Ventes Ragas

Ventes Ragas is a low cape where the Nemunas Delta meets the Curonian Lagoon, right in the funnel of one of Europe's great bird flyways. Its ornithological station, founded in 1929 and among the first in Europe still working, rings migrating birds in large numbers, and a lighthouse and viewing tower look out over the water.

The landscape

• The bird-ringing station - one of Europe's oldest, with huge migration-season catches.
• The lighthouse - the old light on the cape.
• The viewing tower - a lookout over the lagoon and migration.
• Migration itself - clouds of birds over the reeds in autumn.

When to go

Autumn migration, when the ringing station is busiest and the skies fill with birds; spring is a second peak. Outside migration it is a quiet cape.

What to expect

The magic is the migration, so timing matters - outside the peak it is a modest lighthouse and view. It is remote and takes real effort to reach in the far south-west. Bring binoculars to get the most from it.

Nearby

The Nemunas Delta and Rusne are just inland; the Curonian Spit lies across the lagoon.

Key facts