It is foggy and windless in the Kokorin Valley. The area is named after Kokorin Castle, which towers over the valley of the same name. Already at the southern end of the long valley there are impressive sandstone formations that are so typical of this area. The numerous pine trees give the wildly romantic landscape a look that sometimes reminds you of old Japanese ink drawings. It’s been weeks since it snowed for a few days.
The first signs of spring are slowly emerging.
We spontaneously decided to go to Daubaer Switzerland as the Chráněná krajinná oblast Kokořínsko is called too. A hiking recommendation takes us to some of the highlights of the Kokorin Valley. First we climb to the famous Pokličky rocks, a symbol of Kokorin. The path leads past climbing rocks and through shady valleys, partly over ladders and stairs, to the impressive Kokorin Castle. The path continued past the ruins of the Nedamy rock castle. The climb seems daring. Another small cave – the Kostelíček in Czech – is very close by. Typical of the Kokorin are cool, shady valleys framed by sandstone cliffs, but also dry rocky reefs lined with pine trees. Several mountains made of volcanic rock tower over this forest-rock wilderness.
Even a rather unusual visitor feels at home here. It is the Eurasian Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum), which – similar to the Elbe Sandstone Mountains – has found a home in the moist gorges. Suddenly a rhythmic chant, a musical scale, can be heard. A short time later it is a Eurasian Pygmy Owl sitting on a dead pine tree above a large field of boulders. When he sees me, the Eurasian Pygmy Owl flies into a young stand of spruce trees.
Natural spruce forests with lots of old and dead wood are the habitat of the rare pygmy owl. The starling-sized owl weighs no more than a Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula).
In Kokorin there is enough standing dead wood and spruce trees with Great Spotted Woodpecker holes (Dendrocopos major) as breeding trees, as well as sufficient food for small birds and mice. The owl particularly often uses the great spotted woodpecker’s burrows in old spruce trees for breeding. The pygmy owl needs these on the one hand for its nest and on the other hand for its pantries. Typical songbird species in mountain spruce forests include also the Crested Tit (Lophophanes cristatus) with its frequently heard trill and the Coal Tit (Periparus ater) with its typical song.
On the way north from Prague you pass numerous, smaller, romantic side valleys that invite you to explore. Both the main valley and the side valleys are well served by a relatively dense network of hiking trails. There are numerous, attractive photo opportunities here. Interesting motifs are the sandstone rocks that dominate everywhere, on which bizarrely curved, sometimes ancient pine trees often grow. On the way you pass the small town of Kokorin Dul, below Kokorin Castle. It dates back to the 14th century and although it burned down several times, it was always rebuilt. Today it is one of the area’s tourist attractions. From its tower you have a beautiful view over the entire valley. When you leave the valley in the north, the last traces of tourism disappear. The road to Duba leads through a dramatic, narrow gorge and just before Duba a side road takes you to the village of Drazejov, which is built almost entirely on a large sandstone cliff. Here, houses with small gardens are crowded into a small space. Visitors can enjoy a magnificent view of the landscape from up here. Volcanoes shaped the landscape. A few kilometers further to the northwest there is another smaller castle, Houska. From here you also have a beautiful panoramic view. In the north you can see a vast and hilly landscape. What is particularly striking here are the many, regular, cone-shaped hills. Two mountains of the same size and directly next to each other are particularly striking. Bezdes Castle stands on one of the two mountains.
Almost every visitor who goes to the Czech Republic wants to visit Prague, the Golden City. However, few people know that only about 55 kilometers north of Prague and only 130 kilometers south of Dresden over the new autobahn lies one of the most beautiful landscapes in the Czech Republic, the Kokorin Nature Reserve (CHKO). After a hike of several hours, we now want to stay overnight so we can go on another hike in the area tomorrow.
There are only a few guesthouses in the region, all of which are located in the Kokorin Valley. The Pension Milca is located a little away from the main road on a small lake, the Pension v Udoli is in a small side valley near Vojtechov and the Pension v Raji is in the very small village of Raj.
To meet the growing demand for top-of-the-line images of the rarer Palaearctic species, Bird-lens.com strives to expand the range of images of Western Palaearctic birds. Keeping the eyes open in the immediate vicinity is often crowned with beautiful impressions and some rare observations. The blog’s nice picture is just a first impression, which you can find in the gallery in the “Picture Shop” very soon. Please leave a message if bird-lens.com can provide a picture or more.