Wielkopolska National Park

Across the glacial plains of Greater Poland, where ice-age geology shaped a landscape of shallow lakes and mixed forest, Wielkopolska National Park stretches across nearly 190 square kilometres of wetland and woodland habitat that feels untouched by the centuries. The park's character is defined by its water—a patchwork of nutrient-rich lakes, meandering streams, and marshy margins where willows give way to alder carr and open fen. This mosaic of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems supports populations of wading birds and waterfowl that concentrate here during migration, alongside breeding populations of birds of prey that hunt over the wetlands and grasslands. The forests that fringe the lakes are home to small woodland mammals and a full complement of forest songbirds, while amphibians and aquatic insects thrive in the shallow basins and ditches. In spring and autumn, the park becomes a staging post for migratory species moving between northern breeding grounds and southern wintering ranges, transforming quiet water margins into scenes of intense biological activity.

For wildlife observers, this is prime habitat during the passage months, when water birds gather in numbers and light over the lakes becomes oblique and golden in the early morning hours. The network of forest trails and observation points allows photographers and birdwatchers to approach the wetlands on foot, while the park's accessibility by road from nearby towns makes it an ideal base for multi-day surveys. The winter months draw their own audience—when ice locks the lakes and the landscape becomes stark, birds of prey become easier to spot against bare branches, and the park's quiet beauty appeals to those seeking solitude in a working landscape where nature has recovered under protection.