Where Water Turns to Wonder: The Charm of River Watermills
Whispers of water and wood—discover how rivers once powered the world through the timeless charm and quiet genius of old watermills.
Rivers are lifelines of our planet!
Life on rivers
Dragonflies and damselflies – ancient flyers
Odonata, the dragonflies and damselflies are large flying insects, living near the rivers and their backwaters. These beautiful flyers have fascinating life cycle, living in the water as larvae and airborne a adults.
The grass snake
The grass snake (Natrix natrix) is a common snake that lives near water habitats in Europe. It is a predator, but also prey. In spring, meatballs of these snakes could be found entangled.
Small birds in winter
Winter is a tough time for small birds. Subzero temperatures, snow cover that prevents finding the food makes the survival difficult. See the gallery of some of the central European birds found on the river banks.
The great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
People would say that this bird is romantic, as its nuptial dance looks like just like that. The great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) inhabits oxbow lakes and other water bodies.
The whiskered tern – breeding in the backwaters
Social bird from oxbow lakes and other marshes, the whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida) is an impressive hunter, that builds the floating nests from the vegetation.
The great cormorant – the great fisherman
Not many fishermen like these excellent hunters. However, the great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) are natural on our rivers and other water bodies.
The common tern (Sterna hirundo)
Nesting on gravel bars, the common tern (Sterna hirundo) is a bird that lives on the rivers. Elegant flyer, it hunts by diving into the water.
The Sand Martin (Riparia riparia) – dweller of the steep river banks
The sand martin (Riparia riparia) is a bird that can’t live without river erosion. It breeds on a steep river bank and is the symbol of many natural rivers.
Wintering of the birds on the backwaters – VIDEO AND PHOTOS
Winter is a time of food scarcity and freezing day. Many birds have fled to the warm climates, many in remain in northern areas during winter. Geese, ducks, coots, swans flock the rivers, to spend the winter on the backwaters of the rivers.