Crane marshes ( Zurawie Blota)

The reserve covers the common border of two different areas on the edge of the Mirachowskie Forest complex: a former founded in 1962 nature reserve Stone Lake (Jezioro Kamienne) , and peatland northwestern coast and mid-forest pond (northern part) and joined in 1990 forest bog with adjacent forests forming southern part. The Stone Lake is a lobelia lake type which, despite strict protection, due to incorrect forestry and agriculture, and pressures on the outskirts of the tourist, got degraded and lost the essential values that form the basis of protection. In the lake were observed until recently 3 plant species listed in the Polish Red Book of Plants: littorella, Isoetes lacustris and Lobelia dortmanna (now extinct). A narrow patch of bog on the west bank is heavily trampled by tourists and huge glacial boulder on the north shore (i.e. Devil’s Stone with a circumference of approx. 17 m and height of approx. 3 m, protected as a natural monument No. 17), is besieged by visitors and damaged by some tourist scribbling is stripped of its natural beauty and natural value lichens. Generally in the flora of the reserve 3 plant species were subject to strict protection: marsh, Blechnum spicant (a mountainous specie), sundew and the growth Pseudevernia furfuracea and 3 species partly protected : ivy, lily yellow and buckthorn. Rare breeding birds occur here such as a crane and a solitary crane (wader). Opening reserve to tourists sets, red PTTK marked walking trail leading from the Nature Reserve Lubygosc to Nowa Huta and runs through the forest between the northern and southern part. Availability of the reserve can help to reach forest roads in the southern part of the bog with open water, and in the northern part – with the western part of the bog.