A 5 visa free visit to Belarus started on Wednesday 16th May when we took our 3 hour afternoon flight from Gatwick arriving in Minsk around 7.30 in the evening local time.
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| Minsk Airport |
Having been collected by Natalia our guide and Vlad the driver we set off in our luxury minibus for 4 hours stopping somewhere in the dark at a restaurant for dinner.
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| Dinner Somewhere |
Arriving around 1.00am we set our alarms so we were ready to leave the Hotel Turov in Turau at 6 am
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| Hotel Turov |
Thursday 17th May leaving at 6am we took about a half an hour drive across the Prypiat floodplain we came to a village Alsany where we turned off onto a bumpy track which led to an embankment. Natalia assured us that if we wait patiently an Azure Tit will bring food to its nest, while waiting we had views of Golden Oriole, Red-backed and Great Grey Shrike, Thrush Nightingale, Great Reed Warbler, a brief glimpse of a River Warbler and heard Bittern and Corncrake. It wasn't long before we got a look at the Azure Tit as went into its nest inside a large metal box but then over the next half hour we saw it come and go.
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| Azure Tit |
Returning back to the hotel in Turau for breakfast, we then set off onto the Prypiat river floodplains looking for passerines seeing Marsh Warblers, a Penduline Tit, Winchats, Bluethroat, Hoopoe, Icterine Warblers, Sandra found a smart male Common Rosefinch. There were also several Spotted Flycatchers and Grey-headed Wagtails a Black Redstart, a Swallowtail butterfly on the ground
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| Swallowtail |
and a pair of Syrian Woodpeckers.
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| Syrian Woodpecker |
We then headed to some wet ground beside the river where White-winged Black Terns, whiskered Terns, Common and Little Terns and 1 Black Tern were seen along with waders including Black-winged Stilt, around 50 Ruff (some lekking), 20 Dunlin, several Wood Sandpipers, 3 Temmincks Stints, 2 Terek Sandpipers, a Spotted Crake and 1Grey Plover of which is a rarity there.
In the afternoon the group set off for Bechaskaya Oak Woodland but due to a slight upset stomach I opted to stay back at the hotel. A walk around the area I found several Tree Sparrows and a Serin near the church.
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| Turau Church |
Friday morning we went back onto Prypiat floodplain to where Natalia assists with the ringing of waders and were shown a White winged Black Tern which Sandra released
A pair of Little Ringed Plovers
and a pair of Temmincks Stints
From Turau we went onto the local sewage farm where we had views of Garganey, a couple of distant Cranes, Green and Wood Sandpiper plus 3 Little Gulls. From there we went to Bielaje Fish Farm where the highlights were White-tailed Eagle, 3 Whooper Swans, a pair of Red-crested Pochard, a pair of Smew, 4 Caspian Gulls, several Great Reed Warblers and a Barred Warbler. Followed by a fly over Black Stork while having a late picnic lunch at a service station.
After a further drive we then had an early dinner before setting off into the Vyhanascanskaje Reserve with Alexandre our local guide for the Great Snipe lek. While waiting we saw around 30 Cranes come into roost. It was totally different to that in Poland last year, here it was very dry, The 4 or 5 Great Snipe performed only a few metres away in the dusk. On leaving the area we were treated to the view of a Beaver swimming in the ditch beside the road. Our hotel for the night was in Pinsk where we arrived late in the evening and managed to get a beer just before closing time.
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| Our hotel in Pinsk |
Saturday 19th. After breakfast we headed back to the Vyhanascanskaje reserve again this to the woods. After a half an hour drive along a forest track and then another half hour walk in the woods with midges everywhere Alexandre took us to the nest of a Great Grey Owl, however the adults had not been seen there for a couple of days so we were all feeling a bit subdued. Alexandra played a call of a male, and a female answered then with a bit of searching Julie saw her sitting on the branch within 30 metres. We watched with amazement for half an hour or more taking numerous pictures before heading off leaving Alexandre there to show the next group of birders.
After lunch we stopped at an open area to look for raptors where we saw a couple of Montagues Harriers and a Greater Spotted Eagle confirmed by its baggy trousers.
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| Greater Spotted Eagle |
Another lengthy drive took us to the Sporauskaje Fen, stopping at a couple places firstly a boardwalk through long grass found us an Aquatic Warbler, another Montys, a couple of Hoopoes and a female Citrine Wagtail. A stop further along the road gave us scope views of a couple more Aquatic Warblers and another Citrine Wagtail.
With all the key birds seen on the trip we now headed to Biaroza our stop for the night. Dinner and a 6am Breakfast both taken in a motorway service station before our 3 hour journey back to Minsk on Sunday 20th.
Thanks to Paul, Alan, Sandra, Julie and Malcolm for joining me on this trip, and to Natalia for looking after us and making sure Julie got her fresh milk!
