Dolphins my Ass

That might seem a strange title for a birding trip to Scotland but if you read on you will get it. So I loaded up my car with a sleeping bag food gear and spare clothes and set of from my home heading for Scotland I started the long journey about 8pm and was surprised re the amount of traffic still on the roads but I made good time and soon was at a service station on the outskirts of Glasgow after a short rest I pushed on and spotted a Barn Owl hunting right next to the service station. I made it to someway past Perth and was begging to flag a bit, by now it would be about 2am. So I pulled over into a lay by on the A9 but I did not really feel very comfortable with this location as at any point someone could easy plough into the back of me so I pushed on and saw a sign for Kinnloch Rannoch and pulled of the A9 and drove onto a very quiet road. I found a lay by and parked up and jumped into the back and wrapped the sleeping bag around me I did not unzip it and get in it as as of yet I had not worked out how to lock the car up from inside so I veered on the sign of caution. But I did drift of for some hours and woke around about 5am either because it was becoming light or I was cold. i fired up the car engine and put the heater on which I did not really fully understand how to operate but it did warm up a tad then I put on the in car maps device which again I did not fully understand and it became a real pain for the whole trip, but I did have my phone and set up maps on that but the phone screen has so many cracks it would not load a route I could follow other than looking at the screen to find my location. So I set off and realised my next problem fuel I had less than half a tank and service stations would not be open even if there was any. But never mind as this short trip is about seeing birds but also about learning and gaining experience for longer trips. After a few lay by stops to check my location I made it to Thumel Bridge then pulled of the Kinnloch Rannoch road and headed for Trinafour then made a sharp left back to Kinnloch Rannoch according to my info which is years old there should be a Black Grouse lek somewhere up ahead somewhere on the left. Instead of looking for likely lek areas which I would not really have a clue about I looked for human activy cars pulling of road tire tracks or other twitchers. I saw nothing other than a good spot to pull off road leading into the moorland type terrain. I got out the car and had a scan with the binoculars whilst doing this I started to here this bubbling sound and other unfamiliar noises and I immediately knew it was the sound of Black Grouse. After locating the Black Grouse I returned to the car and set up the scope for better viewing. There was 4 Male Black Grouse on the lek all in combat postures looking like sumo wrestlers with there wings spread out and strutting about giving it some, fighting each other now and then i never located a female but imagine they was about and really its the Males you want to see and even better to view them at there lek, which is a traditional site they have used for years and years to congregate fight and strut there stuff to win a female. To see this event you have to be there very earlier in the morning first light if possible which has a downside as it was bitterly cold and after 45mins I had, had enough also they are a Schedule 1 Bird which makes it an offence to disturbed them, which I am glad I did not but I was glad to view them for a short time fantastic. 

Next I pushed on to my next destination Loch Ruthven near Inverness but first I had to sort out the heater problem in the car or really non problem as all I had to do was work out how to operate it properly and soon I was warm as toast, then the more pressing problem of finding fuel I did find a garage before I ran out but had to wait over an hour for it to open. So I had another go at setting up in car maps, which had me returning to my home address and annoyed me so much I turned it off. Whist waiting for the garage to open it started to snow and I thought I was in for a rough day. 

Now fuelled up I pressed on to Loch Ruthven which I found fairly easily parked up and headed for the hide. Slavonian Grebe is the Bird to see here and within a few mins I have scoped 3 Birds then 1 Bird swan over to the hide and gave fantastic scope views I could see every feather. By now the weather has turned, blue clear sky sun out its not roasting but hey its turning into a warm day.

I pushed on past Inverness and made a roadside stop somewhere near RSPB Tollie and noted Red Kites, then onwards across country to Ulapool and upwards to Loch Maree the countryside was spectacular but it was a disappointing choice bird wise the info I had was it was a good spot to see nesting red throated and black throated divers on the loch but I could not find a spot to even view the loch so i pushed on and pulled up somewhere on the road to Tarbet about 6pm had something to eat and by 8pm was safely tucked up in my sleeping bag car doors locked and the next I knew was its 5am next morning. I took a few shots of the scenery yesterday but really viewing them later they do not give you the immense countryside you see as you pass through it is truly stunning.

I drive of to Tarbet which is the starting point for catching a short boat trip to Handa Island as I make my way there I stop at all the Lochs and pools looking for divers in summer plumage which are spectacular birds to see but I reckon I’ve made a bit of a bo bo trying this as they wont be easy to see whilst on there nests and also they feed mostly on the open sea I do note 2 black throated divers fly past or at least I reckon they are at one of the stops I made, but that is only judged on the calls they made so I don’t tick them on this judgement as I am not that familiar with there calls, also noted a large raptor but could not id it as the view was very brief. At Tarbet I get the info that the boat to Handa will run from 9am so I got about an hour to wait till then. A few others arrive and 5 off us set off for the Island me a Welsh Father and Daughter and a presumed Scottish couple, the Welsh guys give me info re the Divers and say they seen them most days on the sea. The weather is not as good as yesterday its not cold cold but the sky is overcast and its raining now and then, I’ve put on my waterproofs and so do the Welsh crew there’s no point being uncomfortable over there on the Island as the boat does not run to any schedule and you could find that you have to wait some more hours on the Island till the ferry boat will come and pick you up, It takes about 10mins to cross the sea to reach Handa were you will greeted by volunteers who stay on the Island and guide you to a info centre and give you a map and dos and don’ts whilst on the Island then your free to explore within the guidelines.

I set off and steam up the hill and see a Great Skua sat on a rock totally unconcerned about me, he has arrived on Handa after spending months and months at sea to now kill everything he can, mate and kill some more. I move on and pass the old abondend village and head to the centre of the Island I look up to the sky and see a huge raptor in front of me long wings long tail there is only one type of Eagle it can be in this location a Golden Eagle. Next up a pair of very vocal divers fly past, which should be Red Throated Divers based on all there in flight calling. I arrive at Puffin Bay were many Great Skuas are bathing in the small loch and the huge cliffs have thousands of Guillemots, Razorbills and smaller numbers of Fulmers nesting there with a few Puffins also on the top of the cliffs were they make there burrows to nest in. The Guillemots and Razorbills lay there eggs on the smallest ledge they can find on the cliff faces, this is so the Skuas cant attack them or snatch there chicks, then at around 3 weeks old the chicks jump from the cliffs to be fed on the open sea by there parents and now the Skuas mate and have a never ending supply of chicks to feed there own offspring’s.

As i was watching the bird activity a huge fin rose up out of the sea very close to the cliffs, then another and another then the front half of a huge something with a white patch towards the front on the side of the something. I immediately thought it can only be a killer Whale. My knowledge of killer Whales or Dolphins is very limited and I called out to the Scottish couple who had begun to walk off and pointed down into the sea, they returned and we watched these huge creatures for the next 10 mins breaking the surface with there massive fins and front area with the white spot on, as they swam off I approached the Scottish couple and asked them there opion on what it was we all just saw, the women made no comment but the guy reckoned they were common Dolphins, which I doubted and on my return to base I would be looking up pictures of Dolphins via killer Whales and even finding out if Killer Whales are even seen in Scottish waters. I wandered off towards the Great stack and found the Welsh Father and Daughter there and 2 off the volunteer wardens, the Welsh guy immediately asked me if I had seen the pod of killer Whales. When the Scottish couple arrived at the Great stack area I let them know it was killer Whales we saw not Dolphins, the women had made a video on her camera and showed it to the 2 volunteer wardens who confirmed yes indeed we had been watching a pod of killer Whales.

The Great Stack is a better spot for viewing birds and I managed to pick out the Razorbills here from the Guillemots also more Puffins nest here, I carried on and completed the circular route around the Island and returned to the visitor centre, were I enquired re the Arctic Skuas and was informed they have not returned to breed as of yet, so I will make a return trip in a month or so combined with a visit to the Cairngorms area. 

Back on the mainland i headed off and made my way to the now called Lochinver costal route, which at one point was the main road to Lochinver. Its very narrow with many passing places which really your not meant to stop in for any length of time or abandon your vehicle in and wander off, I found a good passing place by the sea and parked up and noted 2 fast flying birds over the water, black with white wing spots, red legs and feet a pair of Black Guillemots, at another passing place I cast my eye over the bird less sea and up popped a summer plumaged Black Throated Diver right in front of me, then lo and behold up pops a summer plumaged Red Throated Diver, I watched the Divers till they went out of sight then drove on to Lochinver for a fish and chip meal but I could not find a chippie. So I fired up the on board gps and punched in my post code 7 secs later its got me a route home, its telling me how many hours of driving it will take, how many hours it will take, the locations of the petrol stations, places of interest, fuel consumption and no doubt anything else you might need to know, technology is only as good as the operator of it.

Around about Perth I was beginning to flag and driving conditions were poor so I pulled up in a safe lay by and spent the night there and pushed on in the morning. I reckon I spent about £80.00 on fuel but saved a £100.00 by sleeping in the car and taking my own food. 

Conclusions. I learned a fair bit re travelling long distance in a car and sleeping in it, your up at first light, not sleeping in a b and b awaiting breakfast which easily cuts down on birding and driving time. Fantastic Birds seen in a dramatic landscape and killer Whales as a bonus.

Garden Twitch January 2023

Not been Birding for a while now. Covid put an end to it plus some other events but im hopefull to be able to make some more trips soon. But i am off to good start this Year. I was waiting for someone to pick me up me and drive me someplace as it was hammering down with rain as it had been for hours and hours i was looking out of my front window every now and then. I was doing this so when the person turned up in his car they would see me at the window and not have to get soaking wet by knocking on my front door. My eyes caught some movement along the small garden wall that seperates my garden from next doors. A small round black brown bird hopping about it then turned around to show its white breast area a White Throated Dipper in the garden. It searched this area for a few minutes then flew onto the top of the garden wall then flew off. A most unusual sighting for my location. As you can see in the photo, calling this area a garden requires a bit of imagination. Also this location is dry in the photo but at the time the Dipper was present that area was like a mini stream.

Bulgaria May 2019

During the later part of February i decided to have a nose around the Internet to see if i could find any flights to destinations that i am interested in visiting. My first search was Easy jet to Sofia and there it was a £90.00 return flight to Sofia on May the 9th. You can hire a car from the Easy jet web site from Europa car who i used last year and have again used for this trip. Flight and car hire for the week and my credit card is down £220.00.

Next i spent some time on researching birding spots. My first thought was to spend most of the week in the Western Rhodope Mountains heading for the Tigrad gorge and giving myself a couple of days there to see the Wallcreeper then heading of to the Eastern Rhodopes for the last few days. As i looked into it further i then decided to go straight to the Eastern Rhodopes and the Sakar hills area. With an idea that if i had seen most of my target birds to then visit the Tigrad gorge but further research suggested that the Wallcreeper has not been seen at the known site in the Tigrad gorge for at least the last 2 years. So the final plan is to drive from Sofia to the Eastern Rhodopes and spend 4 nights there then possibly drive up to Pomire for a visit to the salt pans for Waders then onwards to re visit Durunkuluk and Kavarna leaving a long drive back to Sofia on my last full day.

Next i used Booking.com to get some idea of the cost of hotels in the area and i ended up making a reservation for 4 nights at Hristo Cholakov Museum situated in the village of Borislavtsi. Which is less than a 10 min drive to Madzharovo. There advert suggests i have booked a room with an extra large double bed, en suite, free off road parking, free Wifi and free toilet paper. Total cost for 4 nights £38.00. I reserved a room at the Hristo partly on cost but also its location being near all of the top birding sites and the Sakar hills are only around about an hours drive away. Also there advert suggests (at least to me ) they cook up an evening meal for there guests which would be good as i could then sample Bulgarian home cooked food and not have to search out restaurants in the evening.

Well I made it to Manchester airport in good time. Its an early morning flight to Sofia so i arrived at the airport the previous evening and spent the night at the airport its not ideal but its the best way for an early morning departure by the time you arrive at a hotel at the airport its just about time to leave and start the process of getting through security which on occasions can be a lengthy wait. This time i sailed threw without a hitch and at about 6.45am we were on our way to Sofia.

Day 1.
At Sofia i picked up the hire car a Kia Picanto the same as my last visit even the same colour potentially the same car, i cast my eyes up to Mt Vitosha but its was covered in cloud and the temperature was on the cool side overcast Sky's with a cool wind. I put maps on and after a false start found my way out of Sofia and onto the motorway heading for Plovdiv.  I made a stop to get some water and a sandwich then proceed to my pre arranged appointment with Baba Vanga. The well known Bulgarian seer and prophet who predicted the 9/11 Terror attacks and who would win the last World Cup. She told me i would see 20 new bird species on this trip.

Consulting Baba Vanga.

Soon after my reading with Baba Vanga i made a roadside stop for a rest and spotted a good candidate for a Female Honey Buzzard, long tail, Cuckoo like head thinnish long wings, with pale hands to the upper wings.

After 3 hours of motorway style driving i have driven as far as Harmani were i see a roadside sign for Madzharovo and pull of the motorway then make a stop in Harmani for some food then onwards to Madzharovo only around about 50 miles to my final destination Borislavtsi.  I made another short stop and caught a Nightingale singing from a branch out in the open, then a Great Reed Warbler started singing which had me confused as there was no reed beds around and the bird was singing from a bush. I started to climb and the road deteriorated to the worst i have ever driven on in Bulgaria pot holes after pot holes bits of roads washed away up and down Mountains this part of the journey took over 2 hours of very careful driving a few times i made stops just to check i was actually on the main road to Madzharovo and not some back road to a farm. Eventually i started to drop down into the valley were Madzharovo is located and passed a couple of likely good birding stops to visit tomorrow at the bottom of the pass a signpost informs Borislavtsi is 10 kms away, again i passed some very good looking birding areas to visit and made a short stop seeing a Black Kite sail over the top of the craggy peaks. Onwards to Borislavtsi on an equally bad road over another mountain pass and around about 8pm i arrive at my hotel which i find easily enough as Borislavtsi is only a very small village.

At the hotel no one speaks English and no one is expecting me, luckily a Bulgarian guy who speaks English arrives at the hotel who is also staying here for a few days exploring the area looking for rocks in the mountains.
He explains to the owners re my Booking.com reservation who have also taken payment for my stay and explains this to the owners who must have a Son our Daughter operating the Booking.com site who have failed to inform their parents of my upcoming stay.

They show me to the room i will be staying in for the next 4 nights. I did not expect much from this place, but the room was OK and the shower was very good. I reckoned when i booked the room that they served up a nice Bulgarian meal to there guests in a restaurant type area, this area turned out to be the local bar were the local men meet for drinks and chatting, the same ones every night some friendly to me some indifferent. I asked about getting a meal and was served the below which was OK for £2.00 and was washed down with a Kaminista at 50p a bottle.

I chatted to the Bulgarian guy who has come to the area to collect rocks. Madzharovo was once a mining Town and many different rocks can be found in the area. The owner of the hotel was a miner  and has a small museum at the hotel of all the different rocks he has collected and i guess is the local expert in the area.

Day 2.
Slept OK i did keep my track suit bottoms on and a T shirt as it was not so warm during the previous evening and the bed was short of any thick blankets. I peered out the door to be greeted to thick fog, which i was not expecting if its thick fog down here in the valley whats happening weather wise higher up the mountains, only one way to find out i thought so i fired up the Kia and drove off up the mountain to be greeted to a cloudless blue sky with potentially a warm day ahead.

I made a stop at the top of the pass in between Borislavtsi and Madzharovo the  terrain around is mostly trees, bushes with the odd bit of rock on show. The dawn chorus is in full swing Nightingales are calling all around me. I drive on and make another stop at a roadside pull in a bit further along the road on the descent into Madzharovo.

The terrain is a bit more open here bushes and rocks with the river meandering below. I get my first trip ticks a smart pair of Sombre Tits up close and i get great views, next up is an Eastern Subalpine Warbler but the view was brief. Followed by better views of a Cirl Bunting. Then a Tree Pipit flys up and does his song flight. I linger here for a fair while its a beautiful area of countryside and the sun is out warming me up.

I moved down the mountain and made another stop at a very craggy area to one side of the road with the river to the other side down below in the valley, their is a picnic table and chairs made up of the local stone and i linger here for quite a while walking up and down the road looking up at the craggy rock faces for birds.  Griffon Vultures are perched on the crags waiting for the air to warm up and provide them some lift to be able to ride a thermal instead of wasting energy flapping their huge wings to gain altitude. This area is well visited by birders and it is not long before a couple appear, one of who has visited this area before and gens me up on where to find the Western Rock Nuthatch and Olive Tree Warblers, more birders arrive in a transit van style bus from England and info is swapped. During one of my walks i came across an Ortolan Bunting and a perched Blue Rock Thrush high up on a crag.

I head down to the flat area in the valley and take a walk around the grassland dotted with small bushes and come across my first Black Headed Bunting a superbly colourful bird, a bright yellow plumage with a black head and bluish coloured bill. Further on another trip tick in the shape of a Turtle Dove and again a superbly colourful bird. Red Backed Shrikes and Woodchat Shrikes are flitting about and Corn Buntings are calling out. With Whitethroats calling from the bushes.

The Griffon Vultures have taken to the sky and are soaring above the valley flapping there huge wings now and then to gain altitude.

I head into Madzharovo  town centre and visit the local supermarket getting cold meat, bread and tomatoes then re visit the picnic area for my picnic style breakfast/lunch.

Fed and watered i drove off to visit a flat grassland area on the Madzharovo to Harmani road that goes down to the river seeing a few overhead calling Ravens and a Syrian Woodpecker.

Armed with the latest info re the Western Rock Nuthatch i headed further up this road, the Nuthatch is nesting as it did last year at the half moon shaped rock some way up the mountain road which upon arrival has a big pull in off road.

Its been on the cards for a while now and just as i pulled up into the large off road parking area it started to hammer down, a car load of birders arrived at this point jumped out and started the search for the nest site which one of them knew off, another birder approached me sat in my car sheltering from the downpour and asked if i was a birder which i replied yes but not in this weather as the rain eased off the birders pointed out the nest site to me then left me to it.
Soon after a couple of lady birders put in a appearance set up there scopes and grilled the nest site, one of them saw the bird arrive but i could not see it and with a bit of further guidance from them i located the nest site as before i was looking to far to the left. I could just about make out a small bird moving around with my binoculars but as the distance from the ground to the nest site is large. I could not really make out a definite Id. One of the lady birders had a top of the range scope which she had fitted with a special adaptor to be able to hold a camera phone and she was videoing the bird, she invited me over to watch the video and i had superb views of the Western Rock Nuthatch at his nest site which he was busily repairing, the nest is a work of art made out of mud that he has collected nearby then stuck it on to the rock face and shaped it like a funnel. The lady birders leave me to it and i keep watch on the Nuthatch but really he is just a speck in the distance viewed through binoculars.

I make my way back to the picnic site area and linger here till dusk watching the Griffon Vultures circling there roost and Black Storks that also roost here using one of the caves. A Peregrine Falcon circles the crags looking for his supper and i get better views of a Blue Rock Thrush.

The picnic table area. Madzharovo.

The 10 minute journey back to Borislavtsi actually takes at least half an hour due to the poor state of the road which also has another hazard in the shape of the mountain cows who are roaming around looking for food. As i approach Borislavtsi i make a stop and listen for bird calls. According to the info i gained earlier in the day i should be able to hear an Olive Tree Warbler. In fact i can hear quite a few Olive Tree Warblers calling. As there is hardly any light by now i retire to my Hotel, eat the same meal as yesterday and have a few Kaminista's with the locals. The Bulgarian guy who can speak English tells me of his days adventure in the mountains collecting rocks. He lets me know that if you go off up the mountains you should take bread with you. Which is not for yourself its to feed any dogs you come across. 

Day 3.

Up and about early no mist this morning but the sky is a grey colour and its not so warm i make the 2 minute journey out of the village to the Olive Tree Warbler site. At least 4 birds are calling but remain unseen bar brief flight views as they cross the road from one side to the other. A bird perches out in the open which turns out to be a Woodlark. After a 2 hour wait i eventually get a view of an Olive Tree Warbler which has flown over the road, gone into cover, then popped out on the top of a bush. The view was good enough for a trip tick although due to the light conditions it just looked like a largish dull Warbler.

I drove back to the hotel and picked up my passport as my next destination would be very close to the border with Turkey. Many White Storks are nesting in the village and if you have one nesting at your home it will bring you good luck according to local custom, on the outskirts of Borislavtsi is a small stream which had a Black Stork fishing for his breakfast. I took an equally poor road over the mountains heading for Silvengrad, my idea to visit the Sakar hills area from this location is not really going to be possible as it is very slow going getting in and out of the Madzharovo area. 

At Silvengrad i take another small road towards the village called Shtit, by now the sun is out and it is fairly warm, along the way i make a stop at a open grassland area with small bushes dotted about which had Eastern Olivaceous Warblers singing and i got some good views of these birds, also a flock of Bee Eaters are in this area, another superbly colourful bird. I made a few more roadside stops and note many Woodchat/Red Backed Shrikes but no Masked Shrike, at one of the stops i see a Warbler gliding into a bush which can only be an Olive Tree Warbler. By now i am getting a bit low on fuel and also hungry so i return to Silvengrad for petrol and food. 

Next i take another small road towards Levka and make a stop for breakfast/lunch. A Tree Sparrow flys in and perches on the fence to see what i am up to, fed and watered i carried on to Levka.

At Levka i visited the Lesser Kestrel reintroduction centre were i saw 5 Lesser Kestrels free flying around the centre, as time was getting on i thought i should make a move back to base, i did not fancy taking the road over the mountains i had travelled this morning, so i drove back to Silvengrad then used the main road for a quick journey up to Harmani then took the mountain road to Madzharovo.

At some point on the mountain road i came across a police check stop and they pulled me over. The police man who approached me spoke good English and informs me of who he is, then asks for my documents, i show him my passport, then he wants to see my driving licence but i do not have it with me, it is back in the hotel. He takes my passport and goes to consult 3 other police officers and i note they are recording my passport details on a laptop. Next they ask me to get out of the car and take a breathalyser test for alcohol, which is roughly the same as in the UK you blow into a machine which will measure any alcohol in your system. I take 2 blows both negative which makes them happy with me, but the lack of a driving licence is still a problem to them and they say i have to go back to Harmani police station with them, I argue there is no point in going back to Harmani police station as the driving licence is in Borislavsti and also how can i hire a car without having a licence. I say that in 2 days time i will be in Harmani and i could then drop into the police station with my driving licence, and they agree with this idea and let me continue my journey.

At some point after the this event i turn a corner and i flush a Honey Buzzard who was feeding by the side of the road, which has a big lay by and i do a quick u turn and pull up. Actually there was 2 Honey Buzzards down on the ground as i note one of them flying off into the forest, but one bird only flys off to the nearest tree and perches there. I get a stunning view of this Honey Buzzard a Male bird absolutely fantastic. He is that close i can see every detail wow.

By now its around about 6pm and i make my way into Madzharovo town, to eat something different for tea and make a stop at the big restaurant just as you arrive in Madzharovo centre. They have got a menu with photos of the meals that you can order with a description in English as to what are the ingredient's.

I chose a Chicken dish and chips, i got the chips but not the chicken dish instead ending up with a huge omelet filled with bits of pork and grains which was rather filling but tasty and for about £4.00 you cant grumble.

Back at the hotel i visit the bar for a beer but i am stuffed with food and only have one bottle then retire to me room. I think it is the only hotel room i have ever stayed in that has cuddly toys to keep you company if you are feeling a bit lonely.

Day 4.
I did a lot of driving around yesterday so today i have decided to keep it local so to speak. My first outing was to the Olive Tree Warbler area just outside the village Borislavtsi. Its a pea souper today thick fog all around. First bird seen is a smart Sombre Tit. Within around about half an hour wait i get a decent view of an Olive Tree Warbler singing out in the open atop a bush but due to the light conditions i cannot see any detail on this bird. A while later the sun starts to make an appearance through the gloom and an Olive Tree Warbler comes crashing out of a bush right in front of me and i get a superb view of this large Warbler and can easily make out the pale wing panel.

The Olive Tree Warbler site in the gloom.

Next stop is up the mountain to be greeted to this, warm sunshine and no gloom.

Just as i park up a fairly large looking bird catches my attention in one of the many bushes, as he flys to another bush i can see a flash of white to the tail area.

As he goes from bush to bush i keep track of him he is a fairly large warbler with what looks like a black mask around his face with a white chin. An Eastern Orphean Warbler and for me a top spot. Next new bird seen is a Lesser Grey Shrike sat atop a bush warming himself no doubt in the lovely sunshine. 

I move on to a another roadside stop which is a bit more open terrain and get good views this time of 2 Eastern Subalpine Warblers. Also a pair of Honey Buzzards are up in the sky, i drive off to Madzharovo and get some cold meat, tomatoes, bread and return to this spot to have my breakfast.

Fed and watered i drove off to the picnic table area, then lingered here for quite a while watching the Black Storks and Griffons circling in the thermals i also saw another the same ? Blue Rock Thrush and a Black Kite.

Then down to the grasslands in the valley for more views of Shrikes. Buntings and Woodpeckers, also a 52 seater coach was parked down here carrying a big gang of birdwatchers.

Next stop was to the Nuthatch site and i could just about see the bird moving around at his nest site through my binoculars, i made a short walk in the area down the road a bit and the 52 seater coach arrived and everyone grilled the Nuthatch, possibly this Nuthatch is the most watched in Europe. Its turned into a hot day and i linger in the car in the shade awaiting any action. I saw a bird fly up from the valley and perch in a dead bush not so far away and i lazily cast my bins at it, which were out of focus for this short distance but i could make out a Bunting type bird with a bright orange/red breast area and a darker shaped head. Yes its a Rock Bunting but my view is blurred i exit the car and search the area for the bird as it has flown not long after landing, i can hear it calling but i never located it again. As the view was brief and also blurred i did not tick this bird as i would like to see it well. The only other birds noted was a Peregrine Falcon and Crag Martins.

I thought it likely the picnic table area would be in the shade by now so drove off and revisited the area. As i was sat in the car this bird appeared over the crags not once did it flap it wings, it could glide from side to side, up and down it was so low that i could see it moving its head from left to right searching for prey. A Short Toed Snake Eagle what a fantastic bird. Its able to hang motionless in the sky by making minor wing adjustments, with its distinct way of holding its wings when gliding it reminded me of an angel in the sky. Only this angel is the angel of death if your a Lizard our a Snake.
A while later i got my best views of the Blue Rock Thrush to date, the light was just right to be able to see the Blue feathers on the bird, another smart looking bird if seen well.

As Today is a Sunday i decided to re visit the restaurant i used yesterday down in Madzharovo for a nice tea and made an order for. Kofte, chips and a Shopska salad, which went down a treat.

Day 5.
Today i am leaving Borislavtsi and where i will be this evening i have no idea at present, i have various options open at the moment. I say my goodbyes to the hotel owner and take the road over the mountains to Harmani to visit the police station to show them my driving licence. I made a few stops en route but did not see anything of note. At Harmani i got some breakfast then decided i would not visit the police station. If it is a major problem i am sure Europcar can sort it out when i return the car back to them in Sofia.

I pushed on to Topolovgrad, somewhere on the road between Hlyabovo and Topolovgrad i made a stop in a lay by surrounded by forest, at this stop a notice board informs me that i have arrived at the area i want to be in which is the home of the mighty Eastern Imperial Eagle, it also informs me that only 26 pairs of Eagles live in the area so finding one could be quite a challenge. As i cast my eyes over the massive forest a huge Eagle is low down with monstrous wings flapping away, potentially it has just taken off as it is only just above the tree line, i grill it in the binoculars a massive dark brown Eagle with a light yellow brown head in the home of the Eastern Imperial Eagle. I lose sight of it as some trees are blocking my view so quickly get in the car and drive in the direction the bird was going, make a stop at a better viewpoint but i have lost sight of this bird. But never mind, what a moment i have spent 5 Min's in this area and seen the mighty Eastern Imperial Eagle.

After this i had a bit of a raptor fest from this viewpoint. Common Buzzards, and Honey Buzzards are circling in the sky a Hobby is flying around and a Short Toed Snake Eagle glides over.

I made a rest stop in Topolovgrad, parked up in the main st, you can get pizzas, burgers, change money, visit a chemist, or buy any amount of fruit and veg, there are cafes dotted about with people enjoying the sunshine sat outside, it looked clean and orderly. In stark contrast to Borislavtsi which looked dirty, tired and run down, all over Bulgaria the young people do not want the peasant existence they think they have seen a better life for them in the City's or even abroad. In all the small villages you usually only see older people the young have left and when the old pass away there houses fall into disrepair, in time some of these villages will be empty of people.

As i enjoy my slice of pizza for breakfast a Black Kite sails over the city. After breakfast i made a circular tour of the area on the small back roads at one stop in agricultural /steppe like habitat i saw a pale form Long Legged Buzzard another superbly colourful bird if seen well.

Then i headed off towards Burgas and spotted a small Eagle sat on the ground in grassland/woodland area, i could not stop at this point but he looked like a  Lesser Spotted Eagle to me. Nearer Burgas i pulled up to admire a Montagu's Harrier flying over the fields.

I pulled over in Burgas and set up maps to get me to my next destination the Pomorie Salt pans. As i made the turn off the main highway to the salt pans i see the way is blocked by a gate. I have no idea if this gate is closed because it is early evening or it is never open. So i park up and leave room for another vehicle to enter the site if needed. Early evening is not really the best time to visit the salt pans in my opinion, the sun is setting behind most of the pans which held the most Waders, which turned them into silhouettes also a scope would be useful here.

I did good views of Black Winged Stilts, a lone Wood Sandpiper over 50 Avocets and a party of Ruff who favoured a salt pan that i could look at with the sun behind me 6 Female birds and one very smart Male bird coming into breeding plumage. I also had good flight views of Little Terns.

As i walk back to the car i make the decision to press on and drive up to Kavarna from memory around about a 4 hour drive. That would give me all day tomorrow to visit Durunkulak for the Paddyfield Warbler. Who had not arrived on my previous visit last April.

Around about 11pm i arrived in Kavarna, re visited the hotel i stayed in last time and asked for a room, which i got last year i was charged 40 Levs a night, this time it was 35 Levs. Took a hot shower then bed.

Day 6.
Up early and on the road to Durankuluk, its quite misty and on the cool side with a lead grey sky. On the drive to the lake i see the only Roller of the trip perched on the telephone wires. At Camping Kokmok i pull into the large car park and straight away see 3 Cuckoos and Spotted Flycatchers. As i make my way down the track along the reed beds. Reed Warblers are calling. Great Reed Warblers are calling and so are many unseen Frogs its noisy. I reach an area with 2 small dead trees in the reed bed a small bird is singing from one of the dead trees, its a dainty looking bird with a small bill and straight away i note it does not look anything like a Reed Warbler, its posture is totally different it is singing but i can hardly hear the song as it is weak and with all the din going on i am only able to hear part of the song. The bird stays loyal to this area and pops up regularly from the reed bed to sing in the dead tree and over the space of a couple of hours i got to compare him with a nearby singing Reed Warbler visually. Also i start to pick up more of his weak song which sounds exactly the same as the song on my phone that i downloaded from Xeno Canto. Yep its a Paddyfield Warbler.

The Paddyfield Warbler site at Durankulak.

Other birds noted in this area where Squacco and Purple Herons and an unseen Savis Warbler calling from the reed bed. By now it had started to rain quite heavily so i cancelled the idea of having a walk around and drove off to the village for a coffee and chocolate breakfast at the supermarket area.

Next i drove down to Shabla and took the old road that leads back to Kavarna. I made a stop at a place i visited a few times last year which has a good pull in with bushes and a few pines trees to either side of a track leading down to the sea. Its not quite the Migrant hot spot it was last April and the only birds seen were Spotted Flycatchers a single Female Red Breasted Flycatcher and a few unseen Nightingales. As i walked back to the car out of the corner of my eye i spotted movement in the sky low down over the bushes and caught the tail end of a very large brown owl. Its got to be an Eagle Owl and i raced back down the track for another view, as i got into the open 2 Buzzards are mobbing something hidden down in the rocks on the beach. I got down to the rocks as quick as i could hoping to be able to flush the Owl but i could not find it.

Onwards to Kaliakra which i expected to be rammed with tourists but it was fairly quite, no tour buses in the car park and most visitors seemed to be locals, bar 4 Polish Birders and 1 lady who revealed herself to be a German who had a total melt down in the car park and started effing and jeffing at one of her kids, she was still giving it out when she drove off. 

I got a couple of West Pal ticks at the Cape. Alpine Swifts and Shag. Also a smart Yellow Legged Gull is stood far below on a rock. The Pied Wheatears were fearless as ever totally unconcerned by the hordes of visitors to the Cape and just got on doing whatever it is Pied Wheatear's do i even managed to get a few shots of one on my camera phone.

Its the black and white speck on the ground.

Flight shot of the Pied Wheatear.

Down at the Bolata Gorge i find a Hobby hunting along the cliffs, then a Great Reed Warbler gets my attention and is singing in the same area of reed bed that i saw my first ever Great Reed Warbler last year. I grill the cliffs and caves for any sign of the Eagle Owl and come up with the idea to return later at dusk, maybe i could get a brief flight view as he leaves his liar. 

I carry on walking down the small road to the end of the Gorge seeing a glimpse of a Golden Oriole, many Bee Eaters and another Hobby or the same one perched high up in a dead tree. At the end of the Gorge i about turn and mull over what time i reckon i should return this evening. When i see it. A huge Owl sat out in the open on the far cliff face. Its been a fantastic trip and this is just a fantastic ending to the trip. An Eagle Owl sat out in the open, no brief flight view, no half obscured view, no scope needed. I sat down and spent 2 hours with the Eagle Owl who occasionally turned his head but apart that he never moved.

The Eagle Owl at Bolata Gorge.

Back at the car a van load of UK Toggers are photographing the Great Reed Warbler, l let them know of the Eagle Owl then head off back to Kavarna and get the car cleaned up at a car wash place the underside of it is caked in mud from the bad roads around Madzharovo, and the inside is covered in bits of ash and sandwiches.

At the hotel i get a Kaminista or 2 take a shower then dine in the restaurant a lovely meal.

Day 7. 

The long drive back to Sofia day. I set off early and arrived some 8 hours later. I think i made a few wrong turns around Varna which added another hour to the journey also at some points going was slow due to the heavy rain. I also stopped at various times to eat or rest. I used Booking.com in Kavarna and have booked into the same hotel i used last year. Hotel Gorna Baya. Situated not far off the ring road, the airport is easy to get to from here and the road leading up Mt Vitosha to the Golden Bridge is also not far away. Upon arrival in Sofia i was going to go up Mt Vitosha but the rain was hammering down and the mountain was covered in low cloud.

I checked in and left my bag in my 5th floor room. Visited a restaurant and had a meal. Got some Kaminista's then used the Wifi at the hotel to catch up with anything i had missed during this last week. And wow the Jeremy Kyle show has been taken off air, what am i going to do in the mornings now?

The Hotel Gorna Baya.

The Sofia Skyline from my hotel room.

Conclusions.

My second visit to Bulgaria and i am sure their will be a third at some point. Its a great country for birdwatching, easy to get around, easy to find accommodation and food when you need it. Great scenery to admire and lots of adventures to go on.

Poland June 2018

Poland in June? Apparently its late in the year for seeing birds the Woodpeckers are hard to find as by now they high up in the canopy feeding with there young. The place is buzzing with clouds of Mosquitoes. The Forest and grasslands are crawling with Ticks and Horse Flys patrol the Sky's looking for there next victim. A visitors guide to Poland that i downloaded reassured me that Wolves are a shy animal and i am only at minor risk of being attacked by Bison. Wild Boar or Moose. But come on they have got Marsh Terns. Eagles and the Aquatic Warbler the rarest passerine in Europe somewhere in the vast Biebriza Marsh lands. In the huge forests of Bialowieza Icterine/River/Marsh/Barred Warblers are easily seen? And the rarer Blyths Reed and Greenish Warblers will have arrived along with a host of other Lifers and i am sure i could get a few woodies under the belt. 
So i booked up with Ryan air flying Liverpool to Warsaw £39.42 RETURN. Then did some research on my chosen areas and came across a site guide to the Bialowieza a £20.00. 226 page pdf download which a Saved hours and hours of my time as i did not have to read loads of bird trip reports to the area to try and work out the best areas or walks to take and b It provided a mountain of useful general area information. For example how long it takes to walk the various trails. Whether you can do them in trainers or you need wellies. How not to get lost in the forest by using the markers, map and grid lines. Indispensable.

I could have downloaded a no doubt equally good site guide to the Biebriza marshes area by the same company but as i had only booked for a week i did not think that i would be able to give both sites the time that they deserve. And the stage was set

Well i eventually arrived at Liverpool Airport for my early evening or late afternoon flight which ever way you look at it heading for Warsaw's Modlin Airport it took just over 4 hours to get from my home to the airport using public transport 2 buses and 2 trains one of which i had to stand up in for the entire journey. Its no wonder people prefer to travel in there cars, public transport is dire in the UK.

After about two and half hours flying we are making are descent into Modlin as the plane nears the runway all i can see all around me are trees and fields no buildings where is the massive city that is Warsaw? Well its miles away Modlin is a newish airport situated well out of the city. After a long wait to clear immigration i find the Hertz rent a car desk and complete the paperwork, get some zloty then a hot dog and head out into the car park to find my vehicle which was meant be a Kia Picanto but i have been upgraded to a Renault Clio as the week went on i found the Clio lacking in power compared to a Kia but never mind it got me about without any problems.

By now it is dark and i have got around about 6 hours till dawn to complete the journey to Bialowieza which should take about 3 hours of driving so i am not in any rush and set of at a leisurely pace heading towards Warsaw on a very good 3 lane road after Warsaw the road became 2 lanes, then it became 1 lane, then it became road works and then it became a problem its around about midnight but this road is a major East West transit road and hundreds of heavy goods vehicles are thundering along it, after a while i pulled into a service station which are good in Poland, they all have coffee, hot dogs and toasted sandwiches or pizza to fill you up for a while. After about another hour of difficult driving i pulled of this road and the traffic disappeared and at about 4am i have arrived at the village Bialowieza. I decided that my first outing would be in the Palace Park and soon find the car park near to the 2 ponds which has a fair few restaurant's around it and tourist info obviously not open at this time of day.

The dawn chorus is in full swing and it looks like it is going to be a hot day, i make my way over a bridge with a small river below it which separates the 2 ponds and within a few minutes i can hear an Icterine Warbler blasting out his song after a while i managed to locate him perched out in the open at the top of a tree on some leafless branches and get great views watching him sing away trip tick number one. Its very pleasant walking around the park which has clumps of trees and more open meadow like areas at one clump of trees i rest for a while and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker puts in an appearance followed by a second. In the more open areas Collared Flycatchers are busy feasting on the many unseen insects. As i walk on a pair of Middle Spotted Woodpeckers are fighting one another on a dead tree. Back at the ponds i see a Marsh Warbler singing in a tree and use my playback to confirm the song is that of a Marsh Warbler.

Back at the car park the village is waking up and the souvenir sellers are putting out there wares and the restaurant's are opening up its a popular spot to eat at and while away a Sunday afternoon. I fire up the Clio and head off into the forest heading for Budy bridge and the Teremiski meadows, as i drive along with the window open i hear a drumming woodpecker and pull over, within a few minutes i have got about 6 horse flys in the car all buzzing around angrily i get them out by swatting them with my hat, sit back in the car then notice this winged beast looking at me on the other side of the windscreen a 3 inch long horse fly OMG if one of these monstrous horse flys sinks it teeth into you, its going to hurt. I drive off to the Teremiski meadows, just as i arrive a large eagle type bird is low down over the meadows i park up and get superb views of a Lesser Spotted Eagle hunting over the meadow. A bit further on i stop at some random spot and catch a River Warbler out in the open under a bush in a roadside dyke calling out zre zre zre over and over again my 5 lifer of the day fantastic. My site guide informs me Budy bridge is not what it once was, i did linger hear for a while but saw very little but it is a pleasant spot to linger for a while and hardly a horse fly about.

View from Budy bridge

I drive off to do another short walk in the area, i have all ready worked out its fine to have the car window open as you drive along but it is best to close it just as you arrive at your destination as if there is any horse flys around the bright colours of the car will attract them to you, at this particular stop as i pulled up and stop ed the car i could hear lots of banging against the car that's the horse flys and as i looked around i made the decision to abandon the idea of a walk. It seems there can be lots of horse flys at some places and none at others theres no working it out its seems to be just a case of get there and see what happens. I drove off back to Bialowieza village and visited the service station for a rest and a hot dog whilst watching a Black Redstart hopping around.

At the service station the red car is my Clio and there is a young White Stork sat in that nest, a hardy bird its 30 c and all he can do is wait for his parents to come back with some food for him.

I drive off to another area in the village and take a walk towards the Narewka bridge starting at the outskirts of the village i walk down the road to the bridge, its not the best time of day to do this walk but i thought i would give it a go so as to get my bearings as i will do it again at dawn. On the way to the bridge are Red Backed Shrikes flitting about and another Lesser Spotted Eagle flys up from the meadows and perches in a tree. At the bridge i linger for a while its a pleasant spot and a horse fly free zone. Golden Orioles are calling and so is a Cuckoo but it is fairly quiet. 

Narewka river

After a while i returned the way i had come and then drove into the village to look for some food a decent meal this time. I parked up in a restaurant car park and ventured inside. I had no idea what to order or if any one would be able to understand me but the lady in the queue in front of me ordered goulash so i did the same. What a lovely meal, it might not look so much in the photo below but that bowl was rammed with meat and vegetables in a lovely sauce, which was even nicer when i mixed the yogurt in it.

After this fantastic meal and the fact i have been awake for around about 30 hours i was starting to flag, so i did another short walk around the Palace park but did not note any new birds.

The main gate into the Palace park

Back at the car i realise i have got a problem the battery had died on my tablet which has the information of the guest house i have booked to stay in, i try to charge it up in a restaurant but the plug will not go in the socket. I go to the tourist info building and the guy there trys to charge the tablet via his computer using the USB connection but it is massively slow for some reason. So i manage to use the last remaining battery life in my phone to access my email account and can now tell the tourist info guy where my guesthouse is. Note to myself buy a car charger, as the week went on i got lost at various times as i could not keep Goggle maps on full time as it drains the battery very quickly. I visit the local supermarket and get 4 cans of beer and head of to my guesthouse, which i found easily enough now i now what it is called. I get shown to the room i will be in for the next 4 days which was very well done out, very clean and use of a kitchen if i needed it. There is also a covered area in the back garden for guest to sit out in and enjoy the view and i headed down here with a can of beer, then a nice shower and bed after being awake for about 38 hours i did not need any sleeping tablets.

I had set the alarm for a 4 am start but that was a bit ambitious and it was nearer 6 am when i left the guesthouse. First stop the walk to the Narewka river i was quite surprised as it was quite, there was not loads of birds about maybe i had left it a little to late in the year but also maybe guide books and there authors always seem to see more birds than anyone gosney is a good example of this but i suppose there is no point writing up a bird guide for birders if you have got nothing to wet there appetite with. Still it was a pleasant walk and i walked on past the bridge to hear a calling Corncrake that remained frustratingly unseen only meters away from me further on i came to an area with many Yellowhammers in it a superbly colourful bird, then i ventured into the forest for a while but did not see anything noteworthy, turned around and headed back to the car and the service station for a coffee and a hot dog. Fed and watered i made my way to a meadow area with a watch tower and lingered here for quite some time another peaceful horse fly free zone.

Then i spent some time slowly driving around listening for drumming woodpeckers and stopping now and then at likely places seeing another 2 Middle Spotted Woodpeckers and a Icterine Warbler and a Female Common Rosefinch quietly feeding on the grasses which is a dull brown job compared to the Male but if seen well is actually quite striking. After this i decided to walk the Zebra zubra trail a longish walk heading to the Bison enclosure.

The photos above do not really give the forest the justice it deserves its massive and not possible to try and capture the view of it on a camera phone or to try and give you any idea of how huge the trees are and how you could not walk 500 meters into the forest no matter now fit you think you are. Its a swamp a peat bog forest and as such it attracts a lot of mosquitoes and by the time i had got back to the car i would say i had over 20 bites mostly on my back as they can bite through clothing like t shirts. But no matter it is a fantastic walk through the forest. My guide book reckons its a 2.5 hour walk to the Bison enclosure but after 3.5 hours of soaking up the atmosphere and views of the forest i have not reached it so turn back and think about getting some food as after 7pm it can be difficult to find a restaurant that will still be open.

First stop is to the restaurant i visited yesterday but it is closed, so i drive on to the main st in the village and find a fast food type place serving a very limited menu, i did not fancy a pizza so i chose the Calamari chips and salad which was not something i expected to find on a menu of a restaurant that is situated deep inside the last remaining primeval forest in Europe. But again it was really tasty.

Then back to the guesthouse were i was greeted by a friendly lassie type dog who came and sat with me while i watched the sun go down with a can of lager, acquiring a few more mosquitoes bites on my ankles to add to the my collection.

Up and out about 5am this morning and headed down to the Narewka bridge walk, in the roadside ditches i see a couple of Marsh Warblers singing away then onto the area with the Corncrake in it which again is very near me but i am unable to see it, as i wait and wait for even just the smallest of clues as to the Corncrakes whereabouts a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker flys in and perches on the tree above my head then begins to search for food on the branches. I give up on the Corncrake and go and visit a watchtower nearby seeing Golden Orioles even one out in the open sat on a dead tree preening.

The view from the watchtower

Then onto a brief visit of Budy bridge area but again not much bird activity bar a few Great Spotted Woodpeckers.

I fire up the Clio and head out of the forest heading for Hajnowka which is the largest town in the area buy some cold meats and bread rolls and tomatoes then head on to the Siemianowka area which is about three quarter's of an hour away, not far from my first stop in this area i spot a large raptor flying over the meadows and pull over and get fantastic views of another Lesser Spotted Eagle as i eat my picnic breakfast. First stop in this area is to the impossible to pronounce village called Siemieniakowszczyzna which i drove through in about 30 seconds onwards to the water pumping station which is were my guide book suggests you should park. As i arrive at the pumping station car window up of course i can hear quite a lot of banging from the horse flys bumping into the car but it does seem quite windy so i get out and give it a go. 2 Crested Larks are on the track in front of me and the wind is a relief as by now the temperature has sored to 35, i make my way up to the embankment where i will be able to view the largest reservoir in Poland as i reach the top of the embankment the barn door of birds is flying low down over the reed beds a White Tailed Eagle a juvenile bird as the white tail has not been developed yet on this bird. A male Common Rosefinch is perched in a bush in the reed bed a much smarter bird than the dullish female, in the distance White Winged Black Terns are floating over the reed beds. And a Hobby is chasing after some unseen bird or Dragonfly. I made a short walk here but even with the wind its very hot and i did not go so far, then turned round and had another short walk in the forest.

Then i moved on for a short stop at Bondary Dam area of the reservoir but little to see here bar some Common Terns. Onwards to Bachury ponds where i lingered for a while watching the Black Terns fishing over the ponds

Bachury Ponds

Then onwards to my last site of the day Cisowka and took a short walk down the embankment to view the reed beds then back to the car through the forest then lingered in the meadows by the car seeing 2 Lesser Spotted Eagles in the distance one of which looked like it had got caught up in a length of rope that was trailing away from the bird from its talons but equally it could have been a snake, a very smart Blue Headed Yellow Wagtail came down for a drink in the small stream that runs through the meadows and a fantastic Male Montagus Harrier sailed over low down, a nice peaceful spot.

Cisowka Meadows 

By now the time is getting on so i fire up the Clio and make the return journey back to Bialowieza.

A typical Polish home

On the return journey i got a toasted chicken sandwich at Hajnowka as i did not feel like eating a big meal then onwards to Bialowieza where i visited a restaurant by the Palace park and downed a few lagers. Then back to my guesthouse to sit in the garden till sun down.

The Pod Szumiaca Topola note the White Stork perched on the roof  

After another good nights rest i was up fairly early today for another crack at the Zebra Zubra  trial. This time i have got my secret weapon on a thick long sleeve top and i stuck a bottle of water down the back of my tracksuit trousers to make the top loose fitting over my back keeping my skin well away from the top. And it worked as i never got a mosquito bite during the whole day. Its about 6am and i have the Zebra Zubra all to myself, as i walk i get many false alarms with Great Spotted Woodpeckers feeding on the ground and calling out the kick calls from the trees as really my main quarry is the much rarer White Backed Woodpecker but i note very few birds bar these woodies. I walk a lot further than my other times on the trial and after around about 3 hours the forest opens up.

     

As i walk on the track opens all the way to be able to drive a vehicle down it and shortly i arrive at the car park for the Bison enclosure, which is really a zoo with animals kept in cages, which is not somewhere i would normally visit but my guide book informs me there is every possibility of seeing a few woodies i have not seen within this area. 

I pay up and enter the zoo and have a look around, as i approach the Lynx cage there is great excitement from a party of other visitors, but for me i found rather depressing and a sad sight to see a mighty animal like a Lynx held in this small cage bored out of his head with absolutely nothing to do and he is curled up inside a log sleeping away the day. Very possibly if this Lynx was in the forest then he would also be sleeping in a similar log as the previous night he would have been roaming around the forest hunting, looking for a female, or defending his territory in other words doing all the things that he is meant to be doing. It must be a frustrating life for him.

The Lynx cage

Next up are the Wolves and i guess a regular of the zoo, is showing off to his friends by making aggressive actions towards a Wolf who then jumps up and snarls at him. I walk on to the Deer enclosure an equally depressing site with an information notice about the Deer.

If you did not read the information notice about the Red Deer some of it informs you. Red Deer. Lives in extensive woodlands, lives in herds, the rut takes place in September to October, can live for 20 years. Well the Dear in the shot above is not living in an extensive forest nor in a herd, nor does his take place in a rut or fight over and defends his females. Are we right to deny them there lives and put them in cages. I belief we do not have that right.

As i make my way back down the Zebra Zubra i spot a small bird on the moss covered branches of an old tree which turns out to be a Crested Tit with a superb crest stuck right up in the air.

Back at the car i do not fancy another hot dog, so i drove down to Hajnowka for a toasted chicken sand which and just happened to bump into a couple of Bison roaming around town.

After being fed and watered i drove back to Bialowieza at a leisurely pace and decided to take the walk named Wysokie Bagno. 

House in Bialowieza village

I parked up at the start of the trial and began the walk on a vehicle sized path through spruce forest encountering many horse flys and at one point considered turning back, but then all of a sudden they all disappeared and i was left in peace, as i walk on i realise i have come the wrong way as the Belarus border is now in front of me, i walked up to the gate which has notices in various languages informing you that if you do cross you will be given a 3 year jail sentence.

Now on the right trial i went through a superb unspoilt forest on a narrow pathway that eventually lead to a bridge over the Narewka and here i lingered for the rest of the afternoon till around about 7pm. During this time a Belgium tourist turns up and asks me my op ion of this trial through the forest compared to taking the trial through the strict reserve which is an area of forest very nearby that you cannot visit without being guided which i have not visited as like this guy i am not keen on being guided around and my op ion is there is no difference in the 2 trials. A while later a Polish couple arrive at the bridge on bikes and we chat for a while, me mostly listening to there story's of there encounters with Wolves in the forest. 

Ah yes the Wolves i had forget about them, but on the walk back to the car the Wolves were very much on my mind and i got back to the car considerably quicker than on the walk from the car.

Back in the village i visited the fast food type restaurant and ordered a take away pizza for tea, which i ate in the garden back at the guesthouse.

My last morning at Bialowieza and before i checked out i went for an early morning walk along the Zebra Zubra trail noting more Great Spotted Woodpeckers and calling Wood Warblers but not much else. My guide book suggests the roadside by the trial can be productive, as i slowly walked up the road i heard a faint drumming, then the sound of something, probably tree bark hitting leaves as it fell to the ground, then suddenly a black thing is climbing vertically up a dead tree with a yellow crown a superb Three Toed Woodpecker. He flys off and i lose him in the foliage then i hear the same faint taping sound and locate the Woodpecker again side on to me and manage to watch him till i decided to leave him to it, what a fantastic looking bird and a major spot to boot. I walked a bit further up the road and came across a small roadside pool on the forest side of the road which was attracting Pied and Collared Flycatchers, Hawfinches, a Nuthatch, Blackcaps and a few Chiffchaffs.

Back at the guesthouse i pack up and start the journey to my next destination the Biebrza marshes. 

At the town of Bialystok there is some fish ponds and i pulled over for a look around. I went into the main area where many Polish people were enjoying the hot weather, playing beach volleyball, sunbathing, our doing exercises and i felt a bit conspicuous with my binoculars to hand surrounded by lots of people in swimming costumes but i pushed on hoping to able to walk to a quieter area, after a while my way was blocked by a gate but just before this there was a wooden bridge going out to an Island which i crossed and got great views of Whiskered Terns fishing over the ponds as they made there way around them. Also 3 White Tailed Eagles were over the ponds one being an adult bird with a full white tail.

No its not the little house on the prairie its the little house in Poland

I pressed on and reached Dluga Luka by mid afternoon which is one of the best sites for seeing the Aquatic Warbler. I parked up and headed out on to the boardwalk and stayed there for around about 2 hours but saw nothing. Evening time is the best time to see these birds as this is when they sing and may be observed but looking at the vast area before me i thought it may well be difficult to pick them out from the more commoner Sedge Warbler without a scope which i did not have with me, so set of for pre booked accommodation in Ruciane - Nida.

It took me over 3 hours of driving to get to Ruciane-Nida as i got lost due to not being able to keep Goggle maps on, so it was fairly late in the evening before i arrived at my accommodation which was another nice place a small building set in the grounds of the family's garden, who made me feel welcomed and were very friendly with me. As it was getting on i departed soon after arrival to go and find some food in the nearby restaurants. I entered a restaurant and saw many workmen sitting in a benched area eating something, the waitress came over and asked me what i would like to eat and replied i will have the same as those guys but instead of siting on the benches i sat in the posh end. What a lovely restaurant, and i enjoyed a fantastic meal here.

It had been on the cards for a while now and shortly after finishing my meal, the thunderclaps started the lightning struck and the heavens opened. It hammered down, during a lull in the storm i hot footed it back to the car and to my guest house via the services for 4 cans of lager. Back at the guesthouse the storm has pasted and a perfect half a circle rainbow appeared in the sky. If i knew how to photo shop i could put the 2 photos below together to show a half circle rainbow. 

Up early 4am for my last full day in Poland, i have made a bit of a bu bu staying in Ruciane-Nida it is over a  2 hour drive back to Biebrza which is really the area i should be staying in. But whats done is done it was poor planing by me but it is not the end of the World. By 6.30 am i am back in the Biebrza and walking a boardwalk through a marsh like habitat. I reckon i was the first that morning to tread the boards as up ahead i see 4 Otters, who melt away into the foliage when they see me.

As i walk on i find that i am actually at the site i wanted to be at, which is an old 1st World war fortress and i spend some time looking around the ruined fort but see very little, its meant to be a reliable site for Bluethroats but i saw none. I head off back to a service station i passed on the way and surprisingly it has no hot dogs nor sandwiches, so i have to make do with a coffee and a bar of chocolate. Then back to the birding and i park up across the road from the boardwalk trail. The one piece of info i have of the area suggests i take a walk down the river bank, which i do.

A very pleasant walk in quite windy conditions after last nights storm and i note there is not a horse fly about. As i reach an area of the river i am able to view the water and reed beds and see a very small brown bird perched on a reed which i Id as a juvenile Penduline Tit. After a while i turn back to the car then drive off to park up again near to the boardwalk and spend some time in a watchtower scanning the reed beds and i am rewarded with a Male Penduline Tit. Water Rail and a flyover Black Stork.

I fire up the Clio and head for Wizna driving down the road through the Beibrza, i make a stop at a watchtower overlooking a likely area for Aquatic Warblers but there is very little activity bar a lone Moose feeding. At Wizna i drive around for a while trying to find the pools of water that are on Goggle maps eventually finding an area with a few small pools and lots of reed beds, here i spent some time watching the Black Terns feeding over the wet grasslands.

Then i drove back to the fort area but saw nothing new, so onwards to Ruciane-Nida getting lost once again on the journey and by the time i arrived in town it was 8pm. I visited the restaurant i had the lovely meal in yesterday and ordered the same. Back at the guesthouse i chat with a Polish guy who has some experience of living in the West and explains to me that the Polish people will never allow there country to become overrun by immigration and migrants from Africa and the Middle East like the UK is, once you let them in to your country then these people all want to live together in the same area which then pushes out the locals, the shops are taken over and sell food that is not Polish and the whole area is changed to belonging to another culture.

My last day and in the morning i say my goodbyes to my hosts then take the car to the services and give it a through hovering inside to remove all the cigarette ash that has accumulated and bits of hot dogs and sandwiches, the exterior of the car is fairly clean after the torrential downpour a few nights ago so i leave it how it is. 

Guest house at Ruciane-Nida

I spend the morning slowly driving around the area, stopping every now and then to admire the views but see nothing of note bird wise.

Later in the day i paid a visit to the Treblinka extermination camp

Back at Modlin as i park up the car a guy approaches me in the car park who is holding a few pieces of paper with Hertz rental car written on them then pulls his jacket to one side to reveal a faded Hertz logo on his t shirt. Something is just not adding up with this guy and there is no way i am giving him the keys to the car then walking off. As i pack a few things into my bag, then take some photos of the car in case of disagreement later on this guy has disappeared. At the hire car desk the Hertz rep gives the car the once over whilst i wait at the desk, upon his return he tells me he is satisfied with the condition of the car and will release my 1000 Euro deposit. Potentially things could have turned out different here instead of getting my 1000 Euros back now i could be owing Hertz 10,000 Euros as the car has been stolen. Always trust your instincts.

Conclusions.

Poland just a few hours away by plane, a nice country with friendly people who drive like maniacs, the roads are fairly good, they are not pot holed but with the large amount of heavy good vehicles on them most are rippled and the journey can be a bumpy ride. The standard of accommodation and restaurants is as good as anywhere and the Pound goes a long way here. Would i go back?  Definitely.

Bird of the trip

Three Toed Woodpecker