Belarus in Spring

Naturetrek Tour Report 4 - 11 May 2014

Report compiled by Attila Steiner

Naturetrek Cheriton Mill Cheriton Alresford Hampshire SO24 0NG England T: +44 (0)1962 733051 F: +44 (0)1962 736426 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk

Tour Report Belarus in Spring

Tour Leader: Attila Steiner

Participants: Peter Fox Alan Shears Kerry Robinson Iris de Carteret Brian Shepherd Mike Campbell Marion Campbell Roger Broad

Day 1 Sunday 4th May

After the early evening arrival, the group had a dinner at Minsk Airport and left for Sporovo Reserve, Bielaaziorsk, a town located about 250 km south-west from the capital. Overnight at Hotel Energia.

Day 2 Monday 5th May

We left the hotel and went to experience the wonderful floodplain of the River Yaselda, home not only to some real bird rarities but a rich flora as well. In the strong and chilly wind we first had an insight into one of the breeding sites of the Aquatic Warbler near Visokae. The two boardwalks near the study trails were perfect places to see 2 pairs of stunning Citrine Wagtails. We crossed the river with a small ferry and heard Bearded Reedlings. Bog-bean, a typical plant species of bogs was observed here.

At lunchtime we moved to the southern end of the village and had a good number of birds seen including a pair of Honey Buzzards, a nice male Montagu’s Harrier, breeding Black Redstarts, flying Hawfinches and feeding Fieldfares. The afternoon started with looking for Wrynecks at a nearby settlement and Aquatic Warblers along the eastern edge of the wetland. The wind was still rather strong and we saw none of them, but after driving c.25 km through Biaroza we stopped at the western side of the Yaselda near Zdzitava. While walking along the canal we had a nice pair of Citrine Wagtails again. The rest of the day was spent getting to our next accommodation at Kamianiuki, Belowezhskaya Pushcha National Park. On the way we saw a few Great Grey Shrikes perched on wires.

Day 3 Tuesday 6th May

During our pre-breakfast birdwatching walk in the park around the hotel we concentrated on woodpeckers, but apart from a few brief sightings of Black Woodpecker there were mainly passerines: Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Willow Tit, Goldcrest and a Common Redstart. During the day the local ranger, Dzyma took us to some beautiful areas of the NP. At Lidskoje fishpond we heard Eurasian Bittern and saw Grey-headed, Black and Lesser-spotted Woodpecker and a Collared Flycatcher. We enjoyed walking in the vast untouched mixed natural forests of the NP, especially on the road to a small lake where we saw the only Whooper Swan of the trip and a female Goldeneye with ducklings. We were also introduced to the damage caused by the Bark Beatle in Spruces. In a wonderful ancient mixed deciduous forest we saw Middle Spotted Woodpecker.

Belarus in Spring Tour Report

After a picnic lunch near a great meadow we drove into the realm of the European Bison, where we were lucky to see a herd of around 30 individuals from a short distance. Even a group of Wild Boar with some 20 piglets was observed. Here we also saw 2 Lesser Spotted Eagles very well. At mid afternoon we drove to an old oak woodland where we found a few very elusive Black Woodpeckers. Red-breasted Flycatcher was also showing well here. Night spent in the hotel in Kamianiuki.

Day 4 Wednesday 7th May

The pre-breakfast walk in the park again focused on woodpeckers, now in much milder, improving weather. After a few Black Woodpeckers we were just about leave when a Three-toed Woodpecker landed above us. Although it was seen by a few members of the group it was a great moments for some of us.

We left the hotel after breakfast and headed to Turov near River Pripiat in southern Belarus. On the way we saw a Crested Lark. We spent a few hours near Teliachany to see Great Grey Owl at its nest site about noon. The female was on the nest and the group had prolonged views of this magnificent bird. During lunchtime we were looking for the secretive Hazel Grouse in a nearby forest and we had a few short sightings. It was also a perfect place to see Tree Pipit, Sand Lizard, and tiny Fingered Speedwell among others. We arrived to Turov late afternoon to spend the next 4 nights in a comfortable hotel overlooking the main square and the river floodplain behind.

Day 5 Thursday 8th May

Turov meadows are the heart of the huge and mostly untouched floodplain of the River Pripiat, an area of great importance not only for migrating waders but all sorts of wetland birds. During the early spring migration stunning flocks of cca. 100.000 Ruffs, 20.000 Black-tailed Godwits, 150.000 ducks, and thousands of terns rest and feed in these rich wet areas. As both winter and spring were dry and unusually warm not much water was accumulated in the shallow floodplains thus many migrants have already left toward their northern breeding sites. For this reason smaller flocks were present, but there was still a high diversity of waterbirds and waders, including Dunlin and Temminck's Stint as well.

Near Turov we watched a nice Syrian Woodpecker and then headed west. In Verasnica we visited a rookery and found 3 Long-eared Owl chicks on a willow tree and enjoyed both seeing and hearing Thrush Nightingale from a few metres away. Our next stop was at the end of the village where notable birds were Little Terns. Then we arrived to Alshany to look for one of the highlights of the trip, the lovely Azure Tit. A pair was seen several times obviously already feeding their chicks. Other birds of interest were Marsh and Icterine Warbler, nesting Fieldfares and Penduline Tit on the nest.

Late afternoon we watched waterbirds at Turov Meadow and with our local guide Pavel we walked out to the Great Snipe lek near the river. On the way 2 Terek Sandpipers, one Marsh Sandpiper, 2 Oystercatchers and a few Garganeis were seen. Good numbers of Corn Crakes and a few Spotted Crakes were also heard. At the lek we saw some 10 birds performing their interesting display calling, jumping and even fighting in the short grass. Masses of White-winged Terns were flying around us rather low several times while we were trying to ignore the clouds of small flies!

2 © Naturetrek October 14

Belarus in Spring Tour Report

Day 6 Friday 9th May

We had a pre-breakfast walk near the village centre, and Syrian Woodpecker was seen and heard near the harbour. After breakfast we birded at Turov wetlands and saw Wood Sandpiper, Ringed Plover, Spotted Redshank, many Black-tailed Godwits, plus all three marsh terns. We shortly visited the bird ringing station where we admired the beauty of a few hand held waders like Lapwing, Ruff, Wood and Marsh Sandpiper.

Then we drove to Beloe Fishpond. On the way we had a short stop near the bridge over the Pripiat River where we saw a pair of Penduline Tits actively building their nest. At the fishponds we saw four pairs of Smew, Gadwall, Common Pochard, Goldeneye, Black-necked Grebe, Caspian Gull s, several White-tailed Eagles, Black Stork and after a long search we finally added White-backed Woodpecker to the list and a Red-backed Shrike. We also saw Fire-bellied Toad, a Grass Snake and a nice Kingfisher at lunchtime. On the way back we stopped at the old orchard near Beloe where we took some lovely videos and photos of a calling Wryneck.

Day 7 Saturday 10th May

We had a pre-breakfast walk near the river producing a few Golden Orioles and Oystercatchers. After breakfast we went back to the site we visited yesterday near the bridge and added Bluethroat and Barred Warbler to the list. An unexpected pair of Azure Tits was a nice surprise, a few Long-tailed Tits plus Wryneck and Hoopoe were seen too.

Later we visited some good raptor watch points near the village of Ozerani and Bechi and had great views of four Lesser Spotted Eagles, two White-tailed Eagles, a quick view of the European Turtle Dove and a Black Stork. We had lunch in the forest then we walked along the forest trail and saw a nice Grey-headed Woodpecker and a few very elusive Red-breasted Flycatchers.

Late afternoon we stopped at the southern foot of the bridge over River Pripiat and saw a fairly late Greater White-fronted Goose and a Peregrine flying over. Good numbers of waders and terns were seen in most places. We then headed to Turov, where we had a lovely dinner in a nearby restaurant.

Day 8 Sunday 11th May

We had an early morning start from the hotel to get to Minsk Airport on time for the flight back to the UK.

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Tour Report Belarus in Spring

Species List

Birds ( = recorded but not counted; h = heard only) May Common name Scientific name 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1 Greylag Goose Anser anser   2 Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons  3 Mute Swan Cygnus olor     4 Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus  5 Gadwall Anas strepera   6 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos       7 Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata   8 Northern Pintail Anas acuta  9 Garganey Anas querquedula    10 Eurasian Teal Anas crecca  11 Common Pochard Aythya ferina   12 Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula   13 Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula    14 Smew Mergellus albellus  15 Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus   16 Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis  17 Black Stork Ciconia nigra   18 White Stork Ciconia ciconia        19 Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris h h 20 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea      21 Great Egret Ardea alba    22 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo    23 European Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus   24 White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla    25 Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus        26 Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus    27 Common Buzzard Buteo buteo        28 Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina    29 Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus   30 Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus  31 Corn Crake Crex crex h h h 32 Spotted Crake Porzana porzana h 33 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus   34 Eurasian Coot Fulica atra    35 Common Crane Grus grus   36 Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus   37 Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus        38 Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula    39 Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius  40 Great Snipe Gallinago media  41 Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago      42 Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa   43 Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus   44 Common Redshank Tringa totanus     45 Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis   46 Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus   47 Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola    

Belarus in Spring Tour Report

May Common name Scientific name 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 48 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos   49 Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus   50 Temminck's Stint Calidris temminckii  51 Dunlin Calidris alpina   52 Ruff Philomachus pugnax    53 Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus     54 Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans   55 Little Tern Sternula albifrons    56 Common Tern Sterna hirundo      57 White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus     58 Black Tern Chlidonias niger    59 Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida      60 Common Pigeon Columba livia        61 Stock Dove Columba oenas   62 Common Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus    63 European Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur  64 Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto  65 Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus      66 Long-eared Owl Asio otus  67 Great Grey Owl Strix nebularia  68 Common Swift Apus apus   69 Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis  70 Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops      71 Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla     72 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos minor  73 Middle Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos medius  74 White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos  75 Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos syriacus    76 Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major   77 Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius  78 Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus  79 Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus    80 Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio   81 Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor    82 Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus       83 Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius     84 Eurasian Magpie Pica pica       85 Western Jackdaw Coloeus monedula      86 Rook Corvus frugilegus        87 Hooded Crow Corvus cornix      88 Northern Raven Corvus corax       89 Marsh Tit Poecile palustris  90 Willow Tit Poecile montanus  91 Coal Tit Periparus ater   92 Great Tit Parus major       93 Eurasian Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus      94 Azure Tit Cyanistes cyanus   95 Eurasian Penduline Tit Remiz pendulinus    96 Bearded Reedling Panurus biarmicus h 97 Crested Lark Galerida cristata   98 Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis      

2 © Naturetrek October 14

Belarus in Spring Tour Report

May Common name Scientific name 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 99 Sand Martin Riparia riparia     100 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica        101 Common House Martin Delichon urbicum        102 Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus   103 Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus       104 Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita       105 Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix       106 Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus     107 Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus    108 Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus palustris  109 Icterine Warbler Hippolais icterina    110 Savi's Warbler Locustella luscinioides h 111 Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla     112 Garden Warbler Sylvia borin  113 Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria  114 Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca  115 Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis       116 Goldcrest Regulus regulus   117 Firecrest Regulus ignicapillus  118 Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes     119 Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea     120 Eurasian Treecreeper Certhia familiaris   121 Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris        122 Common Blackbird Turdus merula        123 Fieldfare Turdus pilaris       124 Song Thrush Turdus philomelos     125 Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus  126 European Robin Erithacus rubecula    127 Bluethroat Luscinia svecica  128 Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia     129 Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros       130 Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus    131 Whinchat Saxicola rubetra       132 Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata     133 European Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca     134 Collared Flycatcher Ficedula albicollis  135 Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva   136 House Sparrow Passer domesticus      137 Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus       138 Western Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava       139 White Wagtail Motacilla alba        140 Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis    141 Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis   142 Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs        143 European Serin Serinus serinus        144 European Greenfinch Carduelis chloris        145 Eurasian Siskin Carduelis spinus   146 European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis        147 Common Linnet Carduelis cannabina h 148 Eurasian Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula  149 Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes     

Belarus in Spring Tour Report

May Common name Scientific name 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 150 Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella       151 Common Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus    Mammals

Red Squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris Common Mole, Talpa europaea

Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes Wild Boar, Sus scrofa

European Bison, Bison bonasus

Reptiles & Amphibians

Sand Lizard, Lacerta agilis Grass Snake, Natrix natrix

Common Toad, Bufo bufo Green Toad, Bufo viridis

Fire-bellied Toad, Bombina bombina Common Frog, Rana temporaria

Marsh Frog, Rana ridibunda

Butterflies

Swallowtail, Papilio machaon Orange Tip, Arthocharis cardamines

Large White, Pieris brassicae Small White, Artogeia rapae

Green-veined White, Artogeia napi Wood White, Leptidea sinapis

Brimstone, Gonepteryx rhamni Small Copper, Lycaena phlaeas

Peacock, Inachis io Map Butterfly, Araschnia levana

Small Tortoiseshell, Aglais urticae Comma, Polygonia c-album

Small Heath, Coenonympha pamphilus

Dragonflies

Banded Demoiselle, Calopteryx splendens Hairy Hawker, Brachytron pratense

Downy Emerald, Duculia aenea Four-spotted Chaser, Libellula quadrimaculata

Broad-bodied Chaser, Libellula depressa Northern White-face, Leucorrhinia rubicunda

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