Birdwatching in Poland

Birdwatching is a popular hobby among people in Great Britain and USA, but it is slowly gaining popularity in Poland as well. In the already mentioned countries there several millions of people who are passionate about birdwatching. Although our country has barely a few thousands of birdwatching fans, The number of bird lovers in Poland is regularly growing.

Since in early october there are a few bird fan celebrations – The Worldwide Bird Day
(October 1st), the European Bird Day (October 2nd) and the Worldwide Habitat Day (October 3rd) – it is worth thinking about why all crowds of people in the western countries (UK, USA, Italy, France and others) are so into observing birds in the first place.

Many people were interested in birds countless years before the term „birdwatching” was even created. Unfortunately, it was mostly coming down to treating them as „food products” (Today there are still many countries around the world, also in Europe, where birds are hunted for culinary purposes or to gain feathers as a trophy). The first works aout observing birds and admiring their beauty date back to the late 17th century.

Suffragettes, who were feminist women fighting for election rights were the first people to ever
notice, that birds can be admired without being killed. The activity of Mrs. Emily Williamson gave birth to one of the most actively working nature organizations – The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Today, RSPB unites more than a million members and for years, it has been the greatest Britsh non-governmental organization. Even the British government respects their opinion – because let’s be honest, who would ever want to annoy millions of electors?

Today, birds can be found practically everywhere. Similarly to us – humans, birds are a group of animals that can be encountered anywhere in the world, in the weirdest, wildest, most hostile places.
There are hundreds, if not thousands of birds flying above our heads in search of food, shelter and a place to raise their young. In cities we can encounter swifts, which are often mistaken for swallows, as well as large woodpeckers.