MOWING ISLANDS FOR TERNS AND GULLS

Autumn and winter mowing of islands in Warmia and Mazury is a regular part of my cooperation with the Polish Society for Nature Protection. Every year we mow in the area of such reserves as Polder Sątopy-Samulewo, Bird Island on Lake Ryńskie, Lake Luknajno or ecological grounds as it is the case on the pond in Piecki. In Piecki alone, more than 100 pairs of common terns, 3,000 pairs of common pochards, a dozen or so pairs of mallards, tufted ducks, crakes and single black-headed gulls or bitterns nest there during the breeding season. This is a veritable paradise for waterbirds. To keep this paradise from disappearing, the islands need to be mowed. Every year. Otherwise they will become overgrown and the birds will move away.