When: 5 days in late March 2026
Where: Białowieża Forest
Who: 6 guests from UK, FR & US
Type of the tour: Early spring tour
Highlights: 84 species of birds – woodpeckers (9 species: White-backed, Middle spotted, Grey-headed, Green, Black, Lesser Spotted, Great Spotted, Three-toed, Syrian), Nutcracker, Hazel Grouse, Tengmalm’s Owl, Pygmy Owl, White-tailed Eagle, Crane, Great Grey Shrike + 8 species of mammals – Wolves, Bisons, Elk, Beaver, Red Deer, Red Squirrels, Roe Deers, Red Fox.
Trip report
After picking up of the guests from Warsaw we arrived in Białowieża in the afternoon. On the way the first herd of 13 Bisons were spotted. Having a little bit of sunlight remaining we decided to try with some woodpeckers & Pygmy Owl around sunset. Not far from the accommodation, a 2-hour walk began, which was quite fruitful – we had Marsh Tits, drumming Common Snipe, Hawfinch & what became a highligh of the day, a pair of Grey-headed Woodpecker. An attempt to find Pygmy Owl at sunset was unsuccessful.
Day 2 started before breakfast. The plan was to do a quick scan of the meadows around sunrise for mammals & then head to the woodlands for some birds. We found a group of 5 Bison males & watched them for some time. In the meantime we listened to the sounds & picked up Black Redstart & Raven. It was time to head into the woods. A joyful slow walk through old-growth part of the forest gave us good views of pairs of some nice woodpeckers: Middle-spotted, White-backed & Green. We also heard Lesser-spotted & Black there, so by first breakfast seven woodpecker species had already been recorded. Cranes & Green Sandpipers were also calling from the depths of the forest, some of them showed up as well. On the way back to the accomodation we observed a huge Bison male feeding in someone’s garden.
After breakfast we decided to try with Tengmalm’s Owl which nesthole a friend of mine found a day before. This meant 1,5 hours walk towards conifer woods but with a chance for some nice boreal species – like Nutcracker, Hazel Grouse & Black Woodpecker. Only former showed up but what an observation it was – Nutcracker perched on the tree 30mtrs from us for at least 10 minutes. We finally reached the nesting site of the owl having break to watch some Crested Tits on the way & here it was – Tengmalm’s (Boreal) Owl at the entrance of its nesthole in Scott’s Pine! That was a trip’s highlight for some participants.
After that we decided to give a try with Pygmy Owl again & this time it was succesful. A female Pygmy Owl sat still on the spruce enabling us to watch it comfortably trough binos & scope. On the way, a pair of Hazel Grouse was also flushed which became the only record of the species during the tour – seen by all in flight & by some on the tree.
In the evening we wanted to try with some mammals so we did a 'traditional’ Białowieżan stake-out on road crossing where wolves were seen only minutes before but it brought nothing except for Tawny Owls which started to call as dusk came & Red Deer that came on the road.
Again, on Day 3 we started by scanning the meadows and then trying with some birds in the woodlands. And this time it was Elk (Moose) that we found around sunrise. A young male showed beautifully near the road. While watching it we heard two of three woodpecker species that we were missing – Lesser-spotted & Black. They eventually came closer & especially Lesser Spotted was seen comfortably for longer.
The only missing 'forest species’ was now Three-toed Woodpecker. We tried in two sites, in the first we had no response except for Stock Doves, Yellowhammer & Red Squirrel. In the second site however we finally found a pair of Three-toed Woodpecker. They were showing nicely on the tree together with Great Spotted. Nearby a pair of Black Woodpecker also gave us nice flight views & acoustic experience as well as male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.
The plan for the rest of the day was to visit Siemianówka Reservoir and try with some mammals & birds at dusk. On the way there a large herd of 39 Bisons was found feeding in the open, next to the flooded meadows with Lapwings & Great White Egrets. On the Reservoir we had good numbers of waterfowl – both geese & ducks. Thousands of Greater White-fronted & Tundra Been Geese were there together with hundreds of Pintails, Wigeons, Gadwalls & Teals. Above them we had Marsh Harrier & White-tailed Eagle. Although Greater Spotted Eagle were already back, we didn’t find any, only Great Grey Shrike when searching for them.
Around sunset, another stake-out was carried out at a site where Lynx had been seen the previous day. No mammals appeared, but at least five Woodcocks provided an excellent display – another highlight for some participants!
On Day 4 we followed our routine & again we saw the same Elk (Moose) as yesterday. After that a few more Bison males were observed. We set off for a walk in the coniferous part to get better views of Hazel Grouse, but with no result. On the way back to accommodation I decided to watch some of the forest roads more carefully & finally on one of them here they are – two Wolves (very likely an alpha couple from a pack of seventeen). Amazing observation for at least a minute from 300 mtrs. With some time left in the early morning, a visit to Białowieża Palace Park followed, where Waxwings had recently been reported. And indeed we found a flock of about 30 Waxwings as well as many Nuthatches & Middle-spotted Woodpeckers there.
After breakfast the visit to the Strict Reserve of Białowieża National Park was planned. The local ranger led the way and provided a forest ecology lesson, revealing how European woodlands should look like. We were the only group there & it was very nice to see a primeval forest, but also had some good bird records there as well – another White-backed Woodpecker & pair of Pygmy Owls.
As we saw almost everything possible we decided to give a lazy drive through southern, wilder part of Białowieża Forest. There we experienced a blue frogs party where tens of Moor Frogs were displaying in the shallow water of alder forest together with Common Snipe drumming above them, Grey-headed Woodpecker showing nicely & Black Woodpecker flying over them. At the next stop, a nesting site of Pygmy Owl was visited, where the female appeared beautifully next to the nest hole. At the end we did a stake-out at sunset but nothing except for Woodcock showed up.
The last dinner was celebrated with a few pints, but the day was not over yet. On the walk back from the restaurant to the accommodation, European Beaver was found feeding by the riverside, allowing decent observation in torchlight through binoculars.
On the last day of the tour we had a last activity planned before finishing in Warsaw – to try with Syrian Woodpecker in Białystok on our way. We departed from Białowieża after breakfast and still had some nice observations on our way – a herd of 6 Bisons and some even saw another Elk (Moose). In Białystok it was super short almost as soon as we arrived to the spot a pair of Syrian Woodpecker showed up nicely and gave us good views. After that, the journey continued to Warsaw, where the tour finished in the early afternoon.
