Poland days 7- 8

It was the last full day in Poland, and I was woken up early by one of the resident Hoopoes calling.

We met one of our local guides, then set off, seeing an adult White-Tailed Eagle on the way.

As soon as we got out the car at the first sight, a large Eagle started circling low down. It was clearly a Spotted Eagle, but it looked large and very dark plumaged. We watched it slowly climb higher, debating its identity, but in the end it was confirmed as a Spotted Eagle hybrid, because the primaries were like Lesser Spotted but the plumage like Greater. An interesting bird, and it shows you have to be careful when identifying the Eagles in Poland.

We headed up the path, where there were a lot of songflighting Sedge Warblers, and a large flock of White Storks gathering near the tower, with two Great White Egrets trying to fit in. Two Curlews were also in the field next to the path.

Around the tower we saw Greylag Goose, Lapwing, Whiskered Tern and a Moorhen. That Moorhen was the first and only of the trip, and has been something that is more difficult to find in these areas of Poland this year.

On our way back we had a couple of very brief fly past Citrine Wagtails, which unfortunately landed out of view. A few moments later, Neil noticed a Black Stork high in the sky, circling. Although it was high up, its plumage features could be seen perfectly, clearly showing it was a Black rather than a White. Back at the car, we saw Willow Warbler and heard River Warbler and Golden Oriole.

Next we headed to a spot by the river to eat lunch, and it was the best place I had ever eaten in. We sat with Black, Whiskered and White-Winged Black Terns just metres away, showing amazingly well, with all three occasionally in the same view. Common Terns were also numerous, and a surprise Little Tern decided to drop in. We also saw Redshank, Black-Tailed Godwits, Little Ringed Plover and Lapwing from this spot. Lastly, we had another brief view of a Black Stork flying away.

WWBT with Black Tern

Our next stop was quiet, but we saw Blue-Headed Wagtails here, as well as Great White Egrets and Grey Herons. A day-flying Noctule Bat was a surprise, as it appeared to be dive-bombing us.

Our final stop of the day was another good spot for butterflies. There were a lot of Willow Warblers around, but my attention was mainly on all the species of Heath butterflies flying around. First was a Small Heath, then we had views of both Pearly and Chestnut Heath, showing the difference between the two. A Corn Bunting sang constantly and a couple of Tawny Pipits showed reasonably well.

Other butterflies included Black-Veined White, Comma and Glanville Fritillary.

A bit further up, we had Dark Green and Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillary, Large Copper and another one of the butterflies we saw at the start of the week, that was confirmed as an Assmann's Fritillary.

Chestnut Heath

Pearly Heath

Dark Green Fritillary

Large Copper

This was unfortunately the end of the full days of the tour, with the next day being spent travelling along the roads back to Warsaw.

However, there were a couple of birds the next day, including a Hoopoe in the hotel garden, a Black Redstart singing on a lamppost and lots of Swifts going over.

Once we arrived back at Stansted, we had to wait over an hour for our luggage to come, but we got it eventually. It was a shame to be back in the UK after such a great trip - one of the best I've ever had. 

The only negative was that the birds over the next few days all seemed very normal, and I was expecting to hear an Icterine Warblers sing any minute.

Poland Days 5 - 6

Wednesday was the day that we transferred from Bialowieza to Biebrza, but there would be a lot of birding along the way. Our first stop was in a large set of meadows, which have often been productive in the past for both birds and butterflies.

Corn Buntings sang regularly, and a male Red-Backed Shrike displayed on the fence posts and bushes. A Wryneck gave a brief fly-by, and we saw our first two Cranes of the tour in one of the meadows.

A pair of Queen Of Spain Fritillaries showed well and landed regularly along the path, which were the first of the tour.

Queen Of Spain Fritillaries 

I then noticed a butterfly flying around a small tree, but lost sight of it when it landed. However, it soon got up and flew again, and this time landed in view. The first identification was White-Lettered Hairstreak, but I took a couple of photos, and after zooming in and studying the books, we realised it was a Black Hairstreak, a butterfly I was not expecting to see in Poland.

Black Haistreak - the row of white-tipped black spots down the edge of the wing rules out White-Lettered

We then walked through one of the meadows, where birds included a flock of five Great White Egrets flying over that were probably migrating. I saw a Brown Hair briefly as it ran through the meadow, and there was also a Roe Deer that showed itself better. We had great views of a Woodlark land very close, accompanied by the constant song of Skylarks. Corn Buntings showed well as we walked back, as did another Red-Backed Shrike.

Our next site produced a flock of Cranes in one of the fields, that allowed a close approach, and a load of Starlings feeding by the roadside.

We then made out way to a set of fishponds, but the day was turning out to be painfully hot. A huge Black-Headed Gull colony occupied the first couple of ponds, but one pond did hold a very smart pair of Red-Necked Grebes. Other Birds were Great Reed, Reed and Sedge Warbler, Great Crested Grebe and a Little Grebe calling but remaining unseen. There were a few Coots around, a Goldeneye, a drake Garganey and some booming Bitterns, but the heat made it hard to see much else, so we headed back, where we found out it was 35 degrees!

Red-Necked Grebe nest building

We then started the main drive to Biebrza, but stopped on the way to look at birds on the wires. There were many Yellowhammers, a couple of Corn Buntings and, eventually, a Tawny Pipit, which posed nicely. We also saw a Great Grey Shrike hunting, displaying that, looking at all the birds you see on wires, can be rewarding in Poland!

Tawny Pipit

Our final stop of the day was to look for Aquatic Warbler. After being attacked by Horseflies at the parking spot, we headed up a boardwalk to listen out and look for these birds. There were many Sedge Warbles singing, and I was struggling to separate Sedge Warbler song from Aquatic. Luckily, Neil heard an Aquatic Warbler then located it. We had amazing views of a couple of these birds, as they sang, flew around and landed on reeds, often on the top helpfully.

From this watchpoint we also saw a distant Eagle, that, at first, was thought to be a possible Greater Spotted Eagle, but it was too distant to be sure and, to be honest, I had no idea. But in the end, it was left unconfirmed, though there was a high chance it was actually 'just' a White-Tailed Eagle. 

A Snipe flew over and a Marsh Harrier showed well, but I managed to miss the Montagu's seen by others, though I knew I would get more chances in the days to come.

We then arrived at the hotel and had a good amount of time to get ready for the coming days.

Thursday was the first day in the marshes, and we visited yet another set of fishponds today. However, this one had a difference. It was the one I had been most excited about because it was said to be good for Waders, once of my favourite kind of birds.

But before all that, we had a pre-breakfast walk to look for Bluethroat. We arrived at the site and waited for birds to appear. The first was a Savi's Warbler that eventually came to within a few metres and showed out in the open...great start!

Neil then noticed a Penduline Tit, that ended up flying straight at us then circle round a few times, presumably visiting a nearby nest. A Garden Warbler sang and gave brief flight views as well.

Our target birds was seen on a piece of dead vegetation - a male Bluethroat. It gave very brief views before returning a few minutes later, and this happened a few times. We headed up the observation tower to see if we could see it from there, and this turned out to be a VERY good decision. We saw the Bluethroat perform a songflight, land in a bush, fly in our direction, then land in the middle of the boardwalk just metres away! It left and came back a few times, showing amazingly well.

Bluethroat

Then, I saw movement on the boardwalk when the Bluethroat had left and immediately assumed it was the same bird. But after looking closer, I realised that it was actually a Thrush Nightingale! We had only heard these this tour, and I thought the best I would get of one would be an obscured view in a bush, but there was once hopping about on the boardwalk in front of me.

Thrush Nightingale

So, after this very successful morning, we headed for the fishponds. Upon arriving, I thought any hope of waders would be lost after seeing one of the fishponds had been filled, but it turned out that they were still around, and the other ponds had a good amount of habitat for waders on them.

The first pond contained a close Black-Tailed Godwit and some handsome Wood Sandpipers. We noticed that one of the birds next to the Wood Sand was actually a Green Sandpiper, giving a great comparison between the two species.

It may not be a perfect shot, but it shows the Wood Sandpiper in front and the Green Sandpiper behind

The next pond contained a couple of Greenshanks, quite a few Little Ringed Plovers, a summer plumaged Dunlin, a Ruff, and, best of all, a pair of Summer Plumaged Little Stints. There was also a Teal next to a Garganey, a flock of Caspian Gulls and a singing Marsh Warbler by the path, with the regular Sedge and Great Reed Warblers.

On the final pond there was another drake Garganey and a Grey Plover on one of the islands. A Hoopoe flew across the water where there were good number of Shovelers and Great Crested Grebes, with another Little Grebe calling out of sight. A couple of White-Tailed Eagles also flew over, and a Whooper swan flew in and allowed good views.

Whooper Swan

One of the highlights here, however, was when a ringtail Hen Harrier flew out of the reeds, a bird I wasn't expecting to see in Poland, and I expected a Male Montagu's Harrier to come and mob it even less! it was a spectacular sight to see these two species side by side, showing clear difference in structure, especially wing length. The Montagu's then landed by the side of the fishponds, and could be viewed from where we stood.

Next, we headed to a quarry, where there was a colony of Sand Martins, a purring Turtle Dove heard, and some Bee-Eaters seen well both in flight and perched.

Our final stop of the day was to look for raptors, but all we saw was Common Buzzard and Marsh Harrier, so we headed back to the hotel after a great and very successful day.

I was here 

Poland Days 3 - 4

Today we were going with another local guide to the Bialowieza strict reserve. It was an impressive and undamaged woodland that held lots of birds and other wildlife. In the meadow outside the forest a Corn Bunting sang distantly, and a Wryneck also sang, although it was much closer, and gave a couple of flight views.

As we walked along the path through the meadow, a huge bird of prey was seen flying towards us - a Lesser Spotted Eagle! It gave excellent views as it was flying low and right above our heads, and I though this would be the best views we would get. So I was amazed to see it sink lower and land at the top of the tree closest to us! We got amazing views of it perch there, before it eventually flew away.

Lesser Spotted Eagle 

In the forest itself, we heard a loud drumming, that turned out to be coming from a White-Backed Woodpecker, which was eventually tracked down and seen well.

We were also shown a Middle-Spotted Woodpecker at its nesting  hole, and although it was high up in the tree, it did show quite well.

But apart from a Red-Breasted Flycatcher and Firecrest heard, and good views of a Red Squirrel, there wasn't much else seen in the Strict Reserve, although the guide had extensive knowledge of of other aspects of nature, including wildflowers.

Out of the strict reserve, we made a stop to look for Grey-Headed Woodpecker nearby at a nest hole. Almost as soon as we arrived, one bird came out of the hole, and another flew in to change places with it! We timed the visit perfectly for the changeover, and we got great views.

Later, we went for a walk around some more urban surroundings, where we started off walking down a grassy track. At least two Barred Warblers were heard singing, but not seen. A distant white butterfly came closer to reveal that it was a Black-Veined White.

We then sat by the river, to see if any birds would turn up, but a group of people decided to swim in there, so anything that would have been present would have been disturbed. All that was here were a Snipe and an obliging Male Common Rosefinch.

So we headed on, and it wasn't long before another Barred Warbler song-flighted. However, this one decided it liked the look of a half-built house and then started to climb up and down on top of the wood! Definitely better views than the previous ones.                    

We then walked around the town, where there were many flyover Hawfinches and 3 Serins, including a male singing and showing well on the ground and on the wires.

Serin

There was no evening birding trip today, as we had an early start and a late finish tomorrow.

The next day, we got up, ready to drive to areas around Siemianowka Reservoir. Our first stop was a working peat bog, where we were looking for Citrine Wagtail. As soon as we arrived, Willow Warblers sang, a Little Ringed Plover landed in the road, Redshanks, Snipe and Black-tailed Godwit flew around and Lapwings were numerous.

However, when a car started driving straight towards us and stopped next to us it was clear things weren't going to last. We were told to leave the site because they were working, and we had no choice but to comply.

So we headed straight to the fishponds instead, and a singing Woodlark on a wire was seen during the journey.

At the fishponds, there were Great Reed, Reed, Sedge and Garden Warblers singing, and Black Terns hawking over the water. There were a few White-Tailed Eagles, of all ages, including one carrying prey. Other birds included a Pied Flycatcher, a Great White Egret flying through and a Hoopoe, also seen in flight. A female Goldeneye was on one of the ponds, as were a few Caspian Gulls. It was the first time I was able to identify them, helped by the fact that they were the only large gulls found in the area. It was interesting to see different plumages, mostly 1st summer or adult, and should hopefully help when I go up to the Thames to look for Gulls later in the year.

The last species we added was a butterfly - a Small Copper.

Small Copper

We then went to the shop before visiting the reservoir itself to pick up supplies, but a huge beer van parked beside us and played music at what sounded like maximum volume. We left swiftly after this to look for some waterbirds.

We stopped briefly at a site near the river, where a flock of Yellow Wagtails, of the blue-headed race, showed amazingly well, coming within just a few metres.

On the reservoir, there were Coots, Black and Whiskered Tern, Bearded Tits pinging and a Marsh Harrier taking Black Tern chicks. We then viewed it from a different angle, where not much was seen, but there was a showy Jay, a flock of Linnets and a calling Corncrake.

We then went looking for Ortolan Bunting, and I wasn't really sure what to expect considering I've been told how hard they have been to find this year. A Bison in a field during the journey to the Ortolan site showed even better than the ones earlier in the week, and was once again unconcerned by us watching it.

Bison

We slowly walked up a road with the windows open listening out for birdsong. I heard a strange Bunting like sound quite close, and had a suspicion that it could be an Ortolan Bunting. We pulled over at the side of the road and got out the car, to hear, very clearly that there was one singing!

The hard part though was trying to locate it. Very soon, however, we noticed it flying from one of the trees to the crop fields. There turned out to be a very convenient path through the field, so I walked up here while other people stayed near the tree it had come from. I could hear it calling nearby in the field, but it proved frustratingly difficult to find. I somehow managed to miss it fly out of the field, as my aunt and her friend, who were near the tree, signalled me over. I walked over there to be told that they had seen it sit out in full view in the tree, but it had flown back in to the field again. So, once again, I ran back up the path through the field, where the Bunting was still calling.

Just as I thought flight views would be the best I would get, it flew up again, travelled a short distance then landed on leafless branches of a close tree. It sat there while we got the scopes on it, and I had fantastic full-frame views of the bird in perfect light. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip!

Ortolan Bunting

Another bird was seen during all the effort to see the Bunting, though. A Woodpecker flew from one of the trees, and landed nearby, giving brief flight views. I immediately assumed it was a Great-Spotted, but Neil said it looked a lot like a Syrian. I actually just thought he was being over-optimistic and he didn't seem 100% convinced either. However, when Neil called someone to thank them for information, he was told that there was a pair seen in the exact spot we saw them! Our sighting couldn't be definitely confirmed, though.

We then drove back to Bialowieza, where we tried to find Citrine Wagtail because we had been unsuccessful in the morning, after being kicked off the site. We stayed for a while, seeing Yellow Wagtails, and just as we were about to leave, Neil noticed a male Citrine Wagtail taking food to the nest, sitting up on a fence post! Another highlight of the day - it was lucky that we even managed to find one.

We headed out in the evening to try to see Great Snipe at their lek, but we were unsuccessful. However, we managed to see Great Grey Shrike, roding Woodcock, Tawny Owl, Red and Roe Deer, Polecat (which ran across the road) and we also heard many Corncrakes, River and Grasshopper Warblers. So, although we didn't see the Snipe, we still got some great birds to finish off the day.

Poland days 1 - 2

Oriole Birding holiday to Poland - a trip for which I'd been waiting for a year and half - had finally arrived during the May half term. I was travelling with my aunt and my aunt's friend, and and we arrived at Stansted Airport on the Saturday to get ready for my flight to Warsaw Modlin Airport.

Predictably, the flight was delayed, but we did eventually make it, to be welcomed by torrential rain and thunderstorms, which made me nervous about the weather for the rest of the week. We met up with Neil Donaghy, our guide for the week. We were a small group, as the main tour had run the previous week, but Neil had kindly offered to do another tour the following week, which was in my holiday. 

During the journey, while driving through the roadworks, Neil told us some information about the year in Poland and what we would be doing later in the day - the holiday had begun! 

During the journey, we saw birds such as Kestrel, and, once we got closer to the North East of Poland, White storks, which was actually a lifer for me. We arrived at the hotel we would be staying in at Bialowieza for the week and had time to get used to the surroundings. 
It was soon time to eat, and it wad the first time I had tried local Polish food, along with some more 

familiar meats.

White Stork

After we ate, we headed out to do the first bit of birding! First, we stopped to look for Pygmy Owl; we didn't have to wait long before our local guide noticed that there was one sitting out in full view. I looked through the scope to see a full frame view of one of these amazing birds! This then immediately became my best bird of the year. Great start to the tour. 

We then had time for a brief stop to look around some local meadows. Nothing but a Meadow Pipit was seen at first, but as we were driving out the area, our local guide noticed two Bison in one of the fields! We got out of the car to get amazing views of these animals as they walked around, unconcerned by our presence. A Tree Pipit was also singing from the nearby forest, but remained unseen. We then headed back, watching Hawfinches fly up from the roads, and arrived at the hotel after a great first day,

Bison

Day 2 began early, with a pre-breakfast walk around the good birding areas of the town of Bialowieza. Walking down the road, a Common Rosefinch sang from a nearby tree. I looked up to find an adult male above my head. There was also singing Garden Warblers and Blackcaps, and Spotted Flycatchers, which often sat out on prominent perches. Great Reed Warblers sang distantly from the nearby Reedbed, but didn't show themselves, so we headed to a different area of the village.

Almost immediately, Neil heard the song of a Greenish Warbler, and, after a short wait, it was perched right above our heads!  We had good views of the bird, although it remained quite high up most of the time, but all the details could be seen. While we were watching the Warbler, a Wryneck called distantly, as well as the constant call of Cuckoos, and we saw two Great Reed Warblers chasing each other around.

Further up the path, Neil noticed the song of a Pied Flycatcher in the nearby areas of trees, and it wasn't long before the Flycatcher showed itself. It was a young male, and was very interested in a hole in the tree which it could have been considering using as a nest in the future. A Black Woodpecker gave its strange flight call while we were watching the Flycatcher, and many Hawfinches flew over.

Pied Flycatcher

On the way back, a large warbler flew across the path and landed in a nearby tree. After a few seconds it became clear that it was an Icterine Warbler. A great bird to end the morning walk (and compensation for the one I missed at Spurn)!

We then headed to a woodland, where, as soon as I stepped out the car, I heard a distant Red-Breasted Flycatcher singing.

Walking up the path, a Woodpecker called, which I immediately thought was a Great Spotted. However, I had been warned that some species can sound the same, so we tried hard to track down the bird. Eventually, it was found, giving good views, and showing that it was actually a White-Backed Woodpecker! It was calling constantly and flying across the path, perching in open areas where we got great views of it.

Next was an area of dead forest, where there were no Woodpeckers, but other birds included a Sedge Warbler singing from a high tree and a Male Common Rosefinch showing very well, plus the constant call of Marsh Frogs. A pair of Flycatchers flew around the tops of the trees, and they were quickly identified as Collared Flycatchers, with the male showing well.

A large butterfly was seen near the car, which was difficult to obtain good views of at first, but eventually landed by my feet - a Poplar Admiral.

Poplar Admiral

The next stop was to look for Red-Breasted Flycatchers, and we didn't have to wait long before a male was sat out in the open at close range, often singing. This individual also had a red throat, which some lack, so it made the bird even more interesting.

We then headed to another woodland site, where there was a very smart male Black Redstart on the top of one of the village buildings. Young Great Spotted Woodpeckers called from the forest, as well as Cuckoos, which turned out to be almost everywhere. Two Large Coppers flew around the long grass that was next to the houses.

We then headed along a forest track, where our target was Three-Toed Woodpecker. After a short wait, broken by good views of Wood Warbler, a female Three-Toed Woodpecker flew in and perched right in front of us. We saw it amazingly well, with no vegetation to obscure views, and I was satisfied as this was the Woodpecker I most wanted to see.

On the way back, we saw a very faded Green Hairstreak butterfly, which hardly had any green on it, and I had no idea what species it was at first.

Amazingly faded Green Hairstreak

An interesting butterfly was seen flying around the grassland outside the forest while we were having lunch. At first I though it was a Heath Fritillary, but some things didn't seem quite right.
- It looked about the size of the Duke Of Burgundy I had seen two weeks previously.
- It was dark and the orange was one-coloured.
The butterfly didn't sit still for long and almost never opened its wings, as well as disappearing for periods of time. I got a couple of poor quality photos, and turned to the Collins Butterfly Guide, but couldn't find anything. Neil suggested Assmann's Fritillary, which I had never even heard of, and looking in the book I could see the similarities with the butterfly I had seen. We left the butterfly as unidentified however.

But, later in the week, the same butterfly was seen again. I took some photographs of the underside, as it didn't show its upper side, but the pictures turned out to be poor quality. However, helped with the second sighting, we (mostly Neil) confirmed it as an Assmann's Fritillary!


A strange call also alerted us to a Middle-Spotted Woodpecker, high up in a nearby tree. 

Assmann's Fritillary

The next site we visited was good for butterflies, and these were our main targets here. The area was soon filled with Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillaries. Large Skippers were seen, and it didn't take long before Neil identified a Wood Brown. Map butterflies were everywhere, but were interesting to watch.

Map

Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillary

Further up, a Wood White landed in the middle of the track, and displayed how different it was from all the other Whites I had seen (Green-Veined was the most common during my time in Poland).

Wood White

We turned back and headed down another path, where the pine trees held Coal Tit, and, with a bit of looking, a nice Crested Tit as well. Garden Warblers and Cuckoos sang, and another Poplar Admiral revealed itself. It was now time to head back to the hotel to eat, but we had time for a short walk around the village, which my aunt and her friend didn't join.

The heat of the day clearly encouraged birds to stay quiet and unobtrusive, so there wasn't much around, until a Cuckoo flew by, a Golden Oriole sang, and, best of all, a Barred Warbler song-flighted, though I only saw it briefly.

So, after eating, we headed out for another walk, this time a bit further away. We were greeted by a River Warbler singing loudly from the nearest bush, but it was buried deep in it and remained invisible.

We watched from a bridge, looking down in to a reed bed, where one of the targets, a Marsh Warbler, was found quite soon, singing its strange song from the reeds, and looking a lot like a Reed Warbler, although Neil pointed out differences such as wing length. While we were watching this, a Thrush Nightingale sang, although, as always, it didn't show.