Wintering Waterbird Survey

Those who look for an interesting winter bird watching location should visit the nearest river or water body. Places where water does not freeze in winter often host large flocks of swans, ducks and coots; also rarer species, such as divers, might be spotted. To study how wintering water birds are doing in Poland, OTOP has been coordinating a country-wide project, which is part of the State Environmental Monitoring.

The Wintering Water Bird Survey (MPZW) is mostly based on the knowledge and experience of local organisations and ornithological institutions, some of which have been conducting more or less regular surveys of these birds for several decades. To obtain a complete picture, the 372 most important water bird wintering sites were selected, such as sections of rivers, natural lakes and dam lakes, and the coastal area of the Baltic Sea. Water bodies and water courses in towns were also included, since they also offer very important wintering sites for many species (e.g. for Mallards).

Carrying out such an extensive project could not be possible without close collaboration between local coordinators, working in 15 ornithological regions. The project is coordinated by Prof. Włodzimierz Meissner from the Gdańsk University. The results are published in the database of the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection (the institution that coordinates the State Environmental Monitoring, with financial support of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management). The data is also used in the International Waterbird Census, thanks to which we know the status of wintering birds not only in Poland but also across Europe.

If you are interested in participating in the MPZW, please contact the appropriate local coordinator (see the table below).

Downlaod section /in Polish only/:

For observers:

• Instrukcja prac terenowych (pdf)
• Formularz terenowy (xls)
• Formularz rozliczenia kosztów dojazdu

For coorditators:

• Formularz stanu obiektów
• Formularz przekazania danych
• Instrukcja przygotowywania danych na formularzach (doc)

Coordinators: