📖 Biebrza Marshes 14th - 18th May 2025

After a few days in Mikolajki, the following four days of our holiday in Poland were spent in the Biebrza Marshes National Park, but we did not experience the park at its best. The region has seen unusually dry weather, leading to record-low water levels in the Biebrza River and a severe drought. Unlike the park’s typical spring floods, water levels in the Biebrza River fell by 30 cm, transforming wetlands into tinderboxes.

Our four-night accommodation in Budne in Biebrza National Park. Fortunately, it was taken on the only sunny day. From here on, it will be heavy showers and thunderstorms! 

This drought and the severe dryness of the marshes from the previous year contributed to a devastating fire in the Biebrza National Park in April 2025. The fire, which spread rapidly, was fueled by dry reeds and sedge meadows, exacerbated by the drought conditions. The fire caused extensive damage to the park's natural habitats, including reed beds, sedge meadows, and even forested areas. 

The boardwalk at Bagno Lawki Marsh is a good place for Aquatic Warblers, but it lacked water during our visit.

Since 2021, annual precipitation has steadily declined, with minimal rainfall in the autumn of 2024 and a snowless winter. These conditions have left the park’s peatlands and grasslands critically dry. Local experts note that the region’s groundwater levels fell to 0.6 meters below the surface in March, further drying out peatlands that are critical for water retention and biodiversity. The absence of spring inundations, which normally sustain the park’s wetlands, has transformed lush habitats into dry, steppe-like landscapes. We've witnessed this firsthand; for instance, visiting a well-known breeding area for White-winged Terns that was devoid of water. We have also walked through areas of pine bog forest and alder swamps that similarly lacked water, creating quite a soul-destroying feeling. This drying trend threatens not only the park’s flora but also its fauna, including rare bird species like the Aquatic Warbler, Corncrake, and Eurasian Curlew, which rely on wet habitats for breeding.

Ironically, over the past few days, we have been experiencing unusually cold conditions of 4 to 7 °c, accompanied by long periods of heavy rain and thunderstorms. The rain is, of course, a sorely needed commodity! It's as though the gods are conspiring against us. 

However, this is still a beautiful place to visit, and Dazza and I have made the most of our time here, believing we've done quite well. Despite the conditions, we've compiled a respectable species count of 125 birds, including some of our target species, such as Black Woodpecker, White-backed Woodpecker and Grey-headed Woodpecker.

Tomorrow, Sunday the 18th, we head off to the Bialowieza Forest for five days, and hopefully, the weather will improve. Below are some of our birding highlights thus far.

Red-necked Grebe - Dojlidy Fish Ponds

Penduline Tit - Dojlidy Fish Ponds

Common Rosefinch  - Dojlidy Fish Ponds

Red-backed Shrike - Dojlidy Fish Ponds

Marsh Harrier  - Dojlidy Fish Ponds

White Stork - Common throughout Poland.

Common Crane - Another common sight & sound while here.

Woodlark - On my morning walk in Budni

Crested Tit - A surprise on my morning walk.

Pied Flycatcher singing close by the accommodation.

Thrush Nightingale - Surprisingly common in the area.

Marsh Tit on one of our woodland walks.

Nuthatch

Whinchat

📖 Welcome to Poland 12/05/25

We arrived at Warsaw Modlin Airport on Sunday afternoon and, after picking up our hire car, stayed the night in a local hotel, overlooking the Narew River.

Monday, 12th May 2025, 🌤️ 16c ~ Wind N @ 2mph ~ After our overnight stay we set off north for a two-night stay in Mikolajki, which is about a 2 1/2 hour drive north. On the way, we stopped for a few hours at Kuligów, a village located in the bend of the Bug River. Here, there are many oxbows (U-shaped lakes) to explore, along with flooded meadows.

Black Tern fishing over an oxbow.

Unfortunately, due to an extended dry spell, the meadows lacked water, but we still enjoyed a long walk with plenty on offer. In fact, as we parked, we immediately heard a Thrush Nightingale singing from a nearby copse, and as we searched for the bird, an Icterine Warbler was also noted briefly. On the first oxbow, we could see several Black Terns fishing and a Great Reed Warbler was belting out its gruff, croaking song. As we walked up the bank to view, a White-tailed Eagle was seen over the distant treetops being mobbed by several Hooded Crows and a very vocal Raven. In the reedbeds, Sedge Warblers and the odd Reed Warbler were seen, plus around the water's edge, Western Yellow Wagtails. Barn Swallows, House Martins, Sand Martins and Common Swifts were also noted.

Great Reed Warbler from the reedbeds.

Western Yellow Wagtail.

As we walked across the meadows, Skylarks were singing overhead, and the Lapwings were constantly seeing off the Hooded Crows. A Hoopoe was also noted, and Dee spotted a very smart-looking Red-backed Shrike. As we approached a wet marsh area, a Corncrake suddenly began to call, but we didn't quite make contact with the bird. Searching among the small birch copses, a Common Redstart was seen, along with our second Icterine Warbler. Common Cranes could also be heard constantly during our stay, with several passing overhead.

Common Cranes

As we searched a few other oxbows for waders, we came across, somewhat surprisingly, our only wader of the day, a Wood Sandpiper. As I snapped a few images, we noticed towards the rear of the pool, a pair of Garganey dropped in and then, to our surprise, a Whooper Swan appeared from the reeds.

Wood Sandpiper - Surprisingly, our only wader of the day. 

Whooper Swan

It was an enjoyable few hours with Golden Orioles and Cuckoos calling, plus a nesting pair of Fieldfare, which I'd forgotten bred here. 

A nesting Fieldfare.

A good start with fifty Bird species: My eBird Checklist can be found HERE.

Also of note, a few species of butterfly, including Small Heath, Swallowtail, Small Copper and Sooty Copper.

Sooty Copper

Small Copper

Small Heath

Subnote...

Wood Warbler

Wood Warbler

Just before arriving at our next accommodation at Mikolajki, I managed a few photographs of the above Wood Warbler, which we heard from the car as we drove by some woodland. A good end to our first full day! 

📖 Muir of Dinnet 09/05/2025

Friday, 9th May 2025, 🌤️ 20c ~ Wind SSE @ 2mph ~ My final outing before heading to Poland for twelve days on Sunday was a morning visit to Muir of Dinnet. 

It was a beautiful day with clear skies and a gentle breeze. The drive to The Muir of Dinnet takes about 40 minutes. This national nature reserve covers 1,166 hectares, stretching from the River Dee to Culbean Hill. It includes a variety of habitats such as dry heath, raised bog, woodland, and two freshwater lochs: Loch Kinord and Loch Davan.

Today, I went for a clockwise walk around the woodlands with a stop to look over Loch Davan. Almost immediately after entering, I heard a Willow Warbler and Tree Pipit singing, with the latter perched at the very top of a tree. 

Tree Pipit in full voice.

About ten minutes into my walk, I met Daryl Short, the warden from Forvie Nature Reserve, who was overseeing a small group of visitors. After a brief chat, I continued on my way but stopped a few yards later when I spotted a female Common Redstart. I spent a little time with the group, trying to point out the bird, but everyone's attention shifted to a male Common Redstart that someone else had spotted. Lovely to see my first pair of the year. I decided to move on, and just as I turned, a Woodcock flew out from the undergrowth. Fortunately, a few members of the group were lucky enough to see it before it disappeared. It was a great start to my walk.

A Tree Pipit in parachuting song flight!

When I reached the ruined farmhouse at Old Kinord, I came across a family of Mistle Thrush and managed to gain a few shots of two rather large-looking youngsters.

Young but chunky Mistle Thrush.

While here, a male Common Redstart began to sing, and I sat for a while listening and taking a few photographs. You can't beat a male Common Restart, such a stunning bird. 

Male Common Redstart at Old Kinord

By the time I reached Loch Davan, I had recorded a further five Tree Pipits and three Common Redstarts, and although I heard my first Cuckoo of the year, I didn’t manage to see it. In fact, I heard two Cuckoos today but didn’t see either. 

Loch Davan used to be home to a pair of Great Crested Grebes, but sadly, since they were predated a few years ago, there have been no sightings of them. As far as I know, there are currently no locations in Aberdeenshire where these beautiful birds can be found. I spent half an hour overlooking Loch Davan, where I spotted a pair of Goldeneye, three Mute Swans, and, on the bank opposite, a single Curlew and an Oystercatcher. There were a few Barn Swallows and as I was watching a couple of Common Sandpipers flying around in chase, I noticed an Otter near the centre of the loch, and as I looked up, an Osprey was passing overhead, pretty surreal! 

A pair of Common Sandpipers at Loch Davan.

Osprey at Loch Davan.

Out over the mountain tops, a distant large raptor caught my eye, being mobbed by a few Buzzards. This turned out to be a White-tailed Eagle, and I managed a few distant (very distant) record shots, one of which I'll post at the end. 

After running into Mark Sullivan and Rob Leslie halfway through my walk, I had a quick catch-up with them before continuing along the high track above Loch Kinord. I was mainly hoping to spot some Adders, but unfortunately, I didn’t see any today. However, I did encounter my fourth Common Redstart, which was a singing male. On my return to the car park, I noted several new additions to my list: a Garden Warbler, Chiffchaff, Common Whitethroat, Song Thrush, Siskin, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker. Forty-four bird species today, plus the addition of various numbers of Butterflies: Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Comma, Orange-Tip, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and Green-veined White. A very productive morning's work. 

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Otter at Loch Davan

Magnifying Glass time! White-tailed Eagle!

📖 Loch of Strathbeg - Temminck's Stint 02/05/2025

Friday, 2nd May 2025, 🌤️ 9c ~ Wind W @ 17mph ~ I decided to head over to Loch of Strathbeg this morning in the hope of connecting with a couple of Wood Sandpipers that have been reported over the last couple of days. It would also be of interest to see a drake Cinnamon Teal (of unknown origin), which was also on site. It was yet another instance of perfect timing, as just as I drove into the village, news came through of a Temminck's Stint. 

Drake Cinnamon Teal, which never came quite close enough for a decent photograph. 

When I arrived, there were four Tree Sparrows on the feeders and then I headed straight around to the bench area, which overlooks Starnafin Pools. There, I found Tom Kirkpatrick, who had reported the bird. Tom is a regular here, and so it was also good to have a catch-up. It didn't take long to connect with the Temminck's Stint, plus a couple of Wood Sandpipers just below our viewing point. 

Record shot of Temminck's Stint. 

It was actually a real 'waderfest' today and I ended up with four Wood Sandpipers, two Ruff, four Ringed Plover, two Little-ringed Plover, eight Black-tailed Godwit and single Dunlin and Oystercatcher.

Two of the four Wood Sandpipers seen today. 

I spent an enjoyable 90 minutes with forty-one species, although I did return to the car at one point to grab my heavy coat and gloves, the stiff westerly breeze was quite bracing!

Ruff on Starnafin Pools.

A few more year-ticks included my first House Martins and Common Terns, and other notable sightings included a Male Marsh Harrier, and wildfowl consisted of Shoveler, Shelduck, Wigeon, Teal and thirteen Gadwall, a good number for the site. The Black-headed Gull colony was busy, and Herring Gull, Common Gull and two Lesser-black Backed Gulls were also noted.

A few more Wood Sandpiper images from the visit...