Visiting four of south Poland’s key birdwatching sites – the Pieniny Mountains, the Tatra Mountains, Niepołomice Forest and the extensive Zator Fishponds – we hope to witness the autumn migration in full swing.
Beginning in the Carpathians, we spend four days exploring the Pieniny and Tatra ranges in search of brown bear, red deer, chamois, wild boar, Tatra marmot, beaver, otter and red squirrel, plus raptors, woodpeckers and cranes. A day at Zator Fishponds should reward us with an astonishing number of migratory birds as well as water rail, Caspian gull and black stork, while our final stop at Niepołomice Forest is an ideal place to look for red-backed and great grey shrikes.
Typical Itinerary
Day1: Fly to Krakow
We take a scheduled flight from London to Krakow and drive two hours to the Pieniny Mountains.
Depending on our arrival time, we may be able to look for owls which can often be seen into the early evening. With a bit of luck, we should see pygmy, tawny, Ural and possibly even Tengmalm’s owl. At dusk we shall keep an eye out for mammals, as red deer, wild boar, lynx and beaver are all possibilities in this area.
The mixed forests and wild meadows of the Pieniny Mountains attract prolific birdlife, and we will spend the next two days exploring this varied habitat, walking amidst the limestone rock pillars and medieval castles.
Pre-breakfast walks in the natural Carpathian beech forests should reward us with views of hazel grouse, nutcracker, crossbill, firecrest and an array of woodpecker species. Late morning, we take to the alpine meadows in search of birds of prey. Sparrowhawk, goshawk, kestrel, peregrine, lesser spotted and golden eagle are among the raptors we hope to see here, as well as common buzzard, honey buzzard, hobby, Montagu’s harrier and red-footed falcon.
We will head out again at dusk in search of owls, as well as numerous mammal species which frequent these forests.
Day4: Tatra Mountains
Today, following an early breakfast, we make our way to the Tatra Mountains – a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, which forms a natural border between Slovakia and Poland, and is home to an extraordinary diversity of life, including 43 mammal species, 200 birds and three endemic arthropod species. Here, we hope to encounter red deer, roe deer, wild boar, and if we are lucky we may even see Eurasian lynx, brown bear or wolf.
We will journey by cable-car up to 2,000 metres above sea level, surrounded by rich alpine flora, which is the perfect habitat for alpine accentor, water pipit, northern wheatear, golden eagle and peregrine.
This afternoon, we visit the Orawa peat bogs where, in addition to the resident black grouse, we can enjoy an array of plants such as bog whortleberry, sundews, cranberry and marsh Labrador tea. The surrounding meadows are the ideal habitat for spotting great grey shrike and whinchat. Aside from the rich birdlife, the peat bogs are also inhabited by two packs of wolves which are often seen crossing the open meadows.
Day5: Zator Fishponds
We drive for two hours to Zator, to visit its extensive fishponds – an excellent place to watch the autumn migration, which should be in full swing. This important wetland area is a haven for birdlife and we’ll be able to observe vast numbers of migrating wildfowl, waders, terns, warblers and numerous songbirds.
The muddy flats provide a feeding ground for an array of waders, including little stint, Temminck’s stint, curlew, green, wood, broad-billed and common sandpipers, little, ringed and grey plovers, lapwing, black-tailed godwit, whimbrel and Eurasian curlew. Other highlights include common crane, common, jack and great snipe, white and black storks, great and little bitterns. Hidden in amongst the reedbeds we may also come across night heron, reed bunting, bluethroat, sedge warbler, penduline and bearded tit.
This afternoon, we drive approximately 80 kilometres to our next accommodation.
Accommodation: Hotel Azalia, 3-nights
Days6-7: Niepołomice Forest
The Niepołomice Forest is home to 180 recorded bird species, including 115 breeders and 60 migrants, and in the six nature reserves we look for eight species of woodpecker, hawfinch and short-toed treecreeper, as well as long-tailed, marsh and willow tits.
In the extensive fields surrounding the forest, we go in search of grey partridge, house and tree sparrows, chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, yellowhammer, corn bunting, siskin, black redstart and whinchat, as well as flocks of thrushes including fieldfare, redwing and mistle thrush. Other birds we hope to see include a range of wagtails and pipits, while wild boar, red deer and racoon dog are known to frequent the meadows at dusk.
During our stay in Niepołomice Forest, we will have the opportunity to revisit the Zator Fishponds to look for any species we may have missed on day 5.
Day8: Drive to Krakow; fly to the UK
We drive back to Krakow and, depending on the time of our flight, we may have time for a short stop in the city, before taking our return flight to London.
Key info
Duration and price including flights from/to UK: 8 daysfrom £2,195 pp
Duration and price excluding international flights: 8 daysfrom £1,995 pp
Andrew is an extremely experienced bird and mammal guide with a wealth of knowledge and a great deal of both academic and field experience.
Andrew's main passion is birds and their migration, and for more than 25 years he worked as a senior researcher at a bird ringing field station of the University of Gdańsk on the Baltic coast. Since the early 90s he has led dozens of nature watching trips in eastern and southern Poland (where his home is now).
His experience, along with his incomparable sense of wry humour, have made him one of Poland’s most sought-after biologists and wildlife guides.
The Carpathians stretch for about 1,500km in a distinctive arc shape from the Czech Republic to Romania, and are the continent’s third longest mountain range. They are home to the largest populations of brown bear, wolf and lynx in Europe, as well as large tracts of native forest.
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Where: Eastern Europe
Ideal for viewing: brown bear, three-toed woodpecker, chamois, nutcracker, Ural owl
The Pieniny Mountains are considered one of Poland’s most beautiful regions and have remarkable biodiversity including over 130 species of breeding birds including wallcreeper, hazel grouse, black woodpecker, corncrake and eagle owl, and butterflies such as Apollo and a variety of blues.
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Where: South Poland & north Slovakia
Ideal for viewing: purple emperor, large tortoiseshell, lesser spotted eagle, roe deer, pine marten
Forming a natural boundary between Poland and Slovakia, the Tatra are the highest range in the Carpathian Mountains, with about 77% of the range in Slovakia. Protected in both countries, the Tatra are listed as UNESCO World Network Biosphere Reserves. The highest peak in Slovakia is 2,655m, and in Poland 2,499m.
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Where: Slovakia & Poland
Ideal for viewing: red deer, golden eagle, Alpine accentor, Alpine marmot, Tatra chamois
Situated in the Pieniny Mountains in southern Poland, the Pensjonat Spiski offers comfortable en suite rooms surrounded by nature. Numerous walking trails lead from the guesthouse, and one of the joys of a stay here is a chance to walk nearby at night in search of owls and nocturnal mammals.
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