Tour leader Sinclair Dunnett reports on our 2006 tour
During our 2006 visit to Poland in Winter we all saw Bison (over 50 of them!), Elk, Red and Roe Deer, Wild Boar, Racoon Dog and Red Fox; the latter on almost every day, and very beautiful against the snow. Wolf, Red Squirrel and Brown Hare were also observed by some members of our group, four of whom were lucky enough to see Wolf in daylight from a ‘high seat’ on our day of arrival at Puszcza Romincka. This encouraged four clients to join me in the ‘high seat’ for a planned, all-night vigil on the next night but, after five hours, the lure of a warm bed got the better of my colleagues and the tour leader was left alone! Thus I spent the rest of the night at that ‘high seat’ and was rewarded with two Wolves for a few minutes at 2.30am and the same two – at least, I presume the same two – from 5am to 5.20am. Wild Boar visited too, arriving at this remote spot in their usual exuberant, noisy manner, so different to the Wolves which moved like wraiths. It was fascinating to watch these creatures behaving completely naturally, unaware they were being observed.
I have been leading trips to Poland in winter almost every year since 1985 and this was unquestionably one of the best three or four ever for wildlife – not just for the variety, but for the repeated good views that we had of a number of species. We were particularly fortunate with the clear frosty weather and just the right amount of snow, and the adjacent photos of Peter Price give a wonderful impression of the ambience. The good wildlife showing was partly due to these favourable weather conditions, but also due to minor enhancement to our itinerary to improve our chances of good Bison views – with obvious results! Our bird list was, as to be expected on such a winter trip, fairly modest. However, the quality of views more than made up for this, with fabulous views of Middle Spotted and Grey-headed Woodpeckers (plus several other species) and almost monotonously good views of White-tailed Eagle!
The bonfires, forest feast and horse-drawn sledge ride proved as popular as ever. For the first time in some years several clients rented cross-country skis and greatly enjoyed their outings on three successive days. As for the wildlife highlight? Racoon Dog may be a native from the Oriental faunal zone that has only colonised Poland via fur-farm escapees, but a superb view of a Racoon Dog in brilliant sunshine against pristine snow was voted one of the highlights of the trip.
To see a selection of excellent images taken by Peter Price (tour participant) click here.
Our next ‘Poland in Winter’ tours operate from Saturday 27th January – Sunday 4th February 2007 and from Saturday 19th – Sunday 27th January 2008.
To find out more click here or call Paul Stanbury on 01962 733051 for further details.