Contact information
What does Pornaistenniemi birdwatching tower offer?
Climb the Pornaistenniemi birdwatching tower and look out over the bird waters of Vanhankaupunginlahti.
Admire the reed landscape
From the Pornaistenniemi birdwatching tower, you may see a western marsh harrier flying over the reed bay or a pair of whooper swans nesting in the water basin. With binoculars, you can also see Lammassaari pasture meadow, which often has large swarms of teals, ruffs and lapwings. The area attracts lots of grey herons and often even great egrets.
The other direction from the Pornaistenniemi birdwatching tower is also worthy of watching, as there is a herb-rich forest behind the tower, home to icterine warblers, blackcaps and nightingales. In winter, you can find the white-backed woodpecker in the herb-rich forest. Just behind the tower is an overgrown waterway that used to be the drainage ditch of the Viikki water treatment plant. There are large floating populations of reed sweetgrass in the ditch.
Arrival at the Pornaistenniemi birdwatching tower
You can arrive at the Pornaistenniemi birdwatching tower from the Vanhankaupunginkoski rapids or along the Matinkaari bridge. Bus stops are at Viikintie 1 and Hämeentie 159. A parking space for cars is at the junction of the Jokisuuntie and Katariina Saksilaisen katu roads (Katariina Saksilaisen katu 11 and Jokisuuntie 13). There is an accessible dry toilet next to the parking lot.
Location
The route to the nature site
- There are 3 parking spaces marked as accessible in the parking area. The nearest information board is more than 50 m away. The parking area is asphalted.
- The information board has a map of the area marked with the spot "You are here", some of the rest stops, toilets, accessible routes. You can also look at the information board up close.
- 40 meters from the parking area there is an accessible dry toilet (outhouse).
- The pick-up and drop-off area is located under 20 m from the information board.
- The length of the route from the information board to the birdwatching tower is less than 600 meters. There are signposts all along the route (no risk of getting lost).
- The route is hard all the way but partly uneven (bumps). The surface of the passageway is in part fine crushed rock, gravel, boardwalk (planks across).
- The route is mainly 1.5 meters wide including some 1.2 meter narrow places where wheelchairs or strollers can fit through.
- The route has a steep hill that has 3 meters height difference from bottom to top (steepest angle of ascent 19 %).
The nature site
- The height of the upper level of the birdwatching tower is 6 meters.