Set in far north eastern Poland we travel ‘back in time’ for some of the finest birding in Europe. 

The amazing flexibility of this unique holiday ensures it suits everyone! Together with English-speaking local guides and a fleet of small minibuses we stay at one hotel for the whole week.  Built in 2002 this modern and comfortable hotel is at the edge of Bialowieza village in a forest clearing close to the heart of the Primeval Forest Biosphere reserve of the same name.  Each evening you set your own personal itinerary for the following day and with plenty of options to choose from, everyone from the keenest birder to the most casual naturalist will find that the flexibility is their key to a successful week.  Get up early, have a lie-in and/or an afternoon siesta, the choice is entirely yours, to be made on a day-by-day basis, not in advance.

Primeval forest, unspoilt marshlands, and a farming community practising low intensive agriculture all combine to ensure a holiday filled with birds, butterflies and great plants, many of which we will find to be common here but are rare or have disappeared completely from other parts of Europe including the U.K.  Small wonder this is one of our most popular holidays, with over five hundred people having enjoyed the event in the first ten years. 

Daily Options: Choose to spend part or all of the day either on guided walks or exploring on your own using the detailed 1:50,000 maps provided.  Every day there is a varied choice of exciting guided (and non-guided) walks setting off at dawn, again after breakfast, after lunch, sometimes after dinner for owls, and full day excursions too.  These walks often involve taking a short coach trip of around half an hour or so.  When exploring on your own you may choose to set off on foot from the hotel, hire a bicycle, or use one of the Bird Festival coaches to get further afield.  The terrain is not hilly and the walking generally very easy.  The forest itself is criss-crossed with a grid of excellent paths and forest roads.

At the hotel, beware the singing Thrush Nightingales and Corncrakes outside your window – they may keep you awake!  Walk out of your room and within yards enjoy birds such as Wryneck, Red-backed Shrike, Barred, River and Marsh Warblers, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Montagu’s Harrier, Black Redstart, Hawfinch and Common Rosefinch, most of which will be singing.  White Storks are common and even nest in the hotel grounds, viewable from the balconies.  Walk just a couple of hundred yards down the road to look for Beavers and Otters.  Head into the adjacent forest and the bird and mammal list is even more mouth watering.

Bialowieza Forest is justly renowned as the finest remaining virgin lowland forest in Europe.  The primeval core of the forest is a magical place, dominated by enormous oaks, limes, poplars, hornbeams, pines and spruces.  The oldest trees are truly ancient, believed to be over 600 years old, and the tallest are over 50 metres high.  Here, and in the adjacent forest, marshes, lakes and fields, speciality birds include all nine north European woodpeckers, most notably Black, Three-toed and White-backed plus many other exciting birds such as White-tailed and Lesser Spotted Eagles, five breeding species of grebe, Whiskered and White-winged Black Terns, Crane, Black Stork, Hazel Grouse, Corncrake, Hoopoe, Roller, Golden Oriole, Nutcracker, Thrush Nightingale, Great Reed Warbler, River Warbler, Red-breasted and Collared Flycatchers, Citrine Wagtail, Penduline Tit and Common Rosefinch.  We have been able to see all nine north European woodpecker species on every previous Polish Bird Festival, no mean feat and a fantastic tribute to our Polish guides.  Early morning is by far the best time to see most birds, but Pygmy and Tengmalm’s Owls can be heard at dusk, indeed we are often lucky and see a Pygmy Owl at least one evening during the week.

The famous Biebrza and Narew Marshes are some of the best in northeast Europe and are within easy travelling distance.  Aquatic Warbler, Great Snipe, White-winged Black Terns, and Moose are all seen with regularity.

Lake Siemianowka is only a few miles by minibus and is a very popular excursion.  Highlights include breeding White-tailed Eagles, Common Cranes, Whiskered Terns, Caspian Gulls and Citrine Wagtails.

Mammals including European Beaver, European Bison, Otter, Pine Marten, Red Squirrel, Wild Boar, Moose, Red Deer, Badger, Lynx (once) and Wolf (twice) have all been seen on previous Polish Bird Festivals.  Dawn and dusk is best for mammal viewing.

The Hotel:  Less than 200 yards from the forest edge, is clean and modern with good facilities, a restaurant serving good food, and two bars.  All rooms have a TV, telephone, private facilities and a balcony. Lifts serve the upper two floors. Additional facilities include a sauna, bicycles for hire, and there’s a nearby shop, a post office and the National Park visitor centre.  All our local guides speak English so in addition to helping you find the birds and mammals, they will be available to help you avoid any communication difficulties.

There is now a CD of the birdsongs recorded at the 2006 Polish Bird Festival available, please visit www.mandarinproductions.com

Suitable for Birding Families!

Join Dick Filby, Dave Fell and our Polish team for a really great week.

Read previous years’ trip reports in full on our website or get copies from the WildWings office.

Holiday Information

Dates:                         12th – 20th May 2007

Leaders:                     Dick Filby, Dave Fell and local guides.

Cost:                          The basic cost is £749 per person sharing a twin room

Single supp:               £79 per person.  

Deposit:                     £100 per person

Dates 2008:                10th – 18th May 2008

                                   Register for £50 per person (refundable)

Group size:                40 + (though all excursions are in much smaller groups)

Price includes: Return flight on LOT Polish Airlines London-Warsaw, all airport taxes, transfers to and from hotel, accommodation on a half board basis (breakfast and evening meal) in twin-bedded rooms with private facilities, services of WildWings tour organisers and of local guides, tips, a 1:50,000 scale map of the area and a pre-tour information pack including a day by day birding checklist.

Manchester Flight Supplement: £25

Price excludes: Travel insurance (from £29.32 per person), local excursions, lunches, drinks and items of a personal nature.  Personal expenditure during the holiday on excursions, lunches and a beer or two typically falls in the range £125 - £195, though some will spend less and others may spend more.  The bill can be paid for by credit card at the end of the week.

Birds - number of species expected (approx.): 180

Itinerary

Day 1: Morning flight from London Heathrow and Manchester to Warsaw arriving early afternoon. Transfer to hotel.

Day 2-8: Seven full days in which to thoroughly enjoy the birds, mammals, plants and other wildlife, landscape and culture of northeast Poland.

Day 9: Transfer in the morning from the Hotel back to Warsaw for our afternoon flight back to London Heathrow and Manchester..

Optional Excursions

Daily bus services throughout the day (dawn, post breakfast, post lunch) offering guided and non-guided departures to the forest and nearby lake and marshes, at approximately £7-10 for shorter distance trips and £10-15 for middle distance trips.  We will also offer an overnight trip to the Narew Aquatic Warbler  reserve and the Biebrza marshes where Great Snipe lek.  This is approximately £70 to include transport, guide, boat trip, bed and breakfast, packed lunch, dinner and a Polish farmhouse meal.  As with all excursions, the exact cost will be dependent on the exchange rate at the time.