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Early Spring Primeval Forest & Marshes Tour Report, Białowieża

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Early Spring Primeval Forest & Marshes Tour Report, Białowieża Trip report Early spring BIRDS & Mammals 25 APRIL - 1 May 2015 7 day bird & mammal watching tour in the Białowieża Forest & Biebrza Marshes Text & photographs by Łukasz Mazurek Tour Leader: Łukasz (Lucas) Mazurek Participants: Anne, Robin, Ros, John, Alistair, Rob, Chris Wildlife: 11 mammal species and 152 bird species seen, full checklist on page 8 WWW.WILDPOLAND.COM 1 WILDPOLAND TOUR REPORT - EARLY SPRING BIRDS & MAMMALS, APRIL 2015 Day 1, Sat 25th April - Arrival We have picked up part of the group at the airport yet before 14:00, Ros & John from downtown just a few minutes later and we were on our way to Białowieża. It was a sunny day and we saw lots of stuff on the way: A Great Crested Grebe, Mute Swan and a few Mallards in the ponds just outside Warsaw, several Cranes and 30+ White Storks, a Kestrel, Marsh and Montagu’s Harrier, a few Common Buzzards and Hawfinches. After a hearty Polish dinner at our guesthouse in Białowieża we had a short talk about the area and the plans for the next days over a map. Day 2, Sun 26th April - Białowieża We started off at 5 in the morning and after a sip of teas and coffees we set off to search for Bison that come out of the forest at dawn. At the first place we stopped we have found two Bison bulls grazing and a Lesser Spotted Eagle, followed by another one that gave us really long and close views. Next place we stopped at - we saw one Bison in the distance so decided to drive as close as possible. So we did, parked the bus and had a walk that brought us good views of a Wood Lark, Tree Pipit, Common Snipe, Lapwings and a yet another Lesser Spotted Eagle. Bison have disappeared by the trees in the meantime but we waited for them to show again and finally had views of 3 Bulls walking back into the forest. On our way to the bus, we had good views of a Common Whitethroat, a few Whinchats and a Wheatear. After breakfast we had a couple of walks in the forest. The first one brought us some good views of Three-toed Woodpeckers and Black Woodpeckers heard. The second one - Wood Warblers, Middle Spotted Woodpeckers, Firecrest, a Red Squirrel, a few Grass Snakes, a Slowworm and Common Frogs. In the afternoon, we have visited a yet another patch of the forest, this time a bog Alder carr flooded by Beavers. We had good views of a Grey-headed and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers as well as Collared Flycatchers. Afterwards we have transferred to one of the Pygmy Owl territories WWW.WILDPOLAND.COM 2 WILDPOLAND TOUR REPORT - EARLY SPRING BIRDS & MAMMALS, APRIL 2015 where after a short while we have had some great views of this miniature owl and seen several Woodcocks. After dinner, part of the group agreed for a short walk in search of the Tree Frogs that were calling their heads off. We saw several of them really well, plus a few Edible Frogs, Diving Beetles and Raft Spiders. An amazing evening. Day 3, Mon 27th April - Białowieża After a hearty breakfast, we had a short stop at the village edge and had good views of a Lesser Spotted Eagle, a Marsh Harrier and a Mistle Thrush. Then we have briefly stopped at the National Park HQ and saw Great and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers, Redstart and also a pair of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers on our way to meet the guide for the Strict Reserve. The weather was great and the walk in the Strict Reserve of the Białowieża National Park an amazing experience as the trees were just getting green. We have seen plenty of centuries old trees and our guide Arek has explained how it all functions and answered all our questions and knew litterally all the plants. We saw plenty of Collared Flycatchers, a pair of White-backed Woodpeckers and two Middle Spotted Woodpeckers there. WWW.WILDPOLAND.COM 3 WILDPOLAND TOUR REPORT - EARLY SPRING BIRDS & MAMMALS, APRIL 2015 We had lunch of sandwiches and freshly brewed coffee at the edge of the forest and arrived back at the hotel for a short break before an evening outing. Rob went for a walk into the park and had good views of a Great Reed Warbler and heard Savi’s. In the afterooon, we visited one site trying for a Black Woodpecker with no success but we briefly saw a Black Stork flying over which was a nice surprise. Later we transferred to the Kosy Most area for a short walk. It was a very atmospheric evening and we saw several fresh Wolf droppings, a Beaver in the reeds from up the viewing tower (thanks Ros!) followed by two more Beavers from the bridge, this time very close. It was a fantastic observation of wild animals in their natural habitat and showing undisturbed behaviour. A few Bats and Woodcocks were also around as we walked back to the bus. Day 4, Tue 28th Apr - Siemianówka Reservoir Early morning Alistar, Rob and Chris had a short walk in the hotel area and saw Great Reed Warbler and heard a Thrush Nightingale. After a substantial breakfast we drove towards the Siemianówka Reservoir with a few stops on the way. First of all we had an amazing encounter with 1 Bison bull just next to the road. Later we have stopped at a small bridge over the Łutownia river and saw Green Sandpipers, Collared Flycatchers and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers. Finally, just before reaching the shores of the Siemianówka Reservoir we have spotted 3 Bison at the edge of the forest. The reservoir was full of birds as usual. We have seen Whooper Swans, plenty of Marsh Harriers and Great White Egrets, Black, White-winged and Whiskered Terns and of course a few White-tailed Eagles flying around. In a small pond just next to the dike we walked along we have found several Fire-bellied Toads and Tree Frogs and everyone had great views. WWW.WILDPOLAND.COM 4 WILDPOLAND TOUR REPORT - EARLY SPRING BIRDS & MAMMALS, APRIL 2015 We came back to the hotel for an earlier dinner (as usual, plentiful) and were soon back on the road for a short visit at the Great Snipe lek at dusk. It was a quiet and atmospheric evening, we saw plenty of Common Snipe but Great Snipe were not very eager to start lekking. Finally, after the sunset we saw a few birds jumping and flashing with white on the tail. Although a bit far, we saw 4 Great Snipe in the scopes. Two Fox and a few Roe Deer were also seen today. Day 5, Wed 29th Apr - on the way to the Biebrza Marshes We decided to have a short walk before breakfast today but woke up to the heavy clouds. We went out anyway but it started raining heavily within a few minutes. Nevertheless we had brilliant views of a male White-backed Woodpecker and a Nuthatch very near. The rain intensified and after about half an hour we came back to the hotel for the usual solid breakfast of eggs, sausages, selection of meats, cheeses and breads. WWW.WILDPOLAND.COM 5 WILDPOLAND TOUR REPORT - EARLY SPRING BIRDS & MAMMALS, APRIL 2015 After breakfast we set off for our journey towards the Biebrza Marshes. Our first stop was in one of the old Ruthenian villages where colourful wooden houses lined along the road and tidy pavements reminded of an eastern influence in this part of Poland. Next, we stopped at the Dojlidy Foshponds where among hundreds of Black-headed Gulls we have seen a few Shovelers, Great Crested, Red-necked and Black-necked Grebes, Penduline Tits, several Marsh Harriers and have heard two Great Bitterns booming. We had our sandwiches on the bank of the pond and transferred to see the ponds and lakes around Knyszyn. After a brief stop at the ponds where we saw Little Ringed Plovers, many Wood Sandpipers and Ruffs, we have transferred to the Czechowizna Lake where we saw several White-tailed Eagles, including one adult catching a Wigeon and sharing it with a mate and chasing away other immature Eagles and Cranes that showed up to join the feast. A fantastic and unforgettable observation that lasted for a good half hour. Moorhen and Common Sandpiper were also nice birds to spot there. We arrived at our guesthouse for an earlier dinner, another plentiful 3 course Polish dinner, and were off for a boat cruise for Beaver watching at dusk. On the way there we have spotted an Elk feeding just next to the road and everyone had stunning views. Soon, we were comfortably sat at a large and stable wooden boat that took us down the stream along the river. Within a few minutes the first Beavers showed up swimming across and walking out to the shore and in the next 1.5 hrs we have seen a total of 15+ Beavers and some of them as close as a few metres and for a long time. Everyone was thrilled. Another great success. Happy, we drove back home. WWW.WILDPOLAND.COM 6 WILDPOLAND TOUR REPORT - EARLY SPRING BIRDS & MAMMALS, APRIL 2015 Day 6, Thu 30th Apr - Biebrza Marshes Early morning part of the group went out and spent some time in the hotel area. Black Stork and a Montagu’s Harrier were the highlights seen in just a few minutes. After a plentiful breakfast we set off for a full day journey around the Biebrza Marshes. First of all we saw three Hoopoes chasing one another just around our hotel.
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