It arrived in Poland and caused a sensation. The joy was short-lived.

Although the Polish Navy had a submarine, the ORP "Sęp," this name was more symbolic than consistent with the species' presence in the country. Despite the war, the ship – a twin of the famous ORP "Orzeł" – survived in Sweden and served after 1945. However, vultures, both griffon and chestnut, were not and are not breeding birds in Poland. While there are unconfirmed reports of possible breeding in the Tatra Mountains before World War I, there is no hard evidence to support this.

The presence of the griffon vulture in Poland remains a rarity, although it is being recorded more and more often. The June specimen has stirred enthusiasm among ornithologists and nature lovers. We managed to take exceptional photos of the bird in the Owl Mountains , which our portal also reported.

A unique view in Poland

The griffon vulture is a bird native to the Near and Middle East and southern Europe, particularly the Iberian Peninsula, the Apennine Peninsula, and the Balkans. Currently, its population is undergoing intensive recovery in countries such as Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, and Italy, where the birds are returning to their former habitats, such as the Gran Sasso Massif. However, the largest colonies are found in Spain, where thousands of these predators live.

As Professor Piotr Tryjanowski from the University of Life Sciences in Poznań explains in Zielona Interia, Poland is most often visited by young individuals who, during their adolescence, travel across the continent in search of experiences and a place of their own. Such a young vulture most likely appeared in June over Lower Silesia.

The sad end of a winged stranger

Unfortunately, his journey ended in death. The eluban.pl website reported that a dead vulture was found near Księginki – near the Waste Disposal Center – which had been electrocuted. The Bazaltowa Dolina Ecological Farm published a photo of the bird with the note “victim of electricity.”

It is probably the same individual that previously circled the region and was observed in the Sowie Mountains. Civitas Luban reminds us that power lines are one of the main threats to large birds in Poland - storks are often killed this way, and now the extremely rare griffon vulture has also fallen victim.

Read also: An exceptionally rare predator has returned to Poland after many years. The State Forests have issued a statement Read also: How do birds determine the direction of migration? Scientists have solved the mystery