The Heřmanský State – Oder River – Poolší Bird Area 1
The Olza Floodplain 7
Basic information
The Olza river floodplain is home to many protected animal and plant species. Former meanders of this floodplain and a well-preserved river terrace around Věřňovice with its mostly linear accompanying vegetation and soft meadows are an ideal shelter for these species. A part of this area belongs to Věřňovice Natural Monument which encompasses 4,59 hectares and was established in order to protect the vegetation of its floodplain forest in 1989. Věřňovice Natural Monument is regarded as one of Sites of Community Importance (SCI) as is it a part of The Olza River Floodplain– Věřňovice Protected Area which was established in order to protect brown hermit Osmoderma eremita and yellow-bellied toad Bombina variegata within an area of 553,9969 hectares. Apart from that, this area also belongs to Heřmanský the state – The Oder River – Poolší Bird Area which is located in the northeastern part of Moravian-Silesian Region near the Polish border. This area is based upon the Oder river (in the lenght of cca 10 km) and the Olza river (in the length of cca 16 km) including adjacent river floodplains. Karviná ponds system and the stretch of the Petrůvka river border are connected from the east, pond systems in Rychvald, Bohumín – Záblatí and Heřmanice are connected form the south. The total extent of this bird area is 3100,8670 hectares.
Subject of protection
The following species are the main subjects of protection in this bird area: the Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus, the Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis and the Bluethroat Luscinia svecica. Except from that, many rare amphibians, birds and other animals can be found there. One of them is also Common Raven Corvus corax.
Common Raven Corvus corax
Common Raven Corvus corax belongs to the largest songbirds in our region – at maturity, Common Ravens averages 50 cm in length and weighs about 1,5 kg. There were many of them during the medieval times but it fully disappeared in the 19th century. It reappeared as late as in 1968 when one pair of ravens nested in the ruins of Hukvaldy Castle and gradually began to spread again. The Common raven lives alone in permanent relationships for many years. It comes back to the nesting places at the end of February and begins to build or rebuild the old nest. Its nests are usually found in tall trees or inaccessible rocks. It nests in old vegetation around the Olza river and belongs to endangered species protected by law.
Useful information
Contact information Regional Authority of the Moravian-Silesian Region, Department of the Environment and Agriculture 28. října 117, 702 18 Ostrava www.kr-moravskoslezsky.cz Phone: +420 595 622 297