Bagna Rozwarowskie [the Rozwarowo Marshes]

The Rozwarowo Marshes are the special bird protection area. The zone covers the area of 4,249.7 ha, which are under a periodic influence of the Baltic Sea. During the north winds, sea water is forced back to the Dziwna Strait, flooding the marshes with salty waters. This is of considerable importance for the area, which is cut across with multiple drainage ditches. Current owners are reconstructing the system in order to maintain a high level of waters necessary to growing reed, which is used economically. Peats occurring there are from 6 to 8 metres thick. Average thickness amounts to 2 m. Apart from this, there are marshy meadows, pastures and alder bushes. Forests grow in the south-eastern part of the area only, near the only lake in this area – Lake Piaski. This is a fragment of the Goleniów Forest.

The Rozwarowo Marshes is a bird refuge of European importance. There are at least 35 species of birds from the Birds Directive, from which at least 25 species are breeding or probably breeding birds and 10 species are migratory birds. Also 15 species from the Polish Red Data Book of Animals were observed there. This area was incorporated into the Natura 2000 network because of protection of a small bird - aquatic warbler. This is a species endangered on the world’s scale. The marshes are one of the most significant breeding areas of the species in West Pomerania. Apart from aquatic warbler, the marshes are the breeding areas of bitterns, white and black storks, honey buzzards, black kites, red kites, Montagu’s harriers, western marsh harriers, hen harriers, lesser spotted eagles, spotted crakes, little crakes, cranes, black terns, short-eared owls, kingfishers, middle spotted woodpeckers, black woodpeckers, woodlarks, red-backed shrikes, and bluethroats. Among visitant species are European golden plovers, dunlins, ruffs, or wood sandpipers.

In order to admire this interesting marshy landscape and carry out ornithological observations, it is good to use the blue Szlak nad Bałtykiem i Zalewem Szczecińskim trail. It leads from Wolin through Koniewo, Mierzęcin to the village of Piaski Wielkie on Lake Piaski. Further, it goes to Sibin and Dusin towards Kamień Pomorski.