Motorists asked to wait while goosanders pass by: in Warsaw, in spring, volunteers stop traffic to let wild ducks cross the road peacefully, with the full blessing of the police.
Published on: 04/30/2026 - 4:45 p.m. Modified on: 05/01/2026 - 12:16 p.m.
Every year, in spring, it's the same ritual: dozens of goosanders barely a few days old brave the traffic in Warsaw. These wild ducks take a risky route, traveling from a large park where their eggs hatched to the Vistula River, which runs through the Polish capital.
To make their task easier, volunteers cut off heavy traffic with the full blessing of the police.
The ducklings with their waddling gait are guided by their mothers with silver feathers, recognizable by their characteristic brown crest.
"We call mergansers the 'ambassadors' of Warsaw's wildlife or our 'celebrities'," Barbara Rozalska, from the municipal parks department, told AFP.
The six-lane main boulevard is “one of the biggest threats” to these wild ducks during their mile-long journey to the river.
Barbara Rozalska is responsible for coordinating the volunteers who, every April and May, monitor the park and the tree cavities where the ducks lay their eggs, as well as the possible routes they might then take.
Around 30 people, trained by the town ornithologist, take turns to catch the slightest appearance of mergansers. “It’s a bit like being on call in the emergency room: you get a call and you have to go, whether it’s at dawn or in the afternoon,” explains Barbara Rozalska.
Unfortunately, the range of threats is not limited to road traffic. “There are seagulls and crows, which can catch a duckling which has strayed from its mother for a moment. (But) also predatory fish which can drag a little one underwater,” she recalls.
A 24 hour journey
This year, one of the first mother mergansers took nearly 24 hours to lead her young from the park to the river, testing the patience of volunteers who watched their every step and stumble. The small family waited for 11 hours huddled in vegetation, before finally entering the road.
A “very difficult” day for Daria Grzesiek, 38, and her duty team on this occasion. But once the ducks "left and started heading towards the Vistula (...), the fatigue disappeared. All that remained was the satisfaction of having successfully accompanied them safely throughout the journey", she confided to AFP.
The volunteers' job also involves asking passers-by to keep their distance and keep their dogs on a leash.
They are also responsible for explaining to drivers why traffic must be stopped – usually for just a few minutes.
Over the years, as the work of volunteers has gained momentum and the birds have benefited from growing notoriety, motorists have become more forgiving, rejoices Daria Grzesiek.
When one person "started to get angry because we had stopped traffic (...), the other drivers simply explained to him that he had to calm down – because it was the mergansers that were coming."
With AFP
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