Monday, December 20, 2010

Lithuania: The Coronian Spit, a treasure


The Curonian Spit in Lithuania, which remains as it was about a century ago, is a nature lover's haven

There is a place on the Curonian Spit where fish fall out of the sky. No, really, my guide assured me — but by then, I would not have been surprised to find mackerel raining down on me. On the spit, one feels, anything is possible.

This fishy phenomenon, however, has less to do with the many local myths of witches and demons than the greedy, butter-beaked cormorants. So I waited, neck craned to the skies. Today, alas, the birds did not want to drop any of their catch.

The Curonian Spit, named after one of the early Baltic tribes that inhabited the region, is a curious place, a 60-mile-long finger of sand that stretches upwards from Russian Kaliningrad to the Lithuanian mainland, separating the waters of the Baltic Sea from the Curonian lagoon.

Across borders

The northern 32 miles of this peninsula belongs to Lithuania and can be accessed by ferry from the port of Klaipeda. Make a short hop across the strait and reach a national park and Unesco World Heritage Site.

I arrived about 10pm and drove southwards through a darkening forest. The spit averages over a kilometre wide, with a main road running between dunes to the Russian border.

After half an hour, we reached Nida, the southernmost settlement in Lithuanian: A tiny town of 1,500, which swells with visitors every summer and resonates to the sounds of Lithuanian, German and Russian.

The arrival of the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century paved the way for Prussian rule over the next 700 years, to be succeeded by the USSR after the Second World War.

Stay at the Nida Hotel or rent a guesthouse converted from fishermen's wooden cottages. Every house has a little restaurant in its garden, in which holidaymakers linger over beverages, while bicycles — the favoured form of transport — lean in wait.

This is far from a trendy resort. A haven of peace, the Curonian Spit has changed little since the 19th century, when a colony of German artists settled in Nida. Thomas Mann built a house, which is the focus of a music and art festival every July.

It is a place for nature lovers and, being on the migratory path of 20 million birds, a twitcher's delight.

It was the Sahara-style sand dunes that piqued my curiosity. Soft and creamy, they rise in places to almost 230 feet. With deforestation for ship-building between the 16th and the 18th centuries, the unfettered dunes began to drift with the winds, allegedly burying 17 villages.

The forests, which cover 70 per cent of the land, are the result of replanting in the 19th century. Signs explaining local flora and fauna lead through the forests while nature reserves protect the ecology.

The cycle route along the lagoon, past reed banks and swans guarding fluffy cygnets, is one of the most pleasant rides.

Lining the shore, colourful weathercocks, intricately carved with symbolic ensigns, swing on tall poles. Typical of this region, they were used to identify boats and control fishing quotas. Past the fishing harbour, we soon found ourselves in the forest, fragrant with wild strawberries. Elk and wild boar roam here.

Luxuries of a small town

Passing Vecekrugo dune, the highest forested hill on the spit, we reached the small fishing village of Preila. "This is where they make the best smoked fish on the spit," Neringa, my guide, told me. At a small market, nameless fish from sea and lagoon hung from hooks.

The four main settlements of Juodkrante, Pervalka, Preila and Nida, collectively known as the City of Neringa, are lagoon-side.

The Baltic shore, reached over the hump of dunes, is a long stretch of sand and Blue Flag beaches of shallow water.

Well tended, it is ideal for families, the greatest hazard being tripping over a half-buried bottle of refreshment left to cool in the sea. You can even hunt for tiny pieces of amber.

The spit is famous for this "Baltic gold" and Nida is full of shops selling amber jewellery.

Traditional ways

Algirdas Marcius, an amber master, explained the medicinal properties of this fossilised resin — from curing earache to regulating blood pressure. I watched him fashion a necklace of white amber, "a colour formerly reserved for the tsars".

The evening Sun smiled as Captain Aurelio hoisted the sails of his flat-bottomed, oak fishing boat — a copy of the traditional kurenai of the region, which disappeared in the Fifties.

We sailed along Parnidis Dune and Gliders' Dune beyond a nature reserve stretching into Russia. Grey herons and seagulls wheeled overhead.

"The spit is so unique that everyone must see it," wrote philosopher Wilhelm von Humboldt on his visit in 1809. Two hundred years on, his words still hold true.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

These are a few of our favorite things...

Many of our recent posts have had a very serious tone, so I thought it might be nice to take a breather and think about something a bit more light and festive. Kenn and I would like to share some cool things that we'll be gifting to the people we love this holiday season. We hope you'll consider some of these wonderful gifts, too!

 

Winged Journey: a 16-month calendar of birds.
With lovely photos from photographer Bryan Holliday (I mean, come on, his name's "Holliday" for goodness sakes!), and beautiful poetry by Sally Deems-Mogyordy, this calendar makes a perfect gift for anyone on your holiday shopping list: birder and nonbirder alike! One calendar fan told us that she bought a calendar for all of her friends and family and wrote in reminders of all the special dates, like birthdays and anniversaries.  Isn't that a great idea?! And, as if you needed any more reasons to order your copies right now,  a portion of the proceeds benefits Black Swamp Bird Observatory, so you get a wonderful calendar AND support a great cause, too!


  Hand-turned wooden writing instruments made by
Galen Frank-Bishop, a young birder from Massachusetts.  
This picture just doesn't do them justice.  These pens are fabulous!
If you're looking for the gift for that person who has everything (or maybe even a treat for yourself), this is it! These are more than simply "writing instruments."  These are fine works of art.  The barrel of each pen is hand-crafted by Galen himself and the "innards" are by the Cross Company - so they're refillable! Choose from Spalted Maple, Mesquite, Bloodwood, Cocobolo, Kingwood, Rosewood, and Zebrawood. Purchase Galen's works of art, HERE!


Buy yourself, and all of the coffee drinkers on your holiday gift list,
some certified shade-grown coffee.
As you might imagine, Kenn gets asked to endorse a lot of bird-related products. He usually politely declines, but when the folks at Birds and Beans came calling, Kenn looked at the company's mission and agreed to become a spokesperson.  If you'd like to introduce someone to a great tasting cup of coffee and support the Birds and Beans mission to make sure that people who enjoy coffee and care about conservation can get great coffee that they know is good for bird conservation, family farmers and the environment. Then visit their website and order some of their wonderful, bird-friendly coffee today:  Birds and Beans: the Good Coffee


Give the Gift of Wildlife Conservation This Holiday Season:
purchase a conservation stamp, like these:


The Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp
Impress the wildlife enthusiasts in your life with an Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp this holiday season. When you purchase this attractive gift, $14 of each $15 stamp sold supports:
* Habitat restoration, land purchases and conservation easements
* Keeping common species common
* Endangered and threatened native species
* Wildlife and habitat research projects
* Educational products for students and wildlife enthusiasts, such as the Division's popular field guides and CDs.

Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp:
also known as "The Duck Stamp."
But, purchasing this stamp doesn't just help ducks! Ninety-eight cents of every dollar from the sale of this stamp goes directly toward habitat conservation.  Since 1934, the sales of Federal Duck Stamps have generated more than $750 million, which has been used to help purchase or lease over 5.3 million acres of waterfowl habitat in the U.S. These lands are now protected in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System. 

The Junior Duck Stamp
The Junior Duck Stamp (JDS) recognizes the conservation efforts of young people and supports environmental and conservation education programs in the United States. The stamp design is selected from a national art contest administered by the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program. The first place national winner of the art contest graces that year's JDS and is sold in a variety of places for $5. All proceeds of the stamp are used to fund environmental education programs, award the students for their work, and market the JDS program.

These stamps make GREAT stocking stuffers and you can get them all in one convenient place: RIGHT HERE!


Gift Memberships to Your Favorite Birding and/or
Bird Conservation Organizations.  For instance:







Give a kid (or a beginner of any age!) the gift that will last a lifetime.
Give them the joy of birds and birding this holiday season!

Here's a great way to start!
The best guide for beginners!

Team the Kaufman Guide with some great optics from our friends at 
Eagle Optics - we recommend these:
 The Eagle Optics Raven is the perfect binocular for young kids. They fit even really small hands, but they also work great for kids of all ages (adults love them, too).

Another great binocular for beginners of all ages is
The Eagle Optics Ranger 

A Kaufman Field Guide paired with quality optics like these makes the perfect combination for beginning birders!

Wishing all of you a holiday season filled with peace and joy,
and of course, lots of birding adventures!   ~ kimm and kenn