Ongoing projects

Behavioural and foraging ecology of Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis in estuary section of Vistula River

The Long-tailed Duck is the most numerous seaduck wintering in the Baltic and has suffered a severe decline in its numbers on the wintering grounds. Nowadays this species has been listed as Vulnerable on the Red List, yet in near future its status may become uplisted to Endangered. Complementing our knowledge of ethology of this species will allow us to better plan future conservation efforts. The estuarial section of the Vistula near Gdańsk is an exceptional site, as long-tailed ducks gather here in large numbers and can be observed from a short distance. We began behavioural observations in 2024 and will continue them in the following seasons. In autumn 2025, in cooperation with zoo- and phytobenthos experts, we will begin studying the benthic communities of this section of the Vistula River, which have never been examined in this context. Zoobenthos is the main food source for the Long-tailed Duck during the non-breeding season.

Stopover strategies of waders

After many years of field studies and several research projects, I have accumulated a substantial amount of data that is currently awaiting analysis. These data sets present excellent opportunities for Bachelor's, Master's, or Doctoral theses, as well as for collaborative work on scientific publications. If you are interested, please feel free to contact me so we can discuss the possibilities in more detail.

I would like to begin by analysing data on three species: the Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos), the Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula), and the Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola). However, additional data on other species, collected between 1983 and 2024, are also available and could be analysed jointly to gain a better understanding of interspecific differences. Thanks to cooperation with ornithologists from other countries, these analyses can include data from beyond northern Poland, which will provide a much broader view of the migratory strategies of various wader species.

Phenology of spring migration of gulls Laridae along southern Baltic coast

A study on the phenology of spring gull migration was conducted in 2000. After 25 years, changes associated with a warming climate can be expected to affect both adult and immature birds. I therefore plan to repeat this study, which involves frequent observations conducted from the high coastal cliffs at Cape Rozewie.