Gravel mining, which started in the 1970s, is responsible for the creation of a unique area. Today, Dubnické štrkovisko is one of the sought-after locations for ornithologists, fishermen and photographers. On an area of more than 40 hectares, it hides a small bird paradise, which has no analogues in the region.

The Dubnice gravel pit is located between the Váh riverbed and the Vážský canal and extends into the cadastres of three municipalities - Dubnice nad Váhom, Nemšová and Borčíc. It is bordered on the east by the Dubnička stream, on the south by the motorway. It consists of about 90 islands, which vary in shape and size. Thanks to them, they are among the most important places for nesting and migration of water birds in the middle Považie. Libra has always been an important corridor, and although it has been regulated, it has not lost its significance.

Most gravel sites do not have suitable conditions for the creation of rare habitats. Dubnica gravel pit is one of the clear exceptions - it has a suitable shape, low banks and the right depth of water. As a result, the islands and the coast have become a refuge and a nesting ground for several endangered bird species. "We monitor the local population every year. The number of bird species is increasing, so far about 62 of them have nested here, but it changes every year. At the same time, we recorded more than two hundred bird species on the move, "said Štefan Benko from the Slovak Ornithological Society. In addition, the Dubnice gravel pit is one of the protected bird areas. After the Danube meadows, it is the second most important nesting place of the river fisherman in Slovakia, but other important bird species can also be seen here. It is one of the few nesting grounds for black-headed gulls and gray gulls in Slovakia. Within the entire Váh river basin, Dubnické štrkovisko is currently the second most important nesting ground for the laughing gull and one of the three nesting grounds for the night heron.

The management of the islands on which they nest is important for individual bird species. Enthusiastic ornithologists have been taking care of this in the Dubnica locality for years. "If the islands are overgrown with, for example, shrubs or climbing plants, the birds have a problem nesting. Therefore, we had to dig up the whole islands and put a foil covered with gravel on top so that the plants would not overgrow, " added another member of the Slovak Ornithological Society Andrej Chudý.

photo: Tomáš Zachar