On Thursday Paul, Bridget, Julie, Malcolm, Chris, Alan Bob and I took a 2 hour flight to Warsaw, after picking up our hire cars we drove 5 hours to our Hotel Unikat in Bialoweza. A quick unpack and a wander around the area we soon heard Great Reed Warblers, Corncrake and Spotted Crake and a flyover Great Grey Shrike was seen.
An early start of 5am was needed to meet our guide Mateusz to go in search of a Pygmy Owl. All was needed was a short drive along a forest track to a known spot where Mateusz whistled and the Owl appeared after a couple of minutes.
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| Pygmy Owl |
We returned to the hotel for breakfast and then set off in search of Woodpeckers, where we were successful in seeing a pair of Three-toed Woodpeckers feeding young at a nest site
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| Male Three-toed Woodpecker |
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| Female Three-toed Woodpecker |
Next we went to see a Grey-headed Woodpecker
While looking for the Woodpeckers we also had god views of Collared and Spotted Flycatchers, Hawfinch, Common Redstart, Wheatear, Winchat, Red-backed Shrike, Lesser-spotted Eagle, Marsh Warbler, and a Wryneck. All these within 10 minutes of our hotel.
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| Wryneck |
In the afternoon we went to see a Barred Warbler nest site, also seeing a Lesser-spotted Woodpecker and a Honey Buzzard
An early dinner at the pizza restaurant, then off to the Great Snipe lek collecting wellington boots on the way, however they didn't fit Bob and Chris so had to make do with poly bags.
A successful evening was had seeing 3 Great Snipe distantly lekking in the waterlogged marsh plus a couple of roding Woodcock. Grasshopper Warbler, Nightjar, Spotted and Corncrake were all heard.
Saturday 13th, we headed out again before breakfast into the Bialowieza forest seeing 4 Cranes from the entrance gate, also a Red-breasted flycatcher, Black Woodpecker, Collared Flycatcher and Golden Oriole.
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| Bialowieza Forest |
After breakfast despite visiting several sites trying to find a White-backed Woodpecker. at one site Alan and I thought we a glimpse of a pair but was short lived and not seen again at the hole as it appeared to have been predated.At a wetter part of the forest more Collared flycatchers were seen and also a pair of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, Great Reed Warblers and evidence of Beavers
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| Collared Flycatcher |
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| Great Reed Warbler |
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| Beaver damage |
Sunday 14th after our pre breakfast walk set off for the Biebrza Marshes a 2 hour drive from Bialowieza visiting various places within the reserve we enjoyed hundreds of White-winged Black Terns, Black,Whiskered, and Little Terns, Lekking Ruff, a pair of Whooper Swans, Wood Sandpiper, Hoopoe, Black-winged Stilt, Penduline Tit, Black-tailed Godwits a Cuckoo, Winchat and a Blue-headed Wagtail and 7 Bee-eaters while at the petrol station.
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| Blue-headed Wagtail |
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| White-winged Black Tern |
Our final stop of the day was at the Dluga Luka Boardwalk where we had some good scope views of an Aquatic Warbler and a Sedge Warber for comparison, also seen a male Montagues Harrier and Snipe
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| Looking for Aquatic Warbler |
plus an Elk
Monday 15th we met up with Mateusz' father Arik who took us to a wet land / Lake Siemianoka on the border with Belarus stopping at various places we had no luck with the hoped for Citrine Wagtail, but did see Penduline Tit, Thrush Nightingale, Marsh, Reed, Sedge, Willow Warblers, Common Whitethroat, Winchat, Greylag Goose, Tufted Duck Gadwall, a couple of Marsh Harriers, Great White Egret and Osprey. In the afternoon we went to another part of the forest to look for Nutcracker without any luck but did see another couple of Honey Buzzard
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| White-backed Woodpecker |
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| Looking at Belarus |
We had just returned back to the hotel when around 5pm Paul had a call from Mateusz to say he had heard of another White-backed Woodpecker nest site. We jumped in the cars picked up Mateusz from his house and within 5 minutes we were watching the nest although distant. A brilliant end to our day after what had been fairly unexciting.
Tuesday 16th we had our normal pre breakfast walk in the Palace Park seeing Common Rosefinch, Wryneck, Great Reed Warbler, and a Serin.
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| Male Common Rosefinch |
After breakfast we set off for the airport stopping off at the Bison Reserve as we hadn't been able to get up early enough to look for these incredible creatures, also seen were Elks and Wolves.
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| European Bison |
We were also able to catch up with another Collared Flycatcher so common here in Poland
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| Collared Flycatcher |
Also the number of Storks
The Unikat Hotel was a basic but very convenient and value for money hotel.
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| Unikat Hotel |
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| Unikat Hotel entrance |
