Poland - 3

This was the final full day in Poland, and the final opportunity to connect with something unusual.  It was still reasonably warm but the weather was changing as the clouds had filled in and things were looking ominous.  When it rains here in summer, it doesn't hold back.

Driving through Biebzra Marshes for the final time, and taking the opportunity to stop at regular intervals, there were plenty of singing Wood Warbler, Redstart, Tree Pipit, and Pied Flycatcher.

Near Barwik, a couple of Golden Oriole were fluting from the treetops - a beautiful bird with a most beautifully melodic song.

I was keen to catch up with White-Winged Tern, a species that was relatively easy to locate on the last trip.  This time however was a real struggle drawing an unexpected blank.

We headed over to Goniadz which was great for marsh terns last time around, and it wasn't bad this time either with around 25 Black Tern there.  This is a great site with a lot of potential, with a half hour stopover here producing an adult White-tailed Eagle, Spotted Eagle, and a Black Stork pretty much in one single view distantly across the marsh.

Two Crane became agitated as we walked closer toward them, and a male Whinchat sat on top of a small bush.

Stopping off at a small village called Brzostowo, a narrow gravel track lead down an opening where the marshes spread out across the horizon.  There were some interesting birds here, no white-wingers, but a single Black Tern, and plenty of territorial Black-tailed Godwit and Redshank, a female Montagu's Harrier hunting over the marsh, three Little Ringed Plover, an Oystercatcher, and a lovely Black Stork that flew in and fed close in along the channel, bizarrely with a large white feather stuck into its back.

It was an eventful drive back to Warsaw with torrential rain making driving quite interesting.