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| Watery no more - parts of the reserve have become a tinder-box |
THOUSANDS of birds are feared to have perished in a fire that has been raging in the north-east of Poland.
Since Sunday, around 150 firefighters, supported by aircraft and drones, have been tackling the blaze in the Biebrza National Park - a rich wildlife habitat familiar to many UK birders.
It is home to the likes of thrush nightingale, corncrake, great snipe, red-breasted flycatcher, rosefinch, Ortolan bunting, bluethroat, lesser spotted eagle, black woodpecker, hazel grouse, great grey shrike and numerous warbler species - for instance, marsh, river, aquatic, barred and grasshopper.
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| Bluethroat - a Biebrza favourite |
At this time of year, they will have been nesting - with no hope of their chicks escaping the inferno.
Because, Poland is enduring its worst drought for a century, the fragile Biebrza habitat was already under stress with some wetland areas becoming almost desert-like
The blaze is believed to have been caused by farmers illegally burning grass.
Firefighting is reported to have been hindered by the remoteness of the landscape, with the lack of paved roads meaning the flames have been hard to reach.
* Photo of Biebrza : Wojsyl via Wikimedia Commons
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