:: AVESTOM - Dojlidy fish-ponds ::

The fish ponds are located just outside Bialystok town. If you take the SE road leading to Lublin/Bialowieza/Bielsk Podlaski you should easily find them right on the edge of the town. The site is really popular among local birdwatchers, joggers and other visitors. It offers nice landscape as well as good selection of water, reed and shore - birds. The best way to start is to reach north-western part of the fish-ponds and then move east along the dams. Please leave your car outside the ponds as the area is private and owners do not allow drivers to come in.

Aerial view from the west. Largest "Beach pond", further east "II" pond, small ponds (Ia,bc,c,d) covered with reed on the left side.

There are 4 small ponds in NW part ("I a", "I b", "I c", "I d"), which usually hold plenty of Grebes (Black-necked, Little, Red-necked and recently Slavonian), Gulls and Terns. In the reed-beds you may also find several singing Great Reed Warblers, occasionally Bearded Tits and Little Bittern. If those fish-ponds are emptied you may also expect wadres, eg Temminck's Stint (esp May). Check willow trees for Penduline Tits. South of the 4 ponds there is a water-sports pond which is visited by many local fishermen or even sailors. The "I" pond is therefore interesting only during migration and "quiet" days or hours. It is often visited by Black-throated Diver, Smew, Goldeneye and later in spring by Gulls: Lesser Black-backed and Caspian as well as all "Black" Terns.

As you move east there are "II" and "III" - large fish ponds with long shoreline of reeds, sedge and willows. Here you may usually see plenty of Ducks (March-May, September-October), some White Egrets, hunting raptors (daily Marsh Harrier, Osprey and White-tailed Eagle on migration). Good place for bird-wtaching is a joint of the two ponds (II and III) form where you also have some western view.

Rarities: White Pelican, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Short-toed Eagle, Glaucous Gull

Red-necked Grebe - a regular breeder at Dojlidy fishponds. At least 4-5 breeding pairs annually. (fot M.Perkowski)

BIRDING SITES | SPECIES