Palanger, Lithuania

This was my third trip to Lithuania, and I like the country very much. My previous stays have been in the capital Vilnius.  My day started early to catch a coach to Luton airport, and then flew to Kaunas and a taxi awaited me at the airport to take me to my hotel in the centre of Kaunas. After a good night’s sleep and a hearty continental breakfast I waited outside my hotel for my friend. I had a interesting conversation with a Ukrainian man who I just managed to gather where he was from and he didn’t like Russia. He shook my hand several times. I was picked up and driven to Palanga, a seaside resort some 230 km from Kaunas.

The day was overcast with occasional light rain but it was quite mild, and walking along the shore line was pleasant, looking out onto the Baltic Sea. There were various species of gull flying about. We saw some pintail in flight and eiders out at sea, also spotted a white tailed eagle some distance out at sea. In the wooded area we saw typical woodland birds, including short toed and common treecreeper, goldcrest, nuthatch, jay, great spotted woodpeckers, as well as jackdaws, ravens, hooded crows and rooks. The highlight was a brambling, my first of the year. There were many tit flocks, six species noted but no crested tits were spotted.

Our evening was spent in Palanger, and although it was quiet there, in mid October it is clear that this is a popular seaside resort in the summer months. We were informed that Midge Ure was performing in Palanga the following night. We didn’t ask if there was any tickets for sale. I had decided that I would try only Lithuanian dishes in my stay there, and almost all dishes seem to include potatoes, nice, but also very filling.

Wonderful autumn colours

We started early after a good night’s sleep at our excellent hotel, taking a packed breakfast with us. The clouds had cleared and it was a very different day. The car windscreen was caked in thick ice. After about an hour’s drive we walked along the shore line and the sea was as calm as I have seen it. There were various gulls and cormorants flying. There were other birds further out, and there was a large migration movement. We saw six species of raptors including buzzard, merlin and goshawk. A “V” of whooper swan flew close by to us. It was a fantastic morning and we picked up many small amber stones. Close to the holiday homes there were hawfinch, siskin and bullfinch in the trees and always a treat, black redstarts. We also saw a lesser spotted woodpecker.

Great black backed gull

Arriving back at Palanger we had time to go to the local park, which I have to say is one of the best maintained parks I have seen. It was large with many varieties of trees and flora. A large museum was in the centre of the park, with gardens in excellent condition. In the tall trees the usual woodland birds, but we did pick out a middle spotted woodpecker.

Interesting watching this Jay, making a hole in the bin bag and stealing the bread

After another Lithuanian dish at out hotel, of pancakes that once again proved to be too filling for me to finish, and no hint that Ultravox’s former lead singer was in town. We had an early night for another early start on Sunday, taking a packed breakfast we set off for our highlight of the short trip, to Ventes Rajas. It is a ringing station further along the coast. The day weather wise was very different with the cloud cover back. It was quite windy at the station and frequent showers. We met a bird ringer who gave us a short demonstration of a female great tit being ringed after being caught in the nets. She was a biology teacher from Vilnius, and she had taken part in the counting birds day the day before. She told us shortly before we had arrived she had ringed a Northern hawk owl and showed us a picture on her phone. We didn’t stay too long because it was very windy but we did see some goldeneye and red breasted mergansers in flight. Our bird ringing friend advised us to call at some fisheries near to Kintai, more inland and less windy. We were grateful to her because we saw some magnificent birds near to the fisheries, including six white tailed eagles. There were over 100 whooper swans dropping in and flying off. We saw some waders in the mud including golden plover, spotted redshanks, dunlin, wood sandpipers and lapwing. Also some teal and smew in flight. The highlight was seeing the magnificent eagles, both in flight and perched on rocks in the lake. They looked huge just sitting, waiting for their next meal.

We then started our return to Kaunas and stopped off in a wooded area and although it was quiet we managed to pick up crested tits in amongst the other six species of tit. Almost 70 species seen and very little in the way of wildfowl, and they are expected to arrive when the weather gets colder.

On the way to the airport we stopped off at a restaurant and I had an unusual Lithuanian dish; potato sausages, that I couldn’t finish off. I was beginning to think I can’t eat as much as I used to. I usually never leave any food. The flight back home took longer because of a tail wind, about three hours and landed at midnight at Luton. I had earlier booked a hotel at the airport and set off the next morning by coach to arrive back in Liverpool in the afternoon. For me Lithuania is a fantastic country, and although it doesn’t attract as many birders as Estonia does, I am sure it won’t be long before it does.

West and east of Riga

My day started early on Saturday when I boarded a coach in Liverpool for a 10.30 am flight from Manchester. The flight was over 2 hours and we were packed in like sardines, with little leg room. It was an uncomfortable journey, but I did my best to make the time pass quickly, by reading, sudoku and sleeping.

Arriving in Riga, I located the bus stop and bought my bus ticket. I am amazed that a 40 minute journey was as cheap as 60 cents, a mere 50p. Another bus journey found me at my hotel, but no time for bird watching. All I managed to see were house and tree sparrows and hooded crows.

My breakfast at the hotel was good, but only started at 8.00 am so I did not have a great deal of time to digest my food, because my train was at 9.20 from Riga Central station, which included a bus journey. My destination was Kemeri National Park, taking about 1 hour. A mere 4 euros for a return trip, the downside being the train stopped frequently and was packed. The weather was warm and a moderate breeze. It is doubtful that anyone will ever get away with paying the correct fare on the trains in Latvia because the ticket inspectors are there checking your ticket within seconds of the journey starting. They checked and stamped my ticket three times for one journey.

I found my way from Kemeri railway station to the National park, via the Information centre. Along the way I came across a flock of fieldfare, jays, nuthatches, blue and great tits, robin and chaffinch. My first destination was Lake Sloka, a huge inland lake, but I managed to lose my way in the forest, assuming I took a wrong turn somewhere. In the breeze it wasn’t easy to hear the bird calls, but did see a number of crested, willow, marsh tits. When I did locate the lake  I had to walk past a guard dog, who would not let me pass without letting anyone who was within a radius of 100 metres that I was about. I saw large numbers of diving ducks, including pochard, tufted, goldeneye and scaup. Also mallards, gadwall and widgeon. There were a number of coots and mute swans, with some great white egrets in the distance, also the odd great crested grebe.

Chiffchaff

Finding my way back I spotted a great spotted woodpecker, the first I had seen or heard. I saw a viper that luckily kept its distance from me. I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t see larger numbers of birds, but seeing the weather forecast for the next day I thought I would try Kemeri again. I was glad I did, because I saw quite a few different species, but I did try a different route to get to Lake Sloka, although I couldn’t avoid barking Buster. On the “spring route” I saw a black woodpecker and was pleased to take a photo. It was moving about but luckily stayed long enough for me to get a snap. I saw a number of great spotted woodpeckers, and a lesser spotted woodpecker. A flock of long tailed tits joining other tits. I frequently saw and heard marsh and willow tits, noticing the willow tits have paler cheeks that those in UK. The long tailed tits having white heads. I found my way to the tower hide at the lake, and saw a black woodpecker in flight. On the lake I saw much of what I saw the day before, but there seemed to be more of them. Among the many mute swans was a whooper.

Black woodpecker

I made my way back to the railway station and came across some black redstarts by an old derelict factory, also the odd white wagtail. Somewhere on the way back I took a wrong turn again and only made the train with a minute to spare. Giving me just another minute to find my train ticket for snarling Sally.

My last day in Riga took me to Sigulda, in the opposite direction to Kemeri. My flight wasn’t until 10.50 pm so I had the full day. I was grateful the hotel allowed me to leave my luggage in the hotel until the evening to save carrying it around. Sigulda is a pleasant tourist town about 53 km east of Riga. Snarling Sally’s twin sister was on board and checked my ticket immediately. I arrived in Sigulda just before midday which gave me about four hours. In the region is Gauja national park, with the river Gauja running through. The scenery is spectacular. I made my way down 430 steps to the bottom of the valley. I saw a short toed treecreeper, along with nuthatches and great spotted woodpeckers. A few ravens were flying above and a number of jays. Here I noticed the colour of the leaves, a reminder autumn was upon us.

Gauja river

I saw about 50 species, not as much as previous trips, but still enjoyable and Kemeri National Park will be well worth exploring in the spring. I was without my telescope on this trip and would probably have seen more on Lake Sloka.

I made it back to Riga International Airport, and after a long wait at the terminal and for my coach at Manchester. I arrived home at 2 am, thinking about where I would be going next.....