After a 2 and a half hour delay leaving from Manchester, from that well known cheap flight airline with hidden extras. I caught a bus to Gdansk city centre and somehow managed to purchase a train ticket rather than a bus ticket from the “Bilety” machine. It wasn’t until I was on the bus that I realised because the ticket wouldn’t fit the validating machine. I wasn’t the only one. Having experienced Polish bus inspectors before, I had a nervous 40 minute bus journey and luckily none appeared.
I exchanged my money in one of many Kantor shops and bought some proper bus tickets in Gdansk and boarded another bus to Sobrieszewo. This time the validating machine on the bus was faulty and I couldn’t validate my ticket. That meant a free ride but I won't mention it to the Bus Inspectors, just in case.
Although I was still early the hotel staff let me book in and I took a stroll down to the beach and forest area alongside. I would think about half of the Island is forested and this being the first time I have visited Gdansk in May I was hopeful that I would see plenty of birdlife.
The first bird I spotted was a black redstart singing from the roof of the hotel, and was to see it all four days in the same place. Pied flycatchers were singing, although being later afternoon it was a little quiet. Wood warblers were singing, also blackcaps and willow warblers. By far the most common species was chaffinch, they were everywhere. Swallows, swift and martins were circling above. Making my way to the beach, I saw a long tailed duck quite distant on the Baltic, cormorants flying and a few mute swans close in.
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| Wheatear on beach |
On the beach I saw white and yellow wagtails and wheatear.
I had a brief look in at Ptasi raj, and on the main lake were goosanders, great crested grebes, cormorants and tufted ducks. I made my way back to the hotel and after an evening meal and had an early night after having driven to the airport in Manchester at 2.30 am.
I woke early and had a pre breakfast walk and was greeted by the black redstart. Wood warblers and pied flycatchers were everywhere. I also was pleased to see a wryneck. After an excellent breakfast I caught a bus to Rezerwat przyrody Mewia Łacha, which runs alongside the River Vistula. Walking to the reserve another black redstart. Then I heard and saw a river warbler, fantastic. Also icterine warblers, wood warblers, whitethroat and lesser whitethroat. Also hawfinch and siskin. Then I heard and managed brief views of a thrush nightingale, loud song that they have. As is often the case for me the insects were causing a problem and I was daubed in my super powerful insect repellant, and despite the heat I thought it best to wear my jacket. Then I spotted a beaver swimming towards me and it briefly stopped by its lodge and carried on passing within six feet of me. The first wild beaver I have seen.
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| Beaver swimmlng in the River Vistula |
A minute later a cuckoo fly up in front of me.
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| Cuckoo |
Golden oriole were also singing. I made my way to the tower hide and was sweating in the heat and the jacket just had to come off. I heard lots of bird song below me and there were over 100 yellow wagtails, some black headed too. Looking down to the shore line, I saw a grey plover with it’s lovely black chest and belly. There were ruff, greenshank, dunlin and common sandpipers there. Common, sandwich terns and little terns too. Seals could be seen on the sand banks in the distance.
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| Black tern |
I then spotted some black terns, about 20 on the river and I went back there, also the odd little tern with them. I made my way back and caught a ferry across the river. Having just landed and heard a call above me which I immediately recognized, a white winged black tern, one of my favourites. A white stork also flying over. I walked alongside the river and corn buntings were perched up on bushed singing and lots of skylarks were singing. Looking out over the farmland I saw a buzzard with prey and then a male marsh harrier. More yellow wagtails too.
I was a little weary after the day I had had and made my way back to the ferry and a bus back to the hotel. Not surprising really I didn’t make my pre breakfast walk next morning and had another excellent breakfast with the same music being played. I do wish they would change the tapes occasionally.
I took a bus to the Ptasi Raj reserve, which translates to “Birding paradise”. Just as I was about to enter the bus I heard a great reed warbler and made a note to visit there on my return. At Ptasi raj there is some work being done and part of a path was closed. I walked past the extensive reedbed and immediately saw bearded reedlings. Goosanders there with chicks and a kestrel out hunting. Reed and sedge warblers and reed buntings were singing too. The whole place was a mass of noise with the marsh frogs croaking. On the main lake it was quite quiet, with a pair of greylag geese with goslings, a fem smew with a small number of tufted ducks, mallards, cormorants and mute swans. I also have fantastic views of bearded reedlings perched on the tall stems. Whilst trying to photograph a reed bunting I stumbled upon a reed warbler and photographed that instead. Then a big commotion, all the ducks were up, a white tailed eagle was flying over. I made my way to the shoreline and more wheatear and yellow wagtails, then a close red backed shrike with a yellow wagtail in the same bush about a foot away from each other.
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| Yellow wagtail |
The heat was causing a problem again and it was tough walking on the loose sand. It was more like one step forward and two steps back. Common terns were on the mouth of the river, always delightful watching them.
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| Red backed shrike |
Eventually I made it to the forest and decided to walk back to the hotel and was glad I did as I had brief glimpses of golden orioles and a crested tit. A great spotted woodpecker and nuthatch were showing. I hadn’t seen too many of those. Later, after my evening meal I decided to look for the great reed warblers, they weren't singing in the same place but a short stroll along the river I saw two, singing away.
The next morning I decided to transfer to another hotel near to Gdansk airport. I had a pre breakfast walk and had fantastic views of golden orioles. Whilst cleaning my boots in the grounds of the hotel a crested tit and common redstart passed above me. I caught my bus about 11am to Gdansk city centre and another bus to the airport. I was grateful that I had the correct ticket because two bus ticket inspectors boarded the bus. I wondered whether they sensed my guilty look.
I checked into my new hotel and made my way to a small lake I had visited on a previous occasion. There were many corn buntings skylarks singing. Also about a dozen whinchats perched up. On the lake were 8 wood sandpipers and 6 little ringed plovers. Also yellow and white wagtails and linnets. Passing through a small village and doing my best to avoid dogs but ended up reacting like Hyacinth Bucket when Onslow’s dog was barking. Yellowhammer were singing and then spotted a white stork in its nest. I then saw a stonechat near to an old disused railway. It looked a lot whiter than a European stonechat. I managed to get a couple of photographs.
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| Presumed European stonechat |
When I got back to my hotel I sent the photographs to Birding Poland facebook page. They responded immediately and thought it was a siberian stonechat. They posted the photographs on their page, only to find later they had changed their minds and it was a European stonechat.
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| Corn bunting |
I managed a couple of hours birding before my flight next morning and more of the same plus a grasshopper warbler reeling. Walking towards the airport a sparrowhawk was flying by the terminal building. About 100 species I has spotted in the few days I was there and was pleased but missed out on a few others I had expected to see.
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| Whinchat |
This time my cheap flight airline with hidden extras was only 20 minutes late, and it took what seemed like an eternity to get through Border Control. I caught the bus to the huge car park and then realised I couldn’t remember exactly where I had left it. I had forgotten to note the row I was in. My excuse was that it was 3.30 am when I had parked it and was still half asleep. Note to self remember to write down the row next time. I had about 10 minutes to go before the surcharges started.
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