When watching birds, it’s important to remember that these animals rely primarily on their sense of sight. As long as they don’t see us, they behave naturally, allowing us to fully enjoy their fascinating activities. You don’t have to rely on the naked eye alone - binoculars or spotting scopes are useful, and for photographers, a camera with a suitable lens will be invaluable.
The key to successful birdwatching is finding a good location, staying quiet and patient, and waiting calmly for a winged spectacle to unfold.
Birds, photo P.K. of the Vistula Spit
Jastrzębia Góra - Seabird Migration
In Jastrzębia Góra, you’ll find an excellent spot to observe migrating seabirds. From the 3-5 meter-high cliffs above sea level, you can comfortably follow the flight of divers, skuas, petrels, and auks, which often pass just above the waves. Observers can also spot large flocks of sea ducks, and with the help of binoculars, identify even the most interesting species from afar.
The best time for observation is from September to April, between dawn and midday.
Viewpoints (Birdwatching), photo: Kica Henk - stock.adobe.com
Kąty Rybackie - more than a Cormorant Reserve
Kąty Rybackie is famous for its great cormorant colony, but it’s also a fantastic place to watch other seabird species. Here, you can spot rare great northern and yellow-billed loons, skuas, petrels, black-legged kittiwakes, and Arctic terns. The beaches and dunes form natural viewpoints, and during the autumn-winter and spring migration seasons, you’re almost guaranteed to encounter impressive flocks of winged travelers.
Góra Pirata - the Observation Tower on the Vistula Spit
At the top of a hill about 40 meters above sea level, halfway between Krynica Morska and Piaski, stands a two-story observation tower built from wood and reinforced concrete. The tower offers excellent views of the Vistula Lagoon and allows visitors to observe migrating water and wetland birds.
A half-kilometer-long educational trail, complete with information boards and benches, leads to the tower. Each year, the area also hosts the Bird Picnic, organized by the Drapolicz Association.
Sea Bird Observation Point - watching the Baltic Coast
Located near Góra Pirata, but on the Baltic Sea side, this site provides perfect conditions for observing birds flying along the coastline and over the waves. It’s an ideal place to watch red-breasted mergansers, loons, skuas, auks, and other marine species, especially during autumn-winter and spring migrations.
The observation point allows visitors to comfortably and safely view large flocks of sea ducks, without disturbing the birds’ natural behavior.
The Sea Bird Observation Point “Drapolicz”
Rowokół - Słowiński National Park
Within Słowiński National Park, a highly regarded birdwatching location is Rowokół, known as the Holy Mountain of the Slovincians due to ancient pagan beliefs connected with the site. The observation tower, located at 115 meters above sea level, offers a panoramic view of the moving dunes, the Baltic Sea, Lakes Łebsko and Gardno, surrounding fields and meadows, and the village of Smołdzino at the mountain’s base.
It’s especially worth visiting in spring and early summer, when birds and frogs perform their daily concert of nature. A bit further west, by Lake Gardno, another observation tower awaits – a perfect spot to admire the rich avian life of this region.
Rowokół, fot. Pomorskie Travel/M.Ochocki
More about Birdwatching
- The Vistula Lagoon (Birdwatching)
- The Vistula Mouth Refuge with Ptasi Raj and Mewia Łacha Nature Reserves (Birdwatching)
- Puck Bay with the Beka Nature Reserve (Birdwatching)
- Hidden Pomorskie – a Walk through the Beka Reserve
- Słowiński National Park (Birdwatching)
- Bird Migration on the Vistula Spit – the Avian Highways over the Baltic
- Birdwatching in Pomorskie – The Most Beautiful Observation Spots
