11 to 16 May 2017 Poland Trip

Poland Trip
May 11 to May 16,  2017
Paul and Group (8)

Every now and then you get to go on a tour that lifts your birding experience to a new level.  This trip, to Poland with Paul and the group did just that.  With over 140 species seen,  all of us added to our life lists - in my case by a staggering 14 species.

We stayed in the tranquil village of Bialowieza in the middle of Białowieża Forest, in NE Poland, not far from the border with Belarus. Our guide for the trip was Mateusz, a local lad who was to become invaluable to us.

We got off to an astonishing start on Friday.

• At 05.30, we saw a Pygmy Owl in the forest just outside of town.  Mateusz lured the bird down to some lower branches so we could enjoy some phenomenal views from our vantage point.

• After we had seen and drooled over a Wood Warbler, we spotted a Three-toed Woodpecker, our first of 8 different species.  This was soon followed by a second, a Middle Spotted Woodpecker. Just before breakfast, we saw our first, of many, Collared Flycatchers.

Things just kept going after breakfast

• We saw 3 Wrynecks.  The unusual thing for me about these sightings and the reason I mention them in this blog is that they showed a couple of traits I have never seen before in the UK.  First, the bird gave it's position away by singing -  a series of long whining notes; every sighting I made in the UK came about serendipitously with no giveaway call or song.  Secondly, I have always associated these birds with scrub and low-level bushes; here in Poland, they occupied quite high positions in the trees.
• Next, our attention was drawn to a Lesser Spotted Eagle that showed well in the skies ahead of us.  It only lasted a short while but long enough for all to get a really good look and appreciate this new species.
• We didn't have to wait long for the next species of woodpecker to turn up; at 11.00 we had superb views of a Grey-headed Woodpecker
• Almost from the start, we heard the Thrush Nightingales but we were not able to get a really good view of one,  most of us settled for a fleeting view as the bird moved around the scrub.  Barred Warbler, Icterine Warbler were similar experiences.  We heard a Marsh Warbler but were unable to find it.
• We had better views of the Red-backed Shrike in the afternoon and to cap a good afternoon session we had excellent views of a Honey Buzzard before seeing a Lesser-spotted Woodpecker fly by.

After an early dinner, we were on the road again for an evening session targeted at seeing a Great Snipe on the marshes.  After donning my blue plastic bags, as emergency wellies, we were off into the marshes.

• We heard plenty of Corncrakes but try as we may we just couldn't get them to come out into the open.
• The main attraction didn't disappoint and we had good, distant views of the lek.  At one point, whilst looking at the Great Snipe, we could hear Corncrake, Spotted Crake, Grasshopper Warbler and Nightjars at the same time.

What an incredible first day!

Our pre-breakfast outing on Saturday took us to the Orlowka Protected Area, the oldest part of the National Park.   Incidentally, Mateusz regarded 05.00 as a late start! Dawn in Poland at this time of year is shortly after 03.00

• At around 05.30 we saw our first Golden Orioles as 2 flew by. Shortly afterwards we had great views of 4 Cranes, flying overhead.
• The highlight of this session, however, had to be a Black Woodpecker seen as it flew through the forest.  We managed to get a second sighting later on as well as hear it calling as it passed by - marvellous!
• Yet more Spotted Flycatchers and several excellent sightings of Red Squirrel made this another memorable outing and well worth getting up for. 
• After breakfast, I saw my first Great Reed Warbler of the trip I soon came to recognise the really loud call/song of this delightful bird.  We were on the trail of the White-backed Woodpecker but were not having much success, although Andrew managed a fleeting view of one.

• It was nice to watch House Martins picking up mud for nesting purposes at a lonely farmyard location.  This was the first time that I had ever seen this behaviour and it fascinated me.  All the way to Poland to be intrigued by House Martins!

• It was now tough going in our search for the elusive White-backed Woodpecker.  The Red-breasted Flycatcher was also proving difficult to see with only a few people getting a glimpse of it.

• We had more luck with the Lesser-spotted Woodpecker; Paul heard it drumming and soon after we had excellent flight views.

Another eventful day with some excellent new birds. We really had to work hard for them and we still didn't get the desired result with respect to the White-backed Woodpecker.

• Our pre-breakfast walk by the local railway station on Sunday targeted Rosefinch and we were lucky to see some, including a stunning male showing well at the top of the tree right at the end of our visit.

• By now we were taking Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Great Reed Warbler, Wryneck, Cuckoo and Common Tern for granted, such was the level of birding we were experiencing.

• After an early 07.00 breakfast, we were off on a 2-hour road trip to the Biebrza Marshes with a new guide for the day.  On the way, I managed to miss a small flock of Bee-eaters flying overhead.  I was more fortunate with the stunning male Montague's Harrier that flew by the side of our car.

• Our target species was the White-winged Black Tern and they were showing really well as we arrived, along with many Ruff in wonderful summer plumage.  This was yet another awe-inspiring experience in a terrific habitat.
• It wasn't long before we saw our first White-tailed Eagle of the trip, looking really stunning in the perfect late morning light.
• Just before midday we even saw our first Hoopoe.
• The early afternoon session was memorable for the Whiskered Terns and the Black-winged Stilts.

We were biding our time, waiting for the early evening, to maximise our chances of seeing our target species the Aquatic Warbler

• By way of a distraction, we enjoyed watching a Penduline Tit
• The Aquatic Warbler was most obliging, offering us numerous, excellent views at the top of the reeds.
• However, this was eclipsed, for me, by the sight of a majestic male Montague's Harrier flying low over the reeds and barely 100 metres from us.

 Just fantastic - what a brilliant habitat!

• On Monday, our pre-breakfast outing yielded the best view of the Icterine Warbler.  It was simply stunning as it sang away just a few metres ahead of us.
• Our guide for the day was Erik, the father of Mateusz.  Try as he may, he had no luck with finding his target species, namely the Citrine Wagatail.  We did, however, see another Hoopoe, more Cranes, 15+ Great White Egrets and a Penduline Tit.

• The highlight of this session had to be the Osprey which flew over as we were on our way and 2 Honey Buzzards which we encountered near the end. 
• A somewhat underwhelming day was brought to a fantastic climax by Mateusz, who joined us for a short while in the early evening after he had finished work for the day.  He had consulted some of his friends and was anxious to make one last gasp effort to locate the White-backed Woodpecker.  We arrived at the aforesaid nesting site and positioned ourselves at a sensible distance to see the bird without disturbing it in any way.  Right on cue, the bird arrived and we were able to get some excellent views of this lovely woodpecker.  What a lovely gesture from our guide - he was under no obligation to do this but he had gone the extra mile on our behalf.  Thank you,  Mateusz!

• We ended our trip on Tuesday with a final visit to the park by the railway station and saw the usual suspects - Rosefinch, Great Reed Warbler, Thrush Nightingale and  Serin.  We had no luck locating the Syrian Woodpecker that had been seen there the previous day by other birders. 

• We just had time to visit the reserve to see the Bison before leaving for Warsaw and flying home.  Wolves and Wild Boar were also seen.

As usual, Alan provided us all with a trip species count - please see his spreadsheet below.

As trips go it can't get much better than this.

•  lots of birds, many of which were new to me.  

• and it was so cheap!  B&B for less than £28 pppn, 2-course evening meals with 3 beers for around £10, cheap flight £114.81  etc.  The major expense was my share of the guiding costs and even that was only 150 euros for the 4 days.

Birding  in Poland (mostly in the Bialowieza Forest)
	Ref	May 2016 trip report	Sussex Birders May 2017	May 2017 lifer?	Further Notes
Mute Swan	15	Seen	Seen
Whooper Swan	15		Seen		Just two or three birds
Greylag Goose	19		Seen		The only goose that breeds in Poland
Gadwall	25	Seen	Seen
Mallard	25	Seen	Seen		Most common duck
Pintail	25		Seen
Shoveler	27	Seen	Seen
Wigeon	27		Seen
Garganey	29	Seen	Seen		At Biebrza Marshes
Pochard	31		Seen
Tufted Duck	33		Seen		Only seen once
Goosander	45	Seen
Grey Partridge	55		Seen		Seen a couple of times
Red-legged Partridge	55		Seen		Whilst driving east from Warsaw
Corncrake	57	Heard	Heard		Many heard in different places but never seen
Pheasant	59	Seen	Seen
Little Grebe	65		Seen
Great Crested Grebe	67	Seen	Seen
Cormorant	79		Seen		A few here + there outside of the forest
Bittern	81	Heard	Heard		Booming at Simianowski Lake
Great White Egret	83	Seen	Seen
Grey Heron	85	Seen	Seen
White Stork	85	Seen	Seen		Must every village have at least one nest?
Osprey	93		Seen		Single bird seen at Simianowski lake
White-tailed Eagle	93	Seen	Seen		Great views at Biebrza Marshes
Lesser Spotted Eagle	97	Seen	Seen
Spotted Eagle	97		?????		Distant bird above woods at Biebrza Marshes. Not included in totals
Marsh Harrier	103	Seen	Seen
Montagu's Harrier	105	Seen	Seen		On drive from + to Warsaw
Common Buzzard	109	Seen	Seen
Honey Buzzard	111		Seen		Great views of one flying over near river + later more distant views of two more
Goshawk	113		Seen		Watched for some time from place with the sand dunes in Biebrza Marshes
Sparrowhawk	113	Seen
Kestrel	117	Seen
Hobby	119	Seen	Seen		Just one flew past Paul's car
Spotted Crake	125	Heard	Heard		Many heard in different places but never seen
Coot	127	Seen	Seen
Moorhen	127	Seen
Common Crane	129	Seen	Seen		Small numbers seen regularly
Black-winged Stilt	135		Seen		Just three birds but so elegant
Lapwing	147	Seen	Seen
Wood Sandpiper	155	Heard	Seen		Quick view in the marshes at in the village + better views of two in Biebrza Marshes
Redshank	157	Seen	Seen
Bar-Tailed Godwit	159		Seen		A few birds but stunning in breeding plumage
Great Snipe	161	Seen	Seen		Distant views lekking
Snipe	161	Seen	Seen
Woodcock	161	Seen	Seen		Seen at the Great Snipe Lek
Ruff	167		Seen		By far the most numerous warbler but views often distant
Black-headed Gull	181	Seen	Seen		the only gull we saw
Gull-billed Tern	199	Seen
Common Tern	201	Seen	Seen
Black Tern	207	Seen	Seen
Whiskered Tern	207	Seen	Seen
White-winged Black Tern	207	Seen	Seen		Just beautiful. Particularly good views from bridge as we approached Biebrza Marshes
Feral Pigeon / Rock Dove	215		Seen
Wood Pigeon	215	Seen	Seen
Collared Dove	219	Seen	Seen
Cuckoo	221		Seen		Very often heard + regularly seen
Pygmy Owl	227	Seen	Seen		What a first bird in the forest!
Tawny Owl	231	Seen	Heard
Nightjar	235	Heard	Heard		At the Great Snipe Lek
Swift	237	Seen	Seen
Hoopoe	239		Seen		A few good views
Black Woodpecker	243	Seen	Seen		Great views three times in the Strict Reserve
Grey-headed Woodpecker	243	Seen	Seen
Great Spotted Woodpecker	245	Seen	Seen
Middle Spotted Woodpecker	245	Seen	Seen
Syrian Woodpecker	245				One reported in local park but could not find it
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker	247	Seen	Seen
Three-toed Woodpecker	247	Seen	Seen		Stunning views of male and female feeding young
White-backed Woodpecker	247	Seen	Seen		Took a lot of finding but well worth it
Wryneck	247	Seen	Seen		Seen in trees!!
Skylark	249	Seen	Seen
Woodlark	251	Seen	Seen
House Martin	261	Seen	Seen
Swallow	261	Seen	Seen
Meadow Pipit	267		Seen		Few. On one occasion two in a tree pestering a Cuckoo
Tree Pipit	267		Seen
White Wagtail	269	Seen	Seen
Citrine Wagtail	271	Seen			"reliable area" was flooded
Grey Wagtail	271		Seen		Beautiful "blue-headed" bird at Biebrza Marshes
Yellow Wagtail	271	Seen	Seen		Single bird near Biebrza Marshes
Dunnock	275		Heard		Just one all trip in a clearing in the woods when hunting Nutcracker
Robin	277	Seen	Seen
Thrush Nightingale	277	Seen	Seen		More often heard than seen!
Bluethroat	279		Heard		Maybe glimpses of one bird in the undergrowth
Black Redstart	281	Seen	Seen		Everywhere in the village
Redstart	281	Seen	Seen
Wheatear	283		Seen
Stonechat	293		Seen
Whinchat	293	Seen	Seen
Fieldfare	295	Seen	Seen		Seen quite regularly around the village
Song Thrush	295	Seen	Seen
Blackbird	297	Seen	Seen
Barred Warbler	303	Seen	Seen		Often hard work to see.
Blackcap	303	Seen	Seen
Garden Warbler	303	Seen	Heard
Lesser Whitethroat	305	Seen	Seen
Whitethroat	309	Seen	Seen
Aquatic Warbler	315		Seen		Great views in late afternoon sun at Biebrza Marshes
Sedge Warbler	315	Seen	Seen		Heard + seen often
Grasshopper Warbler	317	Seen	Heard		Heard at Great Snipe lek
River Warbler	319	Seen			Possibly too early for them.
Savi's Warbler	319	Seen	Seen		Probably heard more than seen
Marsh Warbler	321	Seen	Seen		At Simianowski Lake
Reed Warbler	321		Heard		Only heard Simianowski Lake
Great Reed Warbler	323	Seen	Seen		Noisy blighter. Often good views
Icterine Warbler	325	Seen	Seen		Best views in park in the village
Willow Warbler	329	Seen	Seen
Wood Warbler	329	Seen	Seen		Often heard in the forest.
Chiffchaff	331	Seen	Seen
Firecrest	337	Seen
Wren	337	Seen	Seen
Red-breasted Flycatcher	339	Seen	Seen		Only a few seen
Spotted Flycatcher	339	Seen	Seen
Collared Flycatcher	341	Seen	Seen		Stunning little bird + often seen
Blue Tit	343	Seen	Seen
Coal Tit	343		Seen		A few here + there
Great Tit	343	Seen	Seen
Crested Tit	345		Seen		More heard than seen a few times deep in the forest
Marsh Tit	345	Seen	Seen
Long-tailed Tit	347		Seen		A few here + there
Penduline Tit	347	Seen	Seen		Seen in a couple of places
Nuthatch	349	Seen	Seen
Treecreeper	351	Heard	Seen		Small number considering how many trees!
Great Grey Shrike	353		Seen		Just one in marsh land near the village
Red-backed Shrike	355	Seen	Seen		A few
Magpie	361	Seen	Seen
Jay	363	Seen	Seen
Nutcracker	363		Seen		Only seen by Chris
Jackdaw	365	Seen	Seen
Carrion Crow	367	Seen	Seen
Hooded Crow	367	Seen	Seen		First bird of the trip seen from the plane!
Raven	367	Seen	Seen
Rook	367	Seen	Seen
Golden Oriole	371	Seen	Seen		Often heard + some good views but had to be worked for
Starling	371	Seen	Seen
House Sparrow	373	Seen	Seen
Tree Sparrow	373	Seen	Seen
Chaffinch	377	Seen	Seen
Linnet	379		Seen		Few single birds
Goldfinch	381	Seen	Seen		Few
Greenfinch	381	Seen	Seen		Few
Siskin	381	Seen	Seen		More often heard than seen
Serin	383	Seen	Seen		At supermarket in Hajnowka + better view in village park
Hawfinch	385	Seen	Seen		Lots + often feeding on the ground
Common Crossbill	387		Seen		Few
Common Rosefinch	389	Seen	Seen		Stunning male seen on two days in the park
Reed Bunting	393	Seen	Seen
Yellowhammer	399	Seen	Seen
Corn Bunting	403		Seen		Seen once near the village
Total seen		107	131
Total heard only		6	10
My holiday list		113	141	0	Total
Seen by others			0
Total Trip list		113	141
	Ref equals page number of illustration in Collins second edition