadows. On the Lake one can watch grebes, geese and ducks. It is also a place where great reed warblers, Eurasian reed warblers, common reed buntings sing and which is the breeding area of the western marsh harrier. In early spring as well as in autumn, after twilight till midnight, one can listen to the voice of the Eurasian eagle-owl here; 4 – view over the whole Lake with the possibility of watching aquatic birds including breeding colonies of the black-headed gull as well as the black-necked grebe.
Location of the trail:
[Key
Observation towers
Observation spots
The ferruginous duck Wytyckie L.
Com. Borders lux
Main roads
Borders of the Polesie NP
Bodies of water
Local roads
Watercourses
Buildings
Forests
Open spaces]
The “Ferruginous duck” Trail
Other attractions in the vicinity of the trail:
In Wytyczno one can visit a historic church – post-evangelical church removed from Michałów. In Łowiszów there is the Monument of the Soldiers of the Border Protection Corps who were killed in 1939 and near the Monument there is an old Orthodox cemetery. On the east side of the Lake there is a Nordic walking trail “The Wytycki Trail.” Around Lake Wytyckie, across Wytyczno to the tower in the Durne Marsh there is also a cycling trail “The War Trail,” and on the Lake a canoe trail has been marked out. Near the forester’s lodge in Łowiszów a cycling educational trail “The Mietiułka Trail” and a hiking tourist trail begins. Moreover, in the southern part of Lake Wytyckie, near the village of Kochanowskie, there is a watch tower, a roofing and a place for a bonfire. At this point the Trails “Ferruginous duck” around Lake Wytyckie as well as “Aquatic birds of Polesie” begin. By the Monument of the Soldiers of the Border Protection Corps there is also a roofing and here ornithological trails “Great grey owl” and “White-backed woodpecker” begin. In the vicinity of the forester’s lodge of the Polesie National Park in Łowiszów a tourist information point is located. In this place there is also a roofing, a place of recreation and a place for a bonfire.