Tomasz Wilk, Damian Nowak, Szymon Mazgaj, Tomasz Folta
Ornis Polonica 2022, 63: 314–336
https://doi.org/10.12657/ornis.2022.4.2
Abstract: The breeding waterbirds assemblage of the middle and lower Dunajec valley was surveyed in 2015–2021. The study covered the riverbed between Gołkowice and the river mouth at the Vistula River (121 km) and 29 water bodies. During the work carried out, 40 breeding species were recorded, including eight listed in the Red List of birds of Poland and 11 species listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive. The most valuable taxa include those whose local numbers exceed 1 percent of the national population: Common Merganser Mergus merganser (38–62 pairs), Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos (26–37 p.), Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus (1–2 p.), Common Gull Larus canus (5–8 p.), Common Tern Sterna hirundo (70–100 p.), Little Tern Sternula albifrons (11–20 p.), Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus (12–17 p.), Sand Martin Riparia riparia (3,650–4,350 nest holes). The density of the Sand Martin population was found to be high in scale of country, as well as the density parameters of the Common Merganser and Common Sandpiper were high in scale of the south-eastern Poland region. Noteworthy in the region of Carpathian Mountains are also occurrences of breeding species such as the Mediterranean Gull, Common Gull, Little Tern, Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax, Little Crake Zapornia parva and Bluethroat Luscinia svecica. For those species, the Dunajec Valley is currently the only or one of the few nesting sites in the Polish Carpathians. The results indicate that the fragment of the surveyed valley between Gołkowice and Żabno meets the criteria of an Important Bird Area of international importance due to the abundant occurrence of three qualifying species – the Little Tern, Little Bittern and Sand Martin. We are proposing to establish here a Natura 2000 Special Protection Area, “Dolina Środkowego Dunajca”, the presence of which would facilitate the implementation of protective measures dedicated to waterbirds.
Keywords: Carpathians, Lesser Poland region, river, waterbirds
