Białowieża Site Guide

This is a preview of the Białowieża Site Guide by WildPoland. Visit www.wildpoland.com for full version.

Łukasz Mazurek & Tomasz Jezierczuk

WILD POLAND Site Guides

Where to watch birds and large mammals of the Białowieża Forest

BiałowieżaSite Guide PDF

WILD POLAND Site Guides

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Wild Poland Site Guides is a trade mark ofWild Poland S.C. Ł. Mazurek, T. Jezierczuk

ul. Żelazna 67, lok. 13PL-00871 Warszawa

www.wildpoland.com

© Łukasz Mazurek & Tomasz Jezierczuk 2014© Wild Poland 2014

Text, maps & layout: Łukasz Mazurek & Tomasz Jezierczuk

Proof reading, additional text editing: George Pilkington/Nurturing Nature Ltd., www.nurturing-nature.co.uk, Dick Filby, Peter M. Macdonald,

Photographs: Michael J. Eick, Dick Filby/WildWings, Tomasz Jezierczuk, Łukasz Mazurek Mateusz Matysiak / www.mateuszmatysiak.pl, Lionel Maumary/Birdline Tours, Antonella & Andrea Ferrari/www.animamundimag.com

Photographs on cover:Pygmy Owl by Mateusz Matysiak / www.mateuszmatysiak.pl Białowieża Forest by Mateusz Szymura / www.bialowieza.waw.pl

For online ordering of paperback and full pdf versions visit www.wildpoland.com

The publisher and authors have done their best to ensure the accuracy of all the informa-tion in the Białowieża Site Guide, however, they can accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by any traveller as a result of information or advice con-tained in the guide.

ISBN: 978-83-64944-00-0



http://www.nurturing-nature.co.uk

http://www.mateuszmatysiak.pl

http://www.animamundimag.com

http://www.mateuszmatysiak.pl

http://www.bialowieza.waw.pl


C O N T E N T S 3


Foreword 5

How to use this book 6What is the Boring Part? 6The Grand Part structure 7

We divided the forest into 8 areas 7Limited time? 8The Sites 9Species list 9Maps 10

THE BORING PART 11Białowieża Forest and National Park 12

Huge part of the forest is not protected 12The National Park – Strict Protection Area 13The National Park – Active Protection Area 14The State Forest – Managed Part 15The State Forest – Nature Reserves 15

How to get there and avoid the mistakes ... 17Motor vehicle or public transport? 17Public transport 17Bus 17Train 17Car, bike or walk? 174WD 19Bike rental 19Parking 19Petrol station 19Accommodation 19Camping 19Shopping & eating out 19Tourist Information 20The best map of the Forest 20ATM and Credit cards 20Mobile phone reception 20WiFi internet 21CAUTION! State border.Do not cross. 21Use of fire 21

How not to get lost in the forest 22What else do you need to know ... 23When to visit 24

Weather 24Spring (March to May) 25Summer (June to August) 26Autumn (September to November) 27Winter (December to February) 27Daylight 28

Common birds in the Białowieża Forest 29Rare birds 30Where and how to watch mammals 34

European Bison 34Wild Boar, Red and Roe Deer 35Wolf and Lynx 35Beaver and Otter 35Other 35

THE GRAND PART 37

The Białowieża Area 39Short trails 40

1 Białowieża village 402 Palace Park 423 Strict Reserve 464 Mostowa Street 505 Dyrekcyjny Park 526 Narewka Bridge 547 Wysokie Bagno 588 Żebra Żubra 629 Gierkówka Glade 64

Long trails 6610 Browska Droga 6611 Bagienny & Pacowski Tryb 6812 Przewłoka 72

The Main Road Area 77Short trails 78

13 Yellow Trail 7814 Bison Enclosure 8015 Góra Batorego 8216 Zwierzyniec Green Trail 8417 Ukośna Droga 86

The Hajnówka Area 89Short trails 90

18 Dubińska Droga 9019 Topiło Lake 92Narrow Gauge Railway 94

Long trails 9620 Leśna Bridge 9621 Puchaczowa Droga 9822 Głęboki Kąt 10223 Głęboki Kąt to Nieznanowo 104

The Budy Area 107Short trails 108

24 Teremiski Meadows 10825 Teremiski Bridge 11026 Budy Bridge 11227 Budy Black Trail 11428 Dębowy Grąd 116

Long trails 11829 Dębowy Grąd to Pojedynacki Tryb 118

Contents


4 C O N T E N T S


The Narewkowska Road Area 121Short trails 122

30 Bondówka 12231 Stara Białowieża 12432 National Park Border 12633 Blue Trail 12834 Pojedynacki Tryb 13035 Worobiowa Glade 13236 Parking Site 13437 Graniczny Tryb – East 13638 Graniczny Tryb – West 13839 Coniferous Forest 14040 Świnoroje Glade 142

Long trails 14441 Wilczy & Pojedynacki Tryb 144

The Narewka Area 147Short trails 148

42 Świnoroje Oaks 14843 Janowo Pond 15044 Kosy Most Bridge 15245 Gruszki Bridge 15646 Gruszki Oaks 15847 Guszczewina 16048 Olchówka to Zabrody 16249 Siemianówka Meadows 164

Long trails 16650 Carska Tropina Black Trail 166

The Masiewo Area 171Short trails 172

51 Braszcza Bridge 172Long trails 174

52 Masiewo Red & Blue Trails 17453 Masiewo Green Trail 178

The Siemianówka Area 183Short trails 184

54 Siemieniakowszczyzna 184Siemianówka Water Reservoir 18655 Babia Góra 18856 Bondary Dam 19057 Bachury Ponds 19258 Szymki 19459 Cisówka 196

INDEXES & LISTS 199

Bird list 200

Mammal list 206

Index of places 207

Index of species 209

AcknowledgementsThis book would never see the light of day without the tremendous, unselfish

help of many. Dick Filby, Peter M. Macdonald and George Pilkington have spent long hours carefully proof reading the text, provided their useful ideas and made it sound more English. Arkadiusz and Mateusz Szymura have shared their local, expert knowledge at any time we needed.

The core of the book – bird and mammal locations are the effect of field work and birding of many friends. We cannot list them all but several must be mentioned: Mark Andrews, Peter J. Dunn, Dick Filby, Artur Gierasimiuk, Grzegorz Grygoruk, Bogdan Kasperczyk, Tomasz Kułakowski, Przemysław Kunysz, Lionel Maumary, Sławek Niedźwiedzki, Andrzej Petryna, Michał Polakowski, Jarosław Stepaniuk, Arek Szymura, Mateusz Szymura, Tomasz Tumiel, Adam Wajrak, Karol Zub.


6 H O W T O U S E T H I S B O O K W H A T I S T H E B O R I N G P A R T


What is the Boring Part?

You probably expect to find some basic facts and information about the forest. The aim of this guide is to give you the best possible chance to see most wild-life the forest has to offer. It is not to bore you with historical and statistical information or any sophisticated eco-system description. But since some facts and numbers show the dangers this for-est is in, we find it our moral duty to cite them in The Boring Part.

You will also find pieces of hopefully useful information on getting around the forest, rules for visitors and our hints on how to prepare for your trip. The long chapter on When to visit describes weather conditions and the wildlife that may be seen, at different times of the year.

In the Common birds in the Białowieża Forest section we list and

describe how easy it is to watch all the common birds that are omitted in the main text. These are often birds which over the years became rare or have even disappeared from Western Europe so remember to check this chapter if you think we are missing some rare species that you happened to see so often.

In the Rare birds chapter you can find information about the rarest and most wanted birds, their preferred habitat and behaviour – all that to help you find them in the field.

Finally, the Where and how to watch mammals chapter provides information on the recommended time of year and day as well as the proper approach to watch large forest mammals, including Bison, Wolf and Lynx. 1

How to use this book


H O W T O U S E T H I S B O O K T H E G R A N D P A R T S T R U C T U R E 7


want to squeeze as much as possible out of your visit.

The other two areas are the two main traffic routes through the forest. These are the routes from Hajnówka to Białowieża (The Main Road Area) and from Białowieża to Narewka (The Nar-ewkowska Road Area). Since you will be driving there each day, you have all the recommended sites along the route in separate areas. Now you can pick a new stop on your way each day and explore!

The last area is the Siemianówka Reservoir in the N of the forest that we added here as a bonus because most peo-ple would naturally visit it having already made the journey to NE Poland. Mind you, it has plenty of wildlife to offer and you could easily spend a couple of days there. 1

The Grand Part structure

WE DIVIDED THE FOREST INTO 8 AREASThe Białowieża Forest is large and to visit all the 59 sites described in this book you would need at least two weeks. To make browsing through this book easy and efficient we have sorted the sites based upon the most available accom-modation places to stay and traffic routes through the forest.

The Białowieża, Hajnówka, Budy, Nar-ewka and Masiewo areas are located around the towns and villages carrying the same name, respectively. Apart from finding accommodation, you would nat-urally stop in these places for shopping, petrol or lunch on your way. Therefore, it is much easier to find all the interest-ing sites not only near your hotel but also any place where you find yourself in and


8 H O W T O U S E T H I S B O O K T H E G R A N D P A R T S T R U C T U R E


AreasBiałowieża -

Main Road -

Hajnówka -

Budy -

Narewka -

Masiewo -

Siemianówka -

NarewkowskaRoad -

Olchówka

Białowieża

Hajnówka

Topiło

Sacharewo

NarewkaGruszki

Budy

Pogorzelce

Teremiski

Czerlonka

Siemianówka

Masiewo

Szymki

CisówkaBondary

Juszkowy Gród

Narew

k

owska Road

0 5 km

N

LIMITED TIME?If you have limited time to spend and find making the choice on where to visit difficult, we have made it easier for you. We have selected, what we feel are the best sites to visit for wildlife and

making the most of limited time. As such we have highlighted them with a black-stroked symbol on the maps and also in the site’s main header text:Our top sites!


H O W T O U S E T H I S B O O K T H E G R A N D P A R T S T R U C T U R E 9


THE SITESThe sites in each of the areas are further divided into short and long trails. The short ones are less than 6 km (3.7 miles) and allow for a quick excursion without special preparation or equipment. The

long ones are over 7 km (4.4 miles) and are either long walks, very long walks or bike rides.

Each site is described with a number of details and symbols helping you to plan your excursion:

SPECIES LISTTo further enhance your enjoyment, we have provided each site with a list of the most likely species to be seen divided into three categories:COMMON – regular breeders and spe-cies that are commonly seen at the site. The appropriate time of the year (usu-ally spring), the time of day (usually early morning) and with perfect weather con-ditions, you are likely to see most or all of them.ALSO SEEN – more elusive species that

are seen less often, irregular breeders or frequent migrants that have been seen at the site. With perfect conditions and appropriate time of the year, you may see some of them.RARITIES – species that are very shy or nocturnal, infrequent migrants or rare species that have occurred once or more. You may see some of them if you are lucky or keep returning to the site at differ-ent times of day or with better weather conditions.

Białowieża village [byahwohvyejsha]TIME OF YEAR TIME OF DAY DISTANCE TIME EASY WALK FOOTWEAR GPS

springsummer

dawnmorning

2 km 1.2 miles 2 h

52° 42’ 09” N23° 51’ 01” E

seasons best for this site

Site name and pronunciation, ha!

GPS coordinates are given for the start of the walk or a parking site where applicable

Site number. Note different colours for 8 areas and top sites with a black stroke:

recommended time of day to visit

Distance to walk or cycle given for each site was calculated from the parking site and back to the same spot so remember to account for additional distance and time if starting from a different spot

Time has been calculated in the field and equals to approximately 1-2 km/h walking and 3-5 km/h cycling which allows for slow pace, relaxed birdwatching and photographing

Difficulty of terrain:

difficult walk (dense forest, overgrown path)

easy walk

bike ride

Footwear: dry enough for trainers muddy or wet - best to wear walking boots very muddy or wet - wellington boots essential


10 H O W T O U S E T H I S B O O K T H E G R A N D P A R T S T R U C T U R E


Each species in the list is preceded with a three digit number that refers to the page number with a plate of this particu-lar species in the Collin's Bird Guide. The most complete field guide to the birds of Britain and Europe by Killian Mul-larney, Lars Svensson, Dan Zetterström and Peter J. Grant, first edition.

numerous that they can be seen with-out much effort during many of the walks described in this book. The full list of these species can be found in the Common birds in the Białowieża For-est chapter on page 29.

OPTIONSIn this section, we give useful suggestions that may be helpful in planning a differ-ent route than already described, giving you more flexibility to plan ahead.

MAPSEach site is depicted on a map and all the most important points like parking site, viewing points and walking route are described there. 1

meadows route described in the text

start of the route described

point of interest with reference to the text

parking site,area suitable for parking

petrol station

bike rental

post office

restaurant

tourist information

pharmacy

hotel/guesthouse

National Park HQ

viewing point

State Forest

buildings,inhabited area

State border

railway

main road

tarmac road,minor tarmac road

dirt track, minor dirt track

forest track, path

marked tourist trails

rivers, lakes

bridge

viewing tower

Catholic church,Orthodox church

roadside cross

National Park - Active Protection Area

National Park - Strict Protection Area

Nature Reservein the State Forest

it

NP

2

Map symbols

EXAMPLE SPECIES LISTCOMMON259 Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia

Please note, that a number of common species are not included in these lists and are also often omitted in the text. These are species like tits, Wood Warbler, Haw-finch or Blackcap that are generally so



T H E B O R I N G P A R T 11

THE BORING PART

Białowieża Forest and Białowieża National Park 12Huge part of the forest is not protected 12

The National Park – Strict Protection Area 13The National Park – Active Protection Area 14

The State Forest – Managed Part 15The State Forest – Nature Reserves 15

How to get there and avoid the mistakes of others 17Motor vehicle or public transport? 17

Public transport 17Bus 17

Train 17Car, bike or walk? 17

4WD 19Bike rental 19

Parking 19Petrol station 19

Accommodation 19Camping 19

Shopping & eating out 19Tourist Information 20

The best map of the Forest 20ATM and Credit cards 20

Mobile phone reception 20WiFi internet 21

CAUTION! State border. Do not cross. 21Use of fire 21

How not to get lost in the forest 22What else do you need to know and take with you 23

When to visit 24Weather 24

Spring (March to May) 25Summer (June to August) 26

Autumn (September to November) 27Winter (December to February) 27

Daylight 28Common birds in the Białowieża Forest 29

Rare birds 30Where and how to watch mammals 34

European Bison 34Wild Boar, Red and Roe Deer 35

Wolf and Lynx 35Beaver and Otter 35

Other 35


12 T H E B O R I N G P A R T B I A Ł O W I E Ż A F O R E S T A N D B I A Ł O W I E Ż A N A T I O N A L P A R K


The forest is protected as a UNESCO Bio-sphere Reserve but just 1/6 of the whole area is protected as a National Park and only half of it is the UNESCO World Her-itage Site in Poland. The rest of the area still belongs to the Polish State and is managed by the National Forest Com-pany (Lasy Państwowe). Check out the numbers:

Białowieża Forest and Białowieża National Park

HUGE PART OF THE FOREST IS NOT PROTECTEDBiałowieża Primaeval Forest, known as Puszcza Białowieska in Polish, is an ancient woodland straddling the border between Belarus and Poland, covering more than 150,000 ha. It is one of the largest remaining parts of the immense temperate broadleaf forest that once cov-ered most of the European Plain.

Poland (ha) Belarus (ha)

ha % of total forest ha % of total

forest

Total forest area 63,147 100% 87,922 100%

National Park 10,517 17% 152,962 174%Strict Protection Area 5,725 9% 30,679 35%

buffer zone 3,224 5% 80,715 92%

World Heritage Site 5,069 8% 5,235 (87,606)* 6% (100%)*

Biosphere Reserve 59,726 95% 191,300 218%core 10,164 16% 15,700 18%

buffer 16,889 27% 85,600 97%

transition 32,673 52% 90,000 102%

Other nature reserves 12,182 19% n/a

* numbers in brackets show the area claimed by UNESCO vs the value given by the NP.

So what happens to the rest of the forest, which is still unprotected? You will see yourself when you get here. On the page 14 there is a photo for those who can’t wait or can’t visit for themselves.

These two main areas, the National Park and the State Forest, can be divided further into four parts where different rules for visitors apply (see map on the opposite page):

1 The National Park – Strict Protection Area (Obręb Ochronny Sierchanowo, for-merly called Rezerwat Ścisły)2 The National Park – Active Protec-tion Area (Obręb Ochronny Hwoźna)3 The State Forest – Managed Part (Lasy

Państwowe)4 The State Forest – Nature Reserves

(Rezerwat Przyrody)


T H E B O R I N G P A R T B I A Ł O W I E Ż A F O R E S T A N D B I A Ł O W I E Ż A N A T I O N A L P A R K 13


THE NATIONAL PARK – STRICT PROTECTION AREA The oldest part of the National Park, pro-tected since the 1920-ies. This is the core area of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site. No trees have ever been planted there and only a few were cut and that was before 1900s. Stunning, breathtaking and unforgettable

views.Entering here is forbidden except with

a licensed National Park guide and even with the guide – only two trails are avail-able: 4 km and 14 km long. You can hire a guide and pay for the entrance in the National Park offices at Park Pałacowy 1, see page 20 but we strongly recom-mend private expert guides at Sóweczka

State Forest - Managed Part

State Forest - Nature Reserves

National Park - Active Protection Area

National Park - Strict Protection Area

Budy Teremiski

Pogorzelce

Białowieża

Hajnówka

Topiło

Sacharewo

Czerlonka

Masiewo

Siemianówka

Narewka

Gruszki

Olchówka

0 5 km

N


T H E B O R I N G P A R T H O W T O G E T T H E R E A N D A V O I D T H E M I S T A K E S O F O T H E R S 17


MOTOR VEHICLE OR PUBLIC TRANSPORT? Travelling around NE Poland, a rural area, is best done by motor car. This would save you time and trouble as public transport is very poorly served. Otherwise, many of the best sites are difficult to get to and remote, although a few people have man-aged and been satisfied.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT If you travel using public transport, the most central area to stay is Białowieża village, where you will find the NP head-quarters, Museum and the largest variety of hotels, rooms for rent, shops, bike rent-als, etc.

BUSThere is a direct bus leaving from Dworzec Warszawa Stadion at 14:50, arrives to Białowieża at 19:20.

Check the websites www.e-podroznik.pl for bus connections in Poland and war-szawa.jakdojade.pl for Warszawa City public transport.

TRAINA more sophisticated option is to take a train to Białystok (the largest town in NE Poland) and then a bus according to the place you want to get to. The train jour-ney from Warszawa to Białystok takes approx. 2.5 hrs.Check the website rozklad-pkp.pl for train connections and www.e-podroznik.pl for bus connections in Poland.

Białystok bus station is just opposite the train station, use the footbridge over the railway. From here, you can take a bus to almost anywhere in Poland, pro-vided you can pronounce the name! :-) There are a few connections per day to Białowieża by Voyager Trans private busses (office at ul. Bohaterów Monte Cassino 6 lok. 12) and several connec-tions to Hajnówka by both private and national PKS buses (the large bus station). Once you get to Hajnówka, just change to a bus to Białowieża (approx. 5 buses a day) or take one of the increasingly com-mon private shuttle buses.

CAR, BIKE OR WALK?Driving through the forest is restricted to a few public roads only. Most of the sites described in this guidebook require a walk and some require a bike ride. Ide-ally, the best option to use in the forest is by car and bike. It allows you to stay in the same place overnight and visit all the described sites in several days.

In most cases though, people just use a car. This allows you to visit most of the best sites with short, up to 6 km walks and all the sites if you are willing to walk for 7 km or more. If you arrive by public transport, your only option is to hire a bike. Then you’ll be virtually free to visit more than a half of the sites described departing directly from Białowieża village. For the southern and northernmost sites you may have to change your accommo-dation to Hajnówka (S) or Narewka (N).

How to get there and avoid the mistakes of others


http://www.e-podroznik.pl


http://warszawa.jakdojade.pl

http://warszawa.jakdojade.pl

http://rozklad-pkp.pl



24 T H E B O R I N G P A R T W H E N T O V I S I T


WEATHER We are pretty sure you have your own favourite weather websites but since the historical or typical values can be diffi-cult to find, especially for NE Poland, we created the charts below using data from several different sources dating back to 1970s.

NE Poland is under a strong influ-ence from the continental, boreal climate which is dry and cloudy. The average annual rainfall for Poland is as little as 600 mm. In practice, winters are usually

cold and snowy. You can expect a good foot or more of snow in January and Feb-ruary. In spring, March and April can be quite chilly whereas May is usually much warmer – see the temperatures chart. Summer is hot and dry. All the rain that we get then is usually during a few large storms. In autumn, September and October are usually quite warm and the landscape is very picturesque with colourful trees. November, on the other hand, is usually cold and grey.

When to visit

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

404646

52

70

8074

56

3631

26

35

10108991010108879

Precipitation & number of wet daysNo. of wet days (> 1 mm)Average precipitation (mm)

June and July are the wettest months but

looking at the number of wet days you can

see that the difference between particular months is minor. It

is generally difficult to get bad weather

throughout a trip of a few days. It may rain for a day or two but

the rest is usually dry.

Average sunlight & wind speedWind speed (km/h)

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Average Sunlight (hours)

2640

93

143

220234

249236

165

107

5232

1213109889911121212

We usually don’t get much direct sunlight but if we do, it can get hot quickly. Winds are generally weak, especially in the forest. However, when out in the open, e.g. the Siemianówka Reservoir, you can expect much stronger and often chillier winds.


30 T H E B O R I N G P A R T R A R E B I R D S


We thought this might be useful, other-wise you’re allowed to rip this page out.

If you are an experienced birdwatcher, familiar with bird calls and songs, it shouldn’t be a problem to locate and get good views of the most wanted species. Some basic information on their habitat, behaviour and local habits can always be helpful, especially if you come here after the breeding season, when the birds are less active. The information given here is based upon our experience. This often differs from what you can read in other books. Estimated populations refer to the whole Białowieża Forest on the Polish side and are cited after:

• Okołów C. et al. (ed.). 2009. Białowieża National Park. Know it, understand it, protect it. Białowieski Park Narodowy, Białowieża.

• Pugacewicz E. 1997. Ptaki lęgowe Puszczy Białowieskiej. Północno-podlaskie Towarzystwo Ochrony Ptaków, Białowieża.

Woodpeckers are amongst the most desired of Białowieża’s rarer birds. They like dead wood. It is where they can find lots of insects, obviously. The number of fungi, mosses, lichens and insects in the decaying wood can be roughly ten times higher than on the living trees. It makes dead wood even more alive than a liv-ing tree. Good thing to know is that most woodpecker species usually select the same or similar trees and sometimes even the same branches for drumming. And if you get to see one on a particu-lar, good resonant branch one day, you can expect to see it at the same spot the next day as well.

Three-toed Woodpeckers are spruce specialists. Best to search for them in the dead spruce forests. However, they can also be spotted in the old woodland where old spruce trees grow in groups (like in the Strict Reserve) or at the edges of bog alder forest with spruce trees. They

Rare birds

Typical Three-toed Woodpecker feeding

marks on a spruce tree.

ŁUKASZ MAZUREK


34 T H E B O R I N G P A R T W H E R E A N D H O W T O W A T C H M A M M A L S


Mammals here are generally shy and most of them are nocturnal or have a dawn and dusk peak of activity which is why not many wildlife tours visiting this area hap-pen to see them. Here at Wild Poland we have successfully shown all the large mammals to our clients but it wasn’t with-out a sacrifice. If you are willing to give up a few hours of your sleep, you may be amazed by the number of large mammals seen in the forest. All you need is a car and a spot light or a good torch. A good Site Guide may also help! :-)

In general, winter seems the best choice for mammal watching, see also When to visit chapter on page 24. But since most people visit this area in spring and summer, we thought the following information may help. For the complete list of recommended sites for each spe-cies see indexes at the back of the book, page 209.

EUROPEAN BISONBulls are solitary or form loose groups of a few animals with other males, espe-cially in winter and they are much easier to watch than the herds of females with calves which can be quite wary and dif-ficult to approach closely.

In wintertime they all gather in herds and visit forest glades and meadows at the edges of villages and especially the feed-ing places where hay is put out for them by the NP wardens. Some of these sites are closed for visitors and serve as animal ref-uges but many are free for you to visit and take advantage of the season’s best. These are described in the sites: 9 Gierkówka

Glade, 24 Teremiski Meadows, 44 Kosy Most Bridge, 49 Siemianówka Meadows, 53 Masiewo Green Trail, 55 Babia Góra.

In spring things get a little complicated since the herds disperse in search of fresh greenery and cows give birth to a new generation. At that time, your best chance of spotting them is to explore the numer-ous forest tracks and glades in the Budy, Narewkowska Road and Narewka areas at dusk and dawn. Best sites are: 28 Dębowy Grąd, 34 Pojedynacki Tryb, 35 Woro-biowa Glade, 37 Graniczny Tryb – East, 44 Kosy Most Bridge, 50 Carska Tropina Black Trail. Remember to start at night and be there at dawn or start in the after-noon and stay long into the night.

In summer – July and August are again a good time for watching Bison since bulls get more active and join the herds of females until the end of the breeding period in September. Bachelor groups of young males or larger mixed herds can be spotted at dawn and in the evenings in the forest glades now providing them with the dense sward of sweet grasses to feed on. Best sites at this time are: 28 Dębowy Grąd, 32 National Park Border, 34 Pojedynacki Tryb, 37 Graniczny Tryb – East, 44 Kosy Most Bridge, 50 Carska Tropina Black Trail, 52 Masiewo Red & Blue Trails, 55 Babia Góra.

After the breeding season the groups disperse again and your best chance to watch Bison in autumn is again check-ing out the numerous forest tracks and glades as in spring.

• Est. population: max. 450 animals

Where and how to watch mammals



T H E G R A N D P A R T 37

THE GRAND PART

The Białowieża Area 39Short trails 40Long trails 66

The Main Road Area 77Short trails 78

The Hajnówka Area 89Short trails 90Long trails 96

The Budy Area 107Short trails 108Long trails 118

The Narewkowska Road Area 121Short trails 122Long trails 144

The Narewka Area 147Short trails 148Long trails 166

The Masiewo Area 171Short trails 172Long trails 174

The Siemianówka Area 183Short trails 184

Białowieża

Pogorzelce

TeremiskiBudy

Czerlonka

Topiło

Sacharewo

HAJNÓWKA

Narewka

Gruszki

Masiewo

Siemianówka

Siemieniakowszczyzna

Świnoroje

Juszkowy GródSzymki

Cisówka

Olchówka

Mikłaszewo

Bondary

686687

687

685

685

689

Na

rew

kowska

Road

0 10 km5 km

N

Narew

Narewka



Białowieża Area0 5 km1 km

N

Białowieża

Pogorzelce

Teremiski

Grudki

Jagiellońska Droga

Bagienny Tryb

Olemburska Droga

Kozłowy Tryb

Wilczy Tryb

Pojedynacki Tryb

Graniczny Tryb

Narew

kowska Ro

ad

Pacowski Tryb

Sinic

ka D

roga

689

Podcerkwa



T H E B I A Ł O W I E Ż A A R E A 39

The Białowieża Area lies in the SE part of the forest and for the purposes of this book we

include the National Park Strict Protec-tion Area here as well. Białowieża village, has many sites in the area that we rec-ommend. It is a good starting place and good place to stay, with several large

quality hotels, pensions and lots of bed-and-no-breakfast farmhouses as well as camping grounds. It also has the National Park headquarters and Natural History Museum in the Palace Park. More accom-modation can be found in the nearby villages of Pogorzelce, Teremiski and Budy, NW from Białowieża.

The Białowieża Area

Short trails 401 Białowieża village 40

2 Palace Park 423 Strict Reserve 46

4 Mostowa Street 505 Dyrekcyjny Park 526 Narewka Bridge 547 Wysokie Bagno 58

8 Żebra Żubra 629 Gierkówka Glade 64

Long trails 6610 Browska Droga 66

11 Bagienny & Pacowski Tryb 6812 Przewłoka 72


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Very short walk where Black and Three-toed Woodpeckers are likely species in spring. Hobby and Honey Buzzard have also been seen.

Take the main 689 road from Białowieża and continue for 3.7 km from the village petrol station. Drive past the two significant bends with speed limit roadsigns and stop at the first forest tracks crossroads after the bends. Park your vehicle and take the forest track S for 150 m. You will see a perfect Three-toed Woodpecker habitat at the top of the hill [1]. Find an overgrown crossroads and check the tracks E and W as well as the main track S. The good woodpecker hab-itat extends for the next 150 m S.

Góra Batorego [goorah bahtohrehgoh]TIME OF YEAR TIME OF DAY DISTANCE TIME EASY WALK FOOTWEAR GPS

spring

dawnmorningafternoon

0.6 km 0.4 mile

1 h

52°42’02”N23°46’47”E

SPECIES LISTCOMMON097 Hobby Falco subbuteo225 Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius229 Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus317 Coal Tit Periparus ater319 Crested Tit Lophophanes cristatus

ALSO SEEN091 Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus211 Pygmy Owl Glaucidium passerinum311 Firecrest Regulus ignicapilla

Pine Marten Martes martesRed Squirrel Sciurus vulgaris

An old coniferous stand.

TOMASZ JEZIERCZUK


http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=%2B52%C2%B0+42'+2.00%22,+%2B23%C2%B0+46'+47.00%22+(52.700556,+23.779722)&aq=&sll=52.702327,23.755571&sspn=0.048837,0.097246&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=14

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=%2B52%C2%B0+42'+2.00%22,+%2B23%C2%B0+46'+47.00%22+(52.700556,+23.779722)&aq=&sll=52.702327,23.755571&sspn=0.048837,0.097246&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=14

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0 300 m

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Grubolipny Tryb

Góra Batorego

Góra Batorego is a good site to spot a Black Woodpecker.

Three-toed Wood-peckers nesting at the site.

LIONEL MAUMARY MATEUSZ MATYSIAK / WWW.MATEUSZMATYSIAK.PL


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Short walk, also accessible from Ter-emiski village. Likely species include Hazel Grouse, flycatchers, Black, White-backed and Three-toed Woodpeckers. Good for mammals at dawn: Bison, Wild Boar, Red Deer and Pine Marten have all been seen here.

Driving from Białowieża, take the road NE signposted to Narewka. Drive past Pogorzelce village until you reach the crossroads with Narewkowska Road signposted right to Narewka. Turn left here and after 300 m you will see a clear-ing with a campfire site and shelter on your right [1]. Park your vehicle and walk S into the glade. Arriving early morning you can expect to see Deer, Wild Boar or even Bison so it’s good to be cautious. The glade is oblong and gently swings right. It also narrows and leads to a track marked with a black trail at its other end [2]. Follow that track W for 300 m until you reach the intersection of tracks. Be watchful along the edge of the glade and all the way to the crossroads is where you are likely to see Bison, Wild Boar, Red Deer, Pine Marten and Hazel Grouse [3].

Once at the junction [4], turn left and hit the track S as far as 500 m there and return back [5]. Bison and White-backed Woodpeckers have been seen there.

You can either come back the way

Short trails

Bondówka [bohndoovkah]TIME OF YEAR TIME OF DAY DISTANCE TIME EASY WALK FOOTWEAR GPS

springautumn


4.4 km 2.7 miles

52°43’28”N23°47’18”E

SPECIES LISTCOMMON105 Hazel Grouse Bonasia bonasia225 Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius229 White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos229 Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus301 Icterine Warbler Hippolais icterina313 Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva315 Collared Flycatcher Ficedula albicollis

ALSO SEEN091 Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus227 Middle Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos medius229 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos minor341 Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus

European Bison Bison bonasusWild Boar Sus scrofaRed Deer Cervus elaphusPine Marten Martes martes

you have just come or continue further W where Bison and Three-toed Wood-pecker are likely species. Follow the black trail W and after 500 m you will see a small clearing on your left and many dead spruce trees around, this is where Three-toed Woodpecker and Wild Boar are likely species [6]. Walking further W watch out for Bison in the forest, espe-cially at dawn or at dusk. After 900 m you will reach another glade where Bison have been seen grazing in the early sum-mer mornings [7].


http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=%2B52%C2%B0+43'+28.00%22,+%2B23%C2%B0+47'+18.00%22+(52.724444,+23.788333)&aq=&sll=52.718619,23.792095&sspn=0.097222,0.194492&ie=UTF8&ll=52.724441,23.788319&spn=0.097209,0.194492&t=h&z=14


T H E N A R E W K O W S K A R O A D A R E A S H O R T T R A I L S 123


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5

Teremiski

0 1 km500 m

Bondówka N

1

23467

At the site in September. ŁUKASZ MAZUREK


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give you more flexibility and better views over the meadows [8].

OPTIONS1 Close to the edge of the forest you will see a narrow path leading S, signposted to the watchtower [4]. It is a muddy trail through bog alder forest where all the woodpeckers mentioned above are likely and Bison, Wild Boar and Racoon Dog might be spotted at dawn or dusk. It led to a tall, old watchtower dismantled in 2010, hopefully to be rebuilt again soon as it provided some magnificent views over the valley [9].

Once there, you can visit the forest 200 m S along the black trail for Red-breasted Flycatcher [10], then return to the hill [9] and come back to the parking

site along the black trail [11]. Hazel Grouse and Black Woodpeckers are likely species on that trail. Wolf prints and fresh droppings have also been seen so keep a lookout for them, especially at dawn or dusk.

You can also continue further S along the route described in site 50 Carska Tropina Black Trail, page 166.2 If you feel like walking, you can con-tinue E along the green trail past the bridges as far as 1 km to a yet another glade where Nutcrackers and Black Woodpeckers are likely.3 The parking site can also be a start-

ing point for the site 50 Carska Tropina Black Trail, page 166.

Kosy Most is one of the best sites to spot a Nutcracker, all year round.

MATEUSZ MATYSIAK / WWW.MATEUSZMATYSIAK.PL


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Brief stop on your way to the Siemia-nówka Reservoir that may bring Barred Warbler, Red-backed Shrike and a Corn-crake. Bison might be likely species in winter.

Driving from the centre of Nare-wka village take a turn SE signposted to Gruszki. Follow that tarmac road for 5.7 km until you get to Olchówka village. Having driven into the village, just after about a 100 m take a left turn signposted to Siemianowka. Continue along the tar-mac road for 1.5 km. At first the road goes straight N, then gently swings right and passes a small woodland on the left.

Continue along and stop at a small bridge over a ditch draining the mead-ows, 100 m past the woodland [1]. At that point the village of Zabrody will be visible

Olchówka to Zabrody [olhoovkah to zahbrohdih]

TIME OF YEAR TIME OF DAY DISTANCE TIME EASY WALK FOOTWEAR GPS

springsummerwinter


0.5 km 0.3 mile

1 h

52°51’55”N23°49’41”E

SPECIES LISTCOMMON111 Corncrake Crex crex281 Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria327 Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio

ALSO SEEN079 Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina

in front of you. In May and June, SE from the bridge in the willow bushes, a Barred Warbler and Red-backed Shrike can be spotted [2] and NW from the road there are often Corncrakes calling in the meadows [3]. Lesser Spotted Eagles can be observed, too.

In winter, Bison may walk out into the surrounding meadows in search of food.

Red-backed Shrike

LIONEL MAUMARY




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Probably the best site for birding around Siemianówka Reservoir. In spring, the specialities of this spot include Citrine Wagtail, three species of marsh terns, Lesser and Greater Spotted Eagles, Black Stork or Hazel Grouse. The list is long.

Short trails

Siemieniakowszczyzna[syemyenyahkohvshchihznah] (piece of cake)

TIME OF YEAR TIME OF DAY DISTANCE TIME EASY WALK FOOTWEAR GPS

springsummerautumn


3 km 1.9 miles 4 h

52°53’57”N23°53’00”E

SPECIES LISTCOMMON017 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis017 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis019 Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus031 Bittern Botaurus stellaris033 Great White Egret Egretta alba 035 Black Stork Ciconia nigra053 Garganey Anas querquedula075 White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla075 Osprey Pandion haliaetus079 Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina085 Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus087 Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus091 Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus105 Hazel Grouse Bonasa bonasia175 Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans 179 Little Gull Larus minutus193 Black Tern Chlidonias niger193 White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus193 Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida253 Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola259 Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia295 River Warbler Locustella fluviatilis299 Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus301 Icterine Warbler Hippolais icterina321 Penduline Tit Remiz pendulinus 327 Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio329 Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor341 Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus359 Scarlet Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus

Driving from Narewka village take the turn signposted to Siemianówka. In Siemianówka turn right and follow the main tarmac road E until you reach Sie-mieniakowszczyzna village. Turn left at the T-junction and follow the dirt track.

After 450 m it divides. The left track

ALSO SEEN017 Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis019 Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena067 Goldeneye Bucephala clangula079 Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga097 Hobby Falco subbuteo111 Quail Coturnix coturnix111 Corncrake Crex crex115 Little Crake Porzana parva119 Crane Grus grus221 Hoopoe Upupa epops233 Woodlark Lullula arborea281 Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria295 Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinioides297 Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus palustris333 Nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes

European Bison Bison bonasus Fire-bellied Toad Bombina bombinaPool Frog Rana lessonae Common Winter Damsel Sympecma fuscaYellow-spotted Whiteface Leucorrhinia pectoralisRuby Whiteface Leucorrhinia rubicundaGreen-eyed Hawker Aeshna isoceles

RARITIES083 Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus095 Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus099 Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus207 Eagle Owl Bubo bubo313 Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva




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SIEMIANÓWKA WATER RESERVOIRIn the 1950-ties and 60-ties the Narew River valley and the whole area around Białystok city suffered from drought and the decision was made to build an artificial reservoir as a water supply for difficult times. An electricity plant was also planned to be built and an idyl-lic view of water sports development and creation of recreational centre in the area was spread.

Building was started in 1977 and by the year 1988 nearly 300 farms from 8 villages were resettled and the wide marshy Narew River Valley was ready to be filled with water. Over 2000 ha of natural sedge marshland hosting many rare breeding birds, including Aquatic Warblers and Great Snipe were flooded. The largest artificial water reservoir in Poland came into being.

Unfortunately it now seems that building water reservoirs in the low-lands is not such a good idea. Because of the average depth of about 2 m only, the water temperature rose very high in summer and blue-green algae found the Lake a perfect habitat in the first few years of the Lake had become a serious biological (and aromatic!) threat to people and animals around.

To fight the toxic algae, water level

was lowered to a possible minimum allowing for the shallowest areas to dry out. Hundreds of water birds lost their breeding habitat and the plans to reconstruct the shoreline and man-age vegetation to help purify the water were never finished.

It is difficult to judge the effect of the Lake on local birdlife since no proper research had been done here before the Lake was created. There is no doubt, however, that it is still one of the best areas in Poland for breed-ing water birds. Would it be equally good or better if the valley was not flooded? Or would it be better if they raised the water level to a maximum instead of allowing for half the reser-voir to dry out after the algae outbreak? We don’t know.

The inscription on a commemorat-ing stone at the main dam in Bondary says:

Water Reservoir Siemianówka. The evidence of an era of a fast development of Białystok county. A symbol of realiza-tion of the tasks of development of food ration economy and the social programme of the Party and State. June 1977

Walk up to the embankment and see the great views over the lake [5]. In spring likely species include Black, Whiskered and White-winged Terns, Great White Egret, Garganey, Great Crested and Little Grebes. Yellow and Citrine Wag-tails, Scarlet Rosefinch and Penduline Tit can be spotted in the willow bushes around. Scanning over the reeds may provide good viewings of White-tailed

Eagle, Osprey, Marsh and Montagu’s Harriers, with Black Stork, Lesser and Greater Spotted Eagles, Honey Buz-zard or Hobby seen over the lake and the meadows S of here [6].

Sand Lizards are numerous on the embankment itself and many can be seen basking on a sunny day. For dragonfly lovers, you may see the rare Yellow-spot-ted and Ruby Whitefaces, Green-eyed


T H E S I E M I A N Ó W K A A R E A S H O R T T R A I L S 187


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Hawker and Common Winter Damsel.Feel free to walk along the embank-

ment further E watching out for Sand Lizards on the track and Fire-bellied Toads in the ditch on your right. After 850 m you will get to a sandy opening where Woodlarks are likely and more amphibians have been seen in a tiny pond [7]. The coniferous forest E from here can be good for Hazel Grouse [8], just don’t

walk too far, the border with Belarus is less than 2 km away.

A better option for Hazel Grouse might be walking in the opposite direc-tion. Continue along the embankment W, walk past the watchtower and the picnic area and straight into the forest as far as 500 m [9].

Citrine Wagtail at the site.

Whiskered Terns breed in the wet meadows here.

LIONEL MAUMARY

MICHAEL J. EICK


200 I N D E X E S & L I S T S B I R D L I S T


Latin English German French Polish Status ArrivalGavia stellata Red-throated Loon Sterntaucher Plongeon catmarin Nur rdzawoszyi PGavia arctica Arctic Loon Prachttaucher Plongeon arctique Nur czarnoszyi PGavia immer Common Loon Eistaucher Plongeon imbrin Lodowiec VTachybaptus ruficollis Little Grebe Zwergtaucher Grèbe castagneux Perkozek B WPodiceps cristatus Great Crested Grebe Haubentaucher Grèbe huppé Perkoz dwuczuby B Mar 21Podiceps grisegena Red-necked Grebe Rothalstaucher Grèbe jougris Perkoz rdzawoszyi B Apr 03Podiceps auritus Slavonian Grebe Ohrentaucher Grèbe esclavon Perkoz rogaty PPodiceps nigricollis Black-necked Grebe Schwarzhalstaucher Grèbe à cou noir Zausznik B Apr 10Phalacrocorax carbo Great Cormorant Kormoran Grand Cormoran Kormoran B Mar 10Phalacrocorax pygmeus Pygmy Cormorant Zwergscharbe Cormoran pygmée Kormoran mały VPelecanus onocrotalus Great White Pelican Rosapelikan Pélican blanc Pelikan różowy VBotaurus stellaris Great Bittern Rohrdommel Butor étoilé Bąk B Mar 27Ixobrychus minutus Little Bittern Zwergdommel Blongios nain Bączek B Jun 02Nycticorax nycticorax Night-Heron Nachtreiher Héron bihoreau Ślepowron PArdeola ralloides Squacco Heron Rallenreiher Héron crabier Czapla modronosa VEgretta garzetta Little Egret Seidenreiher Aigrette garzette Czapla nadobna VEgretta alba Great White Egret Silberreiher Grande Aigrette Czapla biała B Mar 26Ardea cinerea Grey Heron Fischreiher Héron cendré Czapla siwa B Mar 04Ardea purpurea Purple Heron Purpurreiher Héron pourpré Czapla purpurowa PCiconia nigra Black Stork Schwarzstorch Cigogne noire Bocian czarny B Mar 28Ciconia ciconia White Stork Weissstorch Cigogne blanche Bocian biały B Mar 15Plegadis falcinellus Glossy Ibis Sichler Ibis falcinelle Ibis kasztanowaty VPlatalea leucorodia Spoonbill Löffler Spatule blanche Warzęcha VPhoenicopterus ruber Greater Flamingo Flamingo Flamant rose Czerwonak VCygnus olor Mute Swan Höckerschwan Cygne tuberculé Łabędź niemy B WCygnus atratus Black Swan Schwarzschwan Cygne noir Łabędź czarny VCygnus columbianus bewickii Bewicks Swan Zwergschwan Cygne de Bewick Łabędź czarnodzioby P Mar 16Cygnus cygnus Whooper Swan Singschwan Cygne sauvage Łabędź krzykliwy B WAnser fabalis Bean Goose Saatgans Oie des moissons Gęś zbożowa P Mar 11Anser brachyrhynchus Pink-footed Goose Kurzschnabelgans Oie à bec court Gęś krótkodzioba PAnser albifrons White-fronted Goose Blässgans Oie rieuse Gęś białoczelna P Mar 05Anser erythropus Lesser White-fronted Goose Zwerggans Oie naine Gęś mała VAnser anser Greylag Goose Graugans Oie cendrée Gęgawa B Feb 27

Anser indicus Bar-headed Goose Streifengans Oie à tête barrée Gęś tybetańska VAnser caerulescens Snow Goose Schneegan Oie des neiges Śnieżyca VBranta canadensis Canada Goose Kanadagans Bernache du Canada Bernikla kanadyjska VBranta leucopsis Barnacle Goose Weisswangengans Bernache nonnette Bernikla białolica PBranta bernicla Brent Goose Ringelgans Bernache cravant Bernikla obrożna VBranta ruficollis Red-breasted Goose Rothalsgans Bernache à cou roux Bernikla rdzawoszyja V

Bird listThe full list of birds of the NE Poland, in systematic order. Arrival dates – courtesy of Tomasz Kułakowski www.avestom.com

STATUS: B - breeding, P - passing, V - vagrantARRIVAL: median date calculated for last several years, W - wintering


http://www.avestom.com

Documents

Białowieża Site Guide