PREVIEW Where to watch birds and large mammals of the Białowieża Forest Białowieża Site Guide PDF Łukasz Mazurek & Tomasz Jezierczuk WILD POLAND Site Guides WILD POLAND Site Guides This is a preview of the Białowieża Site Guide by WildPoland. Visit www.wildpoland.com for full version. Wild Poland Site Guides is a trade mark of Wild Poland S.C. Ł. Mazurek, T. Jezierczuk ul. Żelazna 67, lok. 13 PL-00871 Warszawa www.wildpoland.com ISBN: 978-83-64944-00-0 © Łukasz Mazurek & Tomasz Jezierczuk 2014 © Wild Poland 2014 Text, maps & layout: Łukasz Mazurek & Tomasz Jezierczuk Proof reading, additional text editing: George Pilkington/Nurturing Nature Ltd., www.nurturing-nature.co.uk, Dick Filby, Peter M. Macdonald, Photographs: Michael J. Eick, Dick Filby/WildWings, Tomasz Jezierczuk, Łukasz Mazurek Mateusz Matysiak / www.mateuszmatysiak.pl, Lionel Maumary/Birdline Tours, Antonella & Andrea Ferrari/www.animamundimag.com Photographs on cover: Pygmy Owl by Mateusz Matysiak / www.mateuszmatysiak.pl Białowieża Forest by Mateusz Szymura / www.bialowieza.waw.pl For online ordering of paperback and full pdf versions visit www.wildpoland.com The publisher and authors have done their best to ensure the accuracy of all the informa- tion in the Białowieża Site Guide, however, they can accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by any traveller as a result of information or advice con- tained in the guide. This is a preview of the Białowieża Site Guide by WildPoland. Visit www.wildpoland.com for full version. CONTENTS 3 Contents Foreword 5 European Bison 34 Wild Boar, Red and Roe Deer 35 How to use this book 6 Wolf and Lynx 35 What is the Boring Part? 6 Beaver and Otter 35 The Grand Part structure 7 Other 35 We divided the forest into 8 areas 7 Limited time? 8 THE GRAND PART 37 The Sites 9 Species list 9 The Białowieża Area 39 Maps 10 Short trails 40 1 Białowieża village 40 THE BORING PART 11 2 Palace Park 42 Białowieża Forest and National Park 12 3 Strict Reserve 46 Huge part of the forest is not protected 12 4 Mostowa Street 50 The National Park – Strict Protection Area 13 5 Dyrekcyjny Park 52 The National Park – Active Protection Area 14 6 Narewka Bridge 54 The State Forest – Managed Part 15 7 Wysokie Bagno 58 The State Forest – Nature Reserves 15 8 Żebra Żubra 62 How to get there and avoid the mistakes ... 17 9 Gierkówka Glade 64 Motor vehicle or public transport? 17 Long trails 66 Public transport 17 10 Browska Droga 66 Bus 17 11 Bagienny & Pacowski Tryb 68 Train 17 12 Przewłoka 72 Car, bike or walk? 17 4WD 19 The Main Road Area 77 Bike rental 19 Short trails 78 Parking 19 13 Yellow Trail 78 Petrol station 19 14 Bison Enclosure 80 Accommodation 19 15 Góra Batorego 82 Camping 19 16 Zwierzyniec Green Trail 84 Shopping & eating out 19 17 Ukośna Droga 86 Tourist Information 20 The Hajnówka Area 89 The best map of the Forest 20 Short trails 90 ATM and Credit cards 20 18 Dubińska Droga 90 Mobile phone reception 20 19 Topiło Lake 92 WiFi internet 21 Narrow Gauge Railway 94 CAUTION! State border.Do not cross. 21 Use of fire 21 Long trails 96 20 Leśna Bridge 96 How not to get lost in the forest 22 21 Puchaczowa Droga 98 What else do you need to know ... 23 22 Głęboki Kąt 102 When to visit 24 23 Głęboki Kąt to Nieznanowo 104 Weather 24 Spring (March to May) 25 The Budy Area 107 Summer (June to August) 26 Short trails 108 Autumn (September to November) 27 24 Teremiski Meadows 108 Winter (December to February) 27 25 Teremiski Bridge 110 Daylight 28 26 Budy Bridge 112 Common birds in the Białowieża Forest 29 27 Budy Black Trail 114 Rare birds 30 28 Dębowy Grąd 116 Where and how to watch mammals 34 Long trails 118 29 Dębowy Grąd to Pojedynacki Tryb 118 This is a preview of the Białowieża Site Guide by WildPoland. Visit www.wildpoland.com for full version. 4 CONTENTS The Narewkowska Road Area 121 The Siemianówka Area 183 Short trails 122 Short trails 184 30 Bondówka 122 54 Siemieniakowszczyzna 184 31 Stara Białowieża 124 Siemianówka Water Reservoir 186 32 National Park Border 126 55 Babia Góra 188 33 Blue Trail 128 56 Bondary Dam 190 34 Pojedynacki Tryb 130 57 Bachury Ponds 192 35 Worobiowa Glade 132 58 Szymki 194 36 Parking Site 134 59 Cisówka 196 37 Graniczny Tryb – East 136 38 Graniczny Tryb – West 138 INDEXES & LISTS 199 39 Coniferous Forest 140 Bird list 200 40 Świnoroje Glade 142 Long trails 144 Mammal list 206 41 Wilczy & Pojedynacki Tryb 144 Index of places 207 The Narewka Area 147 Index of species 209 Short trails 148 42 Świnoroje Oaks 148 43 Janowo Pond 150 44 Kosy Most Bridge 152 45 Gruszki Bridge 156 46 Gruszki Oaks 158 47 Guszczewina 160 48 Olchówka to Zabrody 162 49 Siemianówka Meadows 164 Long trails 166 50 Carska Tropina Black Trail 166 The Masiewo Area 171 Short trails 172 51 Braszcza Bridge 172 Long trails 174 52 Masiewo Red & Blue Trails 174 53 Masiewo Green Trail 178 Acknowledgements This book would never see the light of day without the tremendous, unselfish help of many. Dick Filby, Peter M. Macdonald and George Pilkington have spent long hours carefully proof reading the text, provided their useful ideas and made it sound more English. Arkadiusz and Mateusz Szymura have shared their local, expert knowledge at any time we needed. The core of the book – bird and mammal locations are the effect of field work and birding of many friends. We cannot list them all but several must be mentioned: Mark Andrews, Peter J. Dunn, Dick Filby, Artur Gierasimiuk, Grzegorz Grygoruk, Bogdan Kasperczyk, Tomasz Kułakowski, Przemysław Kunysz, Lionel Maumary, Sławek Niedźwiedzki, Andrzej Petryna, Michał Polakowski, Jarosław Stepaniuk, Arek Szymura, Mateusz Szymura, Tomasz Tumiel, Adam Wajrak, Karol Zub. This is a preview of the Białowieża Site Guide by WildPoland. Visit www.wildpoland.com for full version. 6 HOW TO USE THIS BOOK WHAT IS THE BORING PART How to use this book What is the Boring Part? You probably expect to find some basic describe how easy it is to watch all the facts and information about the forest. common birds that are omitted in the The aim of this guide is to give you the main text. These are often birds which best possible chance to see most wild- over the years became rare or have even life the forest has to offer. It is not to disappeared from Western Europe so bore you with historical and statistical remember to check this chapter if you information or any sophisticated eco- think we are missing some rare species system description. But since some facts that you happened to see so often. and numbers show the dangers this for- In the Rare birds chapter you can find est is in, we find it our moral duty to cite information about the rarest and most them in The Boring Part. wanted birds, their preferred habitat and You will also find pieces of hopefully behaviour – all that to help you find them useful information on getting around the in the field. forest, rules for visitors and our hints on Finally, the Where and how to watch how to prepare for your trip. The long mammals chapter provides information chapter on When to visit describes ­­­on the recommended time of year and weather conditions and the wildlife that day as well as the proper approach to may be seen, at different times of the year. watch large forest mammals, including In the Common birds in the Bison, Wolf and Lynx. 1 Białowieża Forest section we list and This is a preview of the Białowieża Site Guide by WildPoland. Visit www.wildpoland.com for full version. HOW TO USE THIS BOOK THE GRAND PART STRUCTURE 7 The Grand Part structure WE DIVIDED THE FOREST want to squeeze as much as possible out INTO 8 AREAS of your visit. The Białowieża Forest is large and to visit The other two areas are the two all the 59 sites described in this book main traffic routes through the forest. you would need at least two weeks. To These are the routes fromHajnówka to make browsing through this book easy Białowieża (The Main Road Area) and and efficient we have sorted the sites from Białowieża to Narewka (The Nar- based upon the most available accom- ewkowska Road Area). Since you will be modation places to stay and traffic routes driving there each day, you have all the through the forest. recommended sites along the route in The Białowieża, Hajnówka, Budy, Nar- separate areas. Now you can pick a new ewka and Masiewo areas are located stop on your way each day and explore! around the towns and villages carrying The last area is the Siemianówka the same name, respectively. Apart from Reservoir in the N of the forest that we finding accommodation, you would nat- added here as a bonus because most peo- urally stop in these places for shopping, ple would naturally visit it having already petrol or lunch on your way. Therefore, made the journey to NE Poland. Mind it is much easier to find all the interest- you, it has plenty of wildlife to offer and ing sites not only near your hotel but also you could easily spend a couple of days any place where you find yourself in and there. 1 This is a preview of the Białowieża Site Guide by WildPoland. Visit www.wildpoland.com for full version.