Clay pits of Vrhnika

Area description
Clay pits of Vrhnika formed as a result of clay excavation for the brickyard near Sinja Gorica. Ever since the excavations were stopped (about 40 years ago) water slowly filled up the pits. The most interesting for bird observations are the two bigger lakes that lie to the south and are connected with a canal. Four smaller lakes to the north were turned into fish ponds.

Access
With the intercity bus: One of many intercity buses driving towards the coast will get us to Vrhnika. We get off the bus in front of hotel Mantova and continue on foot along the main road back to the Vrhnika toll station. To get closer to the toll station, we turn right, leave the main road and cross the bridge over Ljubljanica (on the right side). On the other side and in front of the toll station is a path that turns under the bridge and leads us to a cart track. The cart track can also be reached from Janezova village (the settlement on the other side of river Ljubljanica). The cart track goes along the fence of the highway driveway (from direction of Ljubljana) and brings us back to the river. Abandoned clay pits hide among shrubs and trees to the left on the other side.

With a bicycle: From Vrhnika we follow signposts to Verd. We drive through Verd on the main road. Immediately after the highway viaduct we turn left onto a narrow paved road, which follows the Ljubljana – Koper highway. The road ends at the clay pits.

Trail description
A footpath leads around all the lakes. Two hours are needed for the whole walk.

Birds
Migrating waterfowl and wading birds make a stop at the clay pits and some species even overwinter here. Among the most prominent are the black-necked grebe, bittern, heron, crowned night-heron and different duck species (red-crested pochard, garganey and common pochard). Reed beds are occupied by various species of warblers and the common reed bunting. Birds of prey, such as northern goshawk, Eurasian sparrowhawk, peregrine falcon and the rare hen harrier, are common in the area. Especially in the summer, it is advisable to check out the river bed of Ljubljanica towards west and the surrounding meadows – where we can listen to the corn crake and common quail and observe the Eurasian wryneck, great spotted woodpecker and the lesser spotted woodpecker. For several years a pair of white storks has been nesting on the chimney of the old brickworks at the end of Sinja Gorica. The birds are present in the clay pits until the water freezes up.

Other plants and animals
In summer we can observe the muskrat, nutria and (with some luck) the otter from the bridge over Ljubljanica. The common toad (which spawns in the lakes), edible frog and European tree frog are the most common amphibians here. There are plenty of dragonflies in the area and several species of fish inhabit the lakes. Willow is the most widespread plant species, some of the banks are overgrown with reed.

Interesting links
Ljubljana marsh nature park