Spring in full flood, Jeziorki

The rain forecast for today came as predicted (meteo.pl's computer model is getting increasingly accurate), with some heavy downpours overnight. It kept raining all morning; by the early evening it was dry enough to put on my wellies and go for a walk to see how the new retention ponds had coped with the rainfall. Below: a short (13 second) film from the top of the heap of soil on the east side of the main pond, panning from north to south. To the left, ul. Dumki. I hope this hill I'm standing on will be retained once the work's complete, though I doubt it. It does offer a good view.

I wonder if the total area of the pond now exceeds Gocław's Balaton? Until the area shows up on Google Maps/Google Earth, it's hard to tell...



I'm worried that the new flood alleviation project may not be up to the task. Some of the surrounding fields had water in the lower-lying parts; more drainage ditches may be needed and the retention ponds deepened.

Further on up ul. Dumki, on the section between the new flood defence works, the central part of the reed-beds have been left untouched. This is home to thousands of black-headed gulls (mewy śmieszki). When roosting as they do in large numbers, they can be heard half a kilometre away; approaching the reed-beds is like approaching a football stadium full of roaring fans. From up close, it's deafening (below)!



I'm glad this part of the area between ul. Dumki and Trombity has been left in its existing state as it is a rare natural habitat for Warsaw, a haven for wildlife and place to get away from urban reality.

Below: the sky is full of gulls screeching aggressively at the human intruder (me). The occasional individual takes a swoop in my direction as though to warn me away from their nesting area.

Below: the field at the junction of ul. Trombity and ul. Kórnicka, with the railway line behind me. The bottom end of this field, usually planted with potatoes, is flooded again, despite the recent amelioration work. More drainage ditches are needed around here if these fields are to stay productive after heavy rainfall.

Just before sunset, the clouds passed, as the weather forecast said they would. The blossom on these fruit trees is picked out by the rays of the evening sun.

Spring is finally here in Jeziorki, we've waited since late-October.

This time two years ago:
I need a new laptop. But which one?

This time four years ago:
In search of the sublime aesthetic

This time five year ago:
Ducks in Ogród Saski

This time six years ago:
Should I stay or should I go?

Life returns to Jeziorki

To think that just two days ago there had been a hard frost and snow lay on the ground. All of a sudden - and this is an incredible transformation - nature kicks in, as it does each year, and life returns. I walk to the far end of the road, where I meet this fellow, dozing on the warm asphalt. This spring's first frog. After having its portrait taken, the amphibian is gently removed from the thoroughfare to prevent it becoming roadkill.

They're back! A most welcome sight. Arriving back in Jeziorki almost a year to the day since their first arrival, a pair of mute swans. I wonder whether their young will also return to their birthplace. It's really good to see the swans again; they must have been happy here last summer.

Above: a noisier and more numerous visitor to Jeziorki's reedbeds is the black-headed gull (rybitwa in Polish). Within weeks the skies above the marshes will be alive with the sound of their chatter, the frogs' chorus here being audible a kilometre away. Below: first flowers, by the pond on ul. Pozytywki.

Wetlands: waiting for the spring

More rain throughout much of last week, so the water level in the wetlands at the end of ul. Trombity is higher than ever. The place is waterlogged (below). Compare this with how it looked two months ago; the resting place of the dead fox (last photo in that sequence) is also under water.


One difference from a week ago - the black-headed gulls are returning. Not yet in huge numbers, but their distinct crackling, screeching sound is audible from hundreds of metres away. Right: Almost there: A black-headed gull perches on a railway pantograph gantry close to the reed marshes.

I crossed the tracks to hear another familiar avian returnee - a skylark in song high above the fields.

Dawn patrol

We woke at 04:30 and set off down ul. Trombity towards the marshes at the end of the road. Sunrise was at 04:57; the first pic was taken quarter of an hour earlier, homage to Ansel Adams' Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico.

Wearing Wellington boots we intended to wade through the shallower marshes towards where the black-headed gulls live. Before we got to the end of the road, we watched the sun rise through the trees.

The gulls were already up and settled in their habitat (below). We could hear the distinctive call of bullfrogs - like someone blowing over the top of an empty jug. I've yet to see a bullfrog. The gulls were far noisier. They did not take kindly to having their territory invaded; they were up in the air wheeling around, squawking loudly and protesting my presence. The picture below shows how many black-headed gulls live in this area; I counted around 80 individuals in this shot (taken at the equivalent of 50mm focal length).

As the gulls wheeled around me, one particular individual seemed intent on dive-bombing me while issuing a distinctive squawk. I followed this one (to the right of the pic below) with the lens; again and again he tried spooking me into turning away. Note the white leading edges of the gulls' wings, a distinguishing feature. After I'd got my shots, I wandered back towards ul. Dumki. Three gulls followed me, as if they were escorting me off the premises. Meanwhile, a solitary bittern continued making his bottle-blowing noise.