DOVILAI QUARRY PONDS

Quarry ponds are artificial bodies of water that formed due to human activity – excavating gravel and sand for construction purposes. In the long term, the quarries filled up with water, which allowed for the formation of a typical ecosystem found in standing water bodies. The quarry ponds found on the outskirts of Gargždai is no exception. Thus, an oasis for the flora and fauna typical to standing bodies of water developed here.
Visitors can usually see mallards, great crested grebes, and mute swans here. In Autumn and Spring, the quarry ponds might be quite the sight for birdwatchers. Birds like the tufted duck, the common goldeneye, the common merganser and the smew, the northern pintail, and the gadwall like to dwell here.
Some birds live on the banks of the quarry ponds – the reedbeds. These include the common reed bunting, Savi’s warbler, the great and the Eurasian reed warblers, the western marsh harrier, and the common moorhen. At Dovilai quarry ponds, visitors might also see species included in the Red Data Book of Lithuania – the Eurasian and little bitterns. Despite it being extremely hard to spot them, hearing their songs is not that difficult. Just keep your ears open during May through July. The voice of the little bittern is reminiscent of a dog’s bark, while the Eurasian bittern sounds like blowing on a bottle. All other birds are not that difficult to spot and hear.