Šilutė District Municipality
Pamarys
lagoon-origin lake in the Nemunas Delta
Krokų Lanka, Šilutė District (Nemunas Delta Regional Park)
55.33000, 21.30000
1-2 hours; longer for birdwatching or a boat trip
spring and autumn, during bird migration
Krokų Lanka
Krokų Lanka: a lagoon in the Nemunas Delta
Krokų Lanka is a shallow lake in Šilutė District, about 7 km west of Šilutė, in Nemunas Delta Regional Park. It is a lagoon-origin water body: it formed when Nemunas alluvium cut off part of the Curonian Lagoon, so Krokų Lanka is best understood as an intermediate space between river delta and lagoon.
The lake covers 787.8 ha, is 4.6 km long from north to south, and reaches a maximum width of 3.3 km. The water is very shallow: maximum depth 2.5 m, average depth 1.9 m, and surface altitude only 0.1 m. That explains why Krokų Lanka is so important for water and wetland birds.
Shores, bays, and aquatic vegetation
Krokų Lanka's shores are low and mostly marshy, separated from surrounding polders by a protective embankment. Purvalankis Bay lies in the western part, Didbalė Bay in the south-west, with a peninsula between them.
Aquatic vegetation is abundant: broad belts of bulrushes, reeds, and cattails line the edges, while deeper places hold pondweeds, water milfoil, and elodea. This combination of reedbeds and open water creates ideal conditions for nesting and migrating birds.
Waters that feed and drain the lake
The Aukštumala, Kurpjovinė, and Kampupė flow into Krokų Lanka, while Purvalankis, a tributary of the Minija, flows out, along with a channel to the Atmata. In this way the lake is woven into the whole lower Nemunas water network.
Krokų Lanka belongs to the lower Nemunas basin and Nemunas Delta Regional Park, so it is worth planning together with other delta places.
Bird country
Shallow and reed-covered, Krokų Lanka is one of the important bird habitats of the Nemunas Delta. Since 1995, the separate Krokų Lanka Botanical-Zoological Reserve, 1,220 ha, has protected the hydrobiocenoses of this lagoon-origin lake. In spring and autumn, migrating bird concentrations are observed, while the reedbeds host or receive great bittern, western marsh harrier, white-tailed eagle, whooper swans, greater white-fronted and greylag geese, and many ducks.
The whole Nemunas Delta has been an internationally important Ramsar wetland since 1993 and lies on the Western Palearctic bird migration route. Nemunas Delta Regional Park, founded in 1992, protects more than 300 bird species, so the lake is meaningful to combine with Ventė Cape in one birdwatching route.
How to visit Krokų Lanka
Krokų Lanka is best understood from polder embankments and delta roads, and on the water by boat. A look around takes 1-2 hours, while birdwatching or paddling deserves more time.
The best time is spring and autumn migration. When visiting Nemunas Delta Regional Park, follow protected-area rules and avoid disturbing birds.
What to notice on site
Notice the lake's shallowness, wide reed belts, polder embankments, and the way water, marsh, and land constantly merge in the delta. This is a characteristic Nemunas Delta landscape.
With binoculars, look for waterbirds and reedbed species. The calm, level delta panorama here is as important as individual objects.
