Easy hikes and walks in Nemuno Deltos Regioninis Parkas

Tadas Ivanauskas founded the Vente Horn Bird Ringing Station. This station is one of the oldest in Europe. Bird ringing makes it possible to find out where they overwinter, where and at what speed they fly, and to acquire important knowledge about changes in the number of individual bird species. The first director of the Vente Cape Ornithological Station was Mikas Posingis, who is called the "Father of Birds" and served at Vente Cape from 1924-1944. In recent decades, the ornithological station has been equipped with the largest bird traps in the world (60 meters wide and 25 meters high) and modern * zigzag traps to catch and ring birds that fly in different directions all year round. A total of about 2 million birds of 226 species have been ringed since the founding of the Vente Cape Ornithological Station. In recent years, about 300-400 reports on ringed birds have been received annually from various European, Asian, and African countries. Among the birds nesting in Lithuania, white storks and house martins overwinter the furthest. Not only birds, but also bats are ringed at Vente Cape. The station has a small museum to introduce its visitors to the history of bird ringing, bird migration research, and the unique world of Nemunas Delta birds.

The bird observatory was established by ornithologist Tadas Ivanauskas. The museum is open to visitors.

Memorial to the two friends Mahatma Gandhi and Hermann Kallenbach, who comes from Rusnė.

Ventė Cape (Lithuanian: Ventės ragas, German: Windenburger Eck), sometimes referred to as Ventė Horn or Ventė Peninsula, is a peninsula in the Nemunas Delta, in Šilutė district, Lithuania. It is known as a resting place for birds during their migration, particularly in autumn. Ventė Cape Ornithological Station – one of the first bird ringing stations in Europe still in operation – was opened here by Tadas Ivanauskas in 1929. The main bird migration route in Lithuania (part of one of the most important bird migration routes in Northern Europe across the White and Baltic Seas) passes through Cape Ventė. The Cape, being in the former Memel Territory, was part of Germany until 1919. The Teutonic Knights erected a castle here, called Windenburg, but it no longer exists.

The inscription reads: For those who have not returned from the sea. We remember.

From times immemorial, White Stork has been considered a symbol of Lithuanian countryside, living next to people, therefore directly related to human environment and the way of life. White Stork is not only a part of the cultural heritage, reflected in our folklore, but also an inseparable part of the human-transformed agricultural landscape, i.e. important element of our country’s natural heritage. Therefore, White Stork is considered Lithuania’s national bird, sym- bolising harmonious coexistence of humans and nature. White Storks are not deterred by arable land if it neighbours meadows and pastures with fragments of wetlands – this bird is quick to adapt to and take advantage of human activities both in search for food and in building nests on homestead rooftops or in surrounding trees. After Lithuania regained its independence, and small-scale farming was re-established, favourable feeding condi- tions for White Storks were restored, while remaining farmsteads provided safe refuges for rearing the young. As a result, White Stork remained a common breeding spe- cies in Lithuania, its abundance surprising visitors from Western Europe, where these birds have declined heavily or disappeared altogether due to very intensive agriculture. Furthermore, while this species was declin- ing in other countries, in Lithuania it was increasing.

Lovely restaurant. It has got a huge covered back porch and more tables inside. Good food & fair prices.

While the name Mahatma Gandhi is certainly familiar to many people of various nationalities and religions, the second person depicted, Hermann Kallenbach—including me personally—was completely unknown until I encountered this monument depicting the two companions. + Mahatma (actually Mohandas Karamchand) Gandhi, 1869 to 1948 (nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize at the time of his assassination) was a pioneer of India's independence from Great Britain, always and uncompromisingly advocating non-violent resistance and decisively rejecting armed struggle. + Hermann Kallenbach, 1871 (in Lithuania, then part of Russia) to 1945 (South Africa), was the son of Jewish parents and emigrated to South Africa. There he met Gandhi and became a friend and supporter of his cause.