On 21-23 July we visited Turów, a small town with a great history, situated in southern Belarus, upon the Prypiat river. The valley of the Prypiat is an undisputed birdwatching attraction. Vast backwaters, appearing in early spring, gather huge flocks of migrating birds, later on the valley becomes a convenient nesting place for the part of them. Birdwatchers are attracted by Terek Sandpiper and Azure Tit. We were, naturally, the most interested in Great Snipes,

which though had already finished displaying, but still, thanks to Natalia Karlionowa and Pavel Pinczuk - hosts of Birds Ringing Station in Turów, we could watch Great Snipes habitats. Only in the closest vicinity there were 3 permanent lekking grounds, and the biggest under favorable conditions may gather over 100 males, which is more than the whole population of the Upper Narew River! It is worth noting that it is situated in the habitat completely different from that we are familiar with during studying our local population. In spite of the fact than the Great Snipes' situation in Belarus seems to be good, new threats emerge, well known in our own backyard, like usage abandonment of riverside meadows, lesser spring floods leading to deterioration of habitat quality and increase of the predators' pressure.