Eastern Poland June 2026

More Editing and Photos to come

Place names in brackets are where I stayed the night.

Monday 8 May (Warsaw)

Arrived at Warsaw at 6 pm. Not a single bird noted on my short drive to my overnight hotel or outside when I had a few beers later!

For most of the trp I had sore ankles which limited the amount of walking I could do.

Tuesday 9 June (Goniądz)

Awake to the sound of a Collared Dove, outside the hotel Swift and Jackdaw. I then drove east at 0430 missing the Warsaw traffic. Very few birds in the air over the motorway, highlight had to be 3 Moose/Elk in the middle of a field. When I eventually left the motorway several White Storks in a freshly cut field. I then came across a couple of Cranes.

Wizna Marshes/Farmland

Starling, Hooded Crow, Swallow, Red-backed Shrike, Hoopoe, Yellowhammer, Grey Heron, Sand Martin, Skylark, Rook, Marsh Harrier, Rook, Yellow Wagtail, Kestrel. No Ruffs at the leking site, had to make do with the first Curlew. Cuckoo, 2 more Cranes, Reed Bunting.

A Nightingale sounded different Thrush Nightingale and checked out OK on Merlin. Marsh Warbler, Blackcap, Golden Oreole, Song Thrush, Woodpigeon, Chaffinch, Raven, Common Buzzard, Great Reed Warbler, Goldfinch, Linnet, Montagu's Harrier, House Sparrow, House Martin, Fieldfare, Black Redstart, Magpie, Tree Sparrow, Great Tit.

Brzostowo

Black Terns only tern presentand probably nesting in the reedbed. One of the Black Terns had caught an Emperor Dragonfly. Great White Egret, Redshank, Ruff, adult White-tailed Eagle.

Black Tern

Mścichy

Went down the wrong lane to the Marshes, but did find a load of new trip species Whitethroat, Willow Tit. Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Icterine Warbler, Blackbird,

Goniądz

Wednesday 10 June (Goniądz)

Gugny

Walked way out into the marsh, new birds Meadow Pipit, Hobby and a Lesser Spotted Eagle with two coloured leg wings.

Lesser Spotted Eagle

Dluga Luka Boardwalk

Spent a couple of hours at the end of the Boardwalk after Aquatic Warbler mid morning. Kept getting glimpses and poor photos, but persistence paid off in the end when I got some acceptable photos. Winchats and a male Montagu's Harrier. Short distant view of a Snipe, I was later told that Great Snipe is the most likly here?

Aquatic Warbler

Barwik

Wood Warbler heard, Garden Warbler, Great Grey Shrike, Great Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker adult with juvenile.

On the road

Jay, Robin

Thursday 11 June (Goniądz)

Goniądz

Very heavy early morning rain, meant a rare lay in. Rain stopped about 8am. Good start when I came across two Lesser Whitethroats chasing each over around my apartments garden.

Drive along the River Biebrza between Dolistowo Stare and Kopytkowo

Two Grey Patridge were my first ever outside the UK. Regular light showers for the rest of the morning. Along the river Mute Swan, Mallard a a passing Black Tern. Cranes feeding in fields.

Common Crane

Early afternoon because of high winds spent some time in the woods off Csar's Road, but nothing new, apart from Chaffinchs, little singing.

Osowiec Twierdza

Set out to walk along the boadwalk here, but due to the fact it was rotting away I did not get far. Trees had grown up around the observation tower, so you could see no water. The viewing platform could not be accessed due to it also rotting away, again there seemed to be no open water. At a pond near the fort the first Moorhen, I always find this species to be scace in Europe.

Early evening  spent an hour or so overlooking the marshes near Goniądz only had Marsh Harrier and Hobby raptor wise, several Cranes and a large flock of Starlings going to roost.

Friday 12 June (Goniądz)

While on the road out a young Red Fox and several Roe Deer, later in the day another 3 Red Foxes.

Kuligi Bridge

6 hour plus steakout for Greater Spotted Eagle. A warden stopped and told me they were nesting nearby, but all I got were Lesser Spotted and White-tailed Eagles. Plenty of birdsong about including Great Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Marsh Warbler, Common and Lesser Whitethroat. Star bird was a photogenic Scarlet Rosefinch. The first I have ever managed to Photograph. While I stood on the bridge a Pine Martin came up to me, not sure, who was most surprised! The Pine Martin then ran past me over the bridge and into the distant wood.

Pine Martin

Grzedy Forest walk

Wren, Icterine Warbler, Common Treecreeper (ID from photo), Wood Warblers.

Returned to Kuligi Bridge late afternoon, managed to pick the first trip Common Reed Warbler out from all the singing Great Reed, Sedge and Marsh Warblers. A heavy shower about 5 pm had me heading back to my apartment.

Saturday 13 June

Kuligi Bridge

Just after I arrived I was getting my equipment ready to leave the car when amazingly two Pine Martins crossed the bridge and scarpered off down the road towards the wood. A little later when I was stood on the bridge another Pine Martin tried to cross the bridge, only this time, it has second thoughts, when it saw me and turned around and ran back down the lane to the woods. Birds pretty much as yesterday, a male Scarlet Rosefinch, showed well. Come mid morning I went for a drive, first trip Red Squirrel,

Sunday 14 June (Budy)

Knyszyn-Zamek Fishponds

Great Crested Grebe, Coot, Black-headed Gull, Common Tern, Whooper Swan, Tufted Duck, Two immature Larus Gulls were too far away to identify.

Czechowizna Reservoir

Two immature Caspian Gulls and Mute Swan all that was on the water.

Siemienowaka Reservoir

Greater Spotted Eagle, Black Stork.

Greater Spotted Eagle

Monday 15 June (Budy)

On an early morning shopping run to Hajnowka a Hawfich took off from the roadside.

Białowieża Forest

Heavy showers for most of the day suppressed bird songbird and finding even the most common birds was difficult. Spent a lot time in the car sheltering from the rain in a large area of wet grassland/reedbeds where it took until late afternoon to find anything of interest when a Lesser Spotted Eagle spent a long time perched on a birch tree.

Tuesday 16 June (Budy)

Grassland near Pogorzelce

A Lesser Spotted Eagle was in the same tree as the previous day.

Zebra Zubra

First Nuthatch.

Biaĺowieza Village/Park

Serin, Spotted Flycatcher, Redstart.

Grassland near Pogorzelce

Later afternoon I returned to the LS Eagle site and went up into the observation tower. There was a Corncrake calling below the tower. There was then a heavy shower for over an hour. The Corncrake kept calling during the rain and managed to move 180 degrees around the tower including going under a boadwalk without being seen!

Wednesday 17 June (Budy)

Off to a good start when a Green Sandpiper flew up from the road as I left Budy.

Biaĺowieza Village/Park

Collared Flycatcher, Middle Spotted Woodpecker. Returned late afternoon and found a Wryneck

Middle Spotted Woodpecker

Another Hawfich put up from the roadside.

Siemienowaka Reservoir

Returned here to try and find Citrine Wagtail which apparently were present last week. First trip Stonechat. No Wagtail and the only Eagle a distant White-tailed.

Thursday 18 June (Budy)

Just as I left Budy early morning I came across a Bison feeding by the roadside. Put my hazard lights on, managed a few photos, then two cars came from behind and drove the Bison into the woods.

Biaĺowieza Village/Park

On an overhead cable out on the grasslands the first trip Corn Bunting.

Went on a six hour bike ride around the forests, just the most common birds, highlight first trip Sparrowhawk and a Norfolk Hawker from a bridge over a river.

Scarlet Rosefinch

Poplar Admiral

Friday 19 June

Budy

Left my apartment at 4 am to see if I could find the local Bison. Faily quickly I came across two in a meadow just as two car loads of photographers arrived. Managed to get to a safe distances from the Bison, although an overcast morning managed some acceptable photos.

European Bison

Bridge over River Narewka

I saw a Green Sandpiper near the bridge fly into a small wet area next to the observation tower. I quickly went to the tower and managed to see a pair of Green Sandpipers mating.

Green Sandpipers

Biaĺowieza Park

Just before I parked up, a Warbler landed on a branch next to the car. Best described as a slim greenish warbler. It was not a Chiffchaff Willow Warbler or Wood Warbler. I hesitated to go for my bins or camera, went for the camera, but when I dropped the window it flew off. Could it have been a Greenish Warbler they do ocure in the area?

Wryneck

On the drive back to Warsaw Airport I drove on to a quiet farm track for my lunch and a toilet break, while doing the latter to my surprise a very white harrier flew by. I jumped back into my car and followed it to a nearby field. Managed a few photos, at first thought Pallid, when I looked at the photos, it had 5 primaries, so male Hen Harrier. When I got home on the screen it soon became aparent it was not a Hen Harrier, but a Marsh Harrier. Probably a very old male, not found anything this white in the books. If I had seen it at a distance or very high without a photo I would have gone for Hen Harrier!

Marsh Harrier

I got to Warsaw Airport nearly 3 hours early for my Ryanair flight to Manchester . No check in desk numbers displayed. After walking up and down the terminal, I could find no signage indicating which desks may be used. I eventually asked at information and told the correct numbers.  Eventually found a huge queue at the desks which was not open. They did not open the desks until less than two hours before the flight and there was another Ryanair flight to Paphos 10 minutes before mine. Eventually the desk opened and it took nearly an hour to get through. Only 3 desks were open to deal with two flights 10 minutes apart. Long walk to gate with me limping from a bad ankle. Another huge queue at border control and we were told by staff with helper logos we would be OK for Manchester and had to stand aside for the Paphos flight passingers. Eventually got through to be told, I could not board with at least 20 others! Took another hour to get through immigration out again. Then had to find my bag. Booked a flight to Leeds late afternoon the following day Saturday. Had to get a taxi to a hotel for the night.

Saturday 20 June

The following day I caught a late afternoon flight to Leeds. This time I knew which desk to go to and 8 check in desks opened two hours before the flight and no queue at border control! Flightdelayed taking off for 35 minutes, this meant I just missed the hourly bus to Leeds, got home 11 pm.

Still trying to get Ryanair to respond to my complaints about there poor check in desks.

Butterflies

Red Admiral, Large White, Small Heath, Large Skipper, Orange Tip, Small Tortoishell, Large Heath, Bog Fritillary, Common Blue, Comma, Pearly Heath, Meadow Brown, Poplar Admiral, More to come

Bog Fritillary

Dragonflies

Black-tailed Skimmer, Beautiful Demoiselle, Four-spot Chaser, Norfolk Hawker, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Downy Emerald, Large Red-eyed Damselfly, More to come

Norfolk Hawker