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Słudwia Valley

łódzkie  >  Poland

The wet meadows in Złaków Kościelny village are a Natura 2000 area and attract thousands of birds.

Added* by Patrycja Piotrowska
Most recent update 12 avgust 2022

Description

Słudwia Valley (Złaków Kościelny) is an unique place at nearly any time of the year. It is a polish agricultural landscape with wet meadows and thousands of birds (however, birding might be harder there if it's dry season).

Spring is the best time to visit Słudwia Valley. In early spring, thousands of migrating geese and ducks come there, along with flocks of Zlatni vivak and Ždral. During this impressive migration, there is a quite high chance to spot rare species of geese. On empty fields, you can find hidden Jarebica. Later in spring, Divlja guska and some ducks species stay to breed, and many Charadriiformes appear on meadows: Sprudnik ubojica (sometimes in large flocks), Muljača, Vivak, Barska šljuka, Crvenonogi sprudnik​​​, to name a few. You can also watch birds typical for agricultural landscape (e.g. Bela roda, Eja livadarka, Pupavac, Obična travarka) and reeds ( Vodeni bik). In summer, there is a possibility to see some birds of prey. In autumn, geese, ducks, Charadriiformes and Ždral again gather in flocks and some of them stay for long. In winter, it's easier to notice Jarebica on fields. Several other bird species also spend there cold months: Gaćasti mišar, Poljska eja, finches and buntings.

Słudwia Valley will be interesting also for those into etnography - during Corpus Christi procession, organized by church in Złaków Kościelny, people display national costumes of Łowicz region.

Details

Access

Birding is possible from the road west of the church (marked on map). It is usually the best spot, but if you want to see more, take other roads in the area. Traffic is quite light there, but cars drive fast. You can park your car near the church, where every year breeds Vetruška :). Keep in mind that going across fields and meadows may scare the birds, especially during bird migration, when large flocks of geese feed there, and breeding season, when waterbirds nest on meadows. Always be responsible and respectful.

Terrain and Habitat

Wetland , Agriculture , Scattered trees and bushes , Grassland , River , Reedbeds , City/village

Conditions

Flat , Open landscape , Wet

Circular trail

Yes

Is a telescope useful?

Can be useful

Good birding season

All year round

Best time to visit

Spring migration , Autumn migration , Spring

Route

Paved road

Difficulty walking trail

Easy

Accessible by

Foot , Bicycle , Car

Birdwatching hide / platform

No

View other birding spots in the area that are published on Birdingplaces

Map

Top 5 birds

Other birds you can see here

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