Polish Wildlife in Winter

Transcription

1 Polish Wildlife in Winter Elk, Biebrza. February 6 th 13 th 2016 Price: 1245 Group size: 5 Flights from London Heathrow: Circa 120 with BA (2 carry-on s permitted, no weight restrictions) Guides: and Marek Kosinski With its primeval forests, rivers, wetlands and meadows, North East Poland is one of the most wildlife rich sites in Europe. In Bialowieza we will photograph Europe s largest mammal, the European Bison, and spend time in hides photographing birds of prey, including white-tailed eagle and buzzard. We shall, also, visit the wonderful wetland of the Biebrza Marshes (Poland s largest national park) in search of elk.

2 Bison, Bialowieza. Bison herd. Bialowieza.

3 Highlights Photography of some of Europe s most iconic wildlife subjects. Target species include: Bison, white-tailed eagle and elk. Accommodation in comfortable guest houses at both locations. Home cooked, traditional meals. No single-supplement required. Advice and tuition from two professional photographers. Transportation including airport transfers within Poland throughout tour duration. Small group size of just 5 persons. White-tailed eagle and ravens. Bialowieza. Itinerary To maximize opportunities of successful photography of white-tailed eagle, we have decided to dedicate three full days in hides. Marek has two hides offering opportunities for photography of birds of prey which include buzzard and white-tailed eagle. Other potential subjects include woodpeckers, wild boar and red fox. The hides are spacious and comfortable with the smallest measuring 300 x180 x 140cm (w, d & h) and each has a basic WC. They also have very effective gas heating where the inside temperature exceeds 12 degrees C while, outside, it may be minus 10! A walk in the region of m on level ground is required to and from the hides. Both hides require you to enter at hrs and leave at hrs. This is so that they do not see you coming or going and, as such, do not associate the hide with humans.

4 White-tailed eagles are very shy birds so utmost care needs to be taken but trust me, the wait is most definitely worth it! Within the Eagle Hide there will be a strict etiquette to abide by including sitting still for very long periods. This is essential if you want to obtain images of them. However, the hides are not cramped and it is possible to stretch out a little. You can chat (quietly) and on one of your hide days I will be on hand to advise on camera settings and the like. Day 1. Transfer, by minibus, from Warsaw airport to guest house in Bialowieza. A journey of, approximately, 4 hours. Day 2. Eagle Hide and Riverside Hide The group will be split in 2 where part of the group will go to the Eagle Hide and the other to the Riverside hide. The group will swap hides on the following day. Day 3. Riverside hide and Eagle Hide. Day 4. Bison Safari and Eagle Hide For this and Day 5, half of the group will go searching for bison and the other half in the Eagle Hide. Those on the Bison Safari will go in one vehicle with Marek and as well as photographing bison you may also encounter herds of deer, as we have done on previous visits. Day 5. Eagle Hide and Bison Safari. As above. Group swaps around. After dinner we will leave for our next location the Biebrza marshes, a journey of, approximately, 2 ½ hours. Day 6. For this and day 7, we will go in search of elk and anything else that catches our attention which may well include beaver and otter which the group experienced (and photographed) in Day 7. As above. Day 8. Depart for Warsaw airport, a drive of 2½ hrs. Elk, Biebrza. Marek Kosinski

5 Accommodation In Bialowieza we will be staying in the same guest house as on previous occasions and fed and watered by the wonderful Vera. The guest house has 4 bedrooms and depending on the group structure (e.g. 2 couples and one single), all of us will be staying in one guest house. However, should the group be made up of single persons then the last to book on this tour will be staying in a similar guest house, with me, across the road where the group have their meals. You will be notified of this at the time of booking. Each room has en-suite. In Biebrza, our accommodation will be in a simple and comfortable cottage situated in a very rural location. Our host will be Bronia who really does make you feel part of the family. You will have a bedroom to yourself but we will share the three bathrooms. At both locations our meals will be home cooked, traditional and delicious! Mobile reception and patchy Wi-Fi available at both locations. Bialowieza Biebrza Please note: This is a nature tour and, as such, the itinerary is subject to change due to the weather and wildlife. We prefer to keep arrangements fluid! You must be prepared for, potentially, cold weather and standing (and sitting) for extended periods (1-3 hours) in cold, snowy conditions. Sitting quite still and quiet in a, relatively, confined space for 12 hours. When searching for wildlife, driving in the region of miles per day may be necessary.

6 These are wild animals and, although sightings are "almost" guaranteed, photography is not! In Bialowieza, bison are completely wild and, for the most part, quite shy. However, on all my visits (5 to date) I have always managed to get images I am more than happy with. Closest we may be able to approach will be 40 metres which is more than close enough for portraits of Europe s largest land mammal! Price includes: All transport within Poland. Full board accommodation. Single/double room occupancy. En-suite in Bialowieza only. Price excludes: Flights. You will be advised which tickets to purchase. Due to the long distance from the airport to our destination, all flights have to be taken from (possibly) London Heathrow at the same time. Items of a personal nature. Food and beverages at, occasional, cafe stops during tour. Alcoholic drinks at meal and leisure times. Tipping. Equipment required (A full check-list will be given upon booking of this tour) SLR and one as backup. Wide-angle for landscapes. Telephoto-zoom for bison and elk in their habitat 300mm 600mm with, possibly, a 1.4 / 2x tele-converter for bison and raptor portraits from the hides. May be worth considering hiring a long lens. Tripod. Biebrza at sunset

7 White-tailed eagles, Bialowieza. Notes on eagle photography As with all raptors, white-tailed eagles are very shy and these are particularly so and are one of the hardest species in this region to get good images of. They are, for example, inclined to sit in nearby trees for a very long time, simply eyeing up the situation. Why are they so shy? Although they are no longer persecuted, they certainly used to be and centuries of hunting has ingrained, within its DNA, a shy and extremely cautious nature. Photography of this species is difficult and needs to be stressed that success is quite low and very weather dependent and it may well be that you sit in the hide for three days and don t get a single image. It is important to us that this is made abundantly clear. However (please pardon the phrase), you have to be in it to win it and you may just get lucky as indeed I did in 2014 with the image you see above. At it s optimum I had 4 eagles down at once, squabbling over the food for well over 30 minutes and intermittently, thereafter, for several hours. In-between eagles I also obtained some images of buzzards, wild boar and a fox which came right up to the bait. This is what hide photography is all about and what makes it so exciting, you just never know what might turn up and is why the great pioneering bird photographer, Eric Hosking, called it - wait and see photography!

8 White-tailed eagles and ravens, Bialowieza. Marek Kosinski Testimonials Having previously enjoyed a couple of UK based workshops with Rob, I knew that travelling with him to Poland would be fun and challenge me to think more about my photography. As someone who tends toward taking photographs in a rush and often of moving subjects, Rob s thoughtful approach to composition and eye for detail is a helpful and welcome counterpoint. The trip was excellently organised by Rob and he, along with our local host Marek, adapted our plans to give the group the best chance of taking home images that we would be proud of. Weather conditions dictated how we spent our time and we were fortunate to arrive on the day before a heavy snowfall which made photography sometimes difficult but gave the photographs a fantastic edge'. Our group was hosted in lovely accommodation, provided with brilliant meals and treated to some fantastic wildlife experiences, the likes of which would be hard to come by at home. As everything (bar alcohol) is provided, it was almost impossible to spend any money in country and photography was our sole focus throughout the week. I don t think any of us were in any rush to come home; I could certainly have stayed several more days and am keen to return! James Godber (2015) This was my third trip to Poland with Robert and on arriving at our destination in a snowy Bialoweiza, we met up with Marek Kosinsky. As with previous photo tours with Robert, this trip was very well organised down to the last detail, but also allowed for some last minute fluid arrangements so making the best use of our time.

9 We planned to spend four days in Bialoweiza, hopefully to photograph white tailed eagles, bison, various species of woodpecker and numerous other birds. We also saw wild boar, red and roe deer. For the last two days we moved on to Biebrza to photograph wild elk and hopefully beaver and otter. The group I went with were excellent companions, always cheerful and fun to be with. I am told that our hosts at both destinations were the best cooks in Poland! Consequently dinner times were lively occasions and an opportunity to discuss the day s events helped along with a bottle of local Zubr beer, and some special vodka. On this tour we spent a couple of days in Marek s heated and very comfortable hides. Marek regularly puts out food under cover of darkness to attract eagles and other birds of prey. Although the hide etiquette is strict, it increases the chances of seeing and photographing the iconic white tailed eagle. To see and hear the forest wake up as daylight slowly dawns is something I will never forget. Ravens were the first to call with a seemingly endless vocabulary, and in the distance I could hear the common buzzard. A white tailed eagle was calling in the distance, and slowly getting nearer. I watched through my hide window as it flew into the top of a large conifer several hundred meters away, sitting motionless but obviously surveying its surroundings. Eventually, it flew towards our hide and circled, however some ravens appeared and the eagle flew away. We had an amazing time photographing buzzards which were attracted to Marek s offerings and at one time had six birds in front of our hide along with some aerobatic squabbling. Once again Marek s local knowledge led us to a herd of bison on the edge of a forest, by giving them plenty of room they soon became accustomed to our presence and appeared to line up for us to photograph them. In Biebrza we had several opportunities to photograph wild elk in the forest where they are incredibly well camouflaged. The highlight of the tour, was an elk appearing out of the forest, she stood and looked at us curiously for some time with the low early morning sun producing a catch- light in her eye. She then slowly crossed the snow covered clearing and once in the middle, stopped again to observe us, before moving off into the forest. Many thanks to Robert and Marek, once again this tour has exceeded my expectations. You were always on hand with advice, helpful, considerate and along with the rest of the group, superb company. Hopefully, I will return to Poland and this pristine yet remote area. Phil Drury (2015)

10 My second tour to Bialowieza with Rob and Marek, this time with a two day extension to the Biebrza marshes with local guide Zenon. Once again a well organised tour with good opportunities presented to photograph all the targeted wildlife. In Bialowieza the day-by-day itinerary was not set in stone. The fluid arrangements allowed the days to be juggled to take advantage of the weather and to give both groups the best opportunity to capture some great photographs. All targeted wildlife seen by both groups: a testament to the knowledge and work of the local guides Marek and Zenon. The wildlife did not always play ball. We were teased by the call and distant views of the White Tailed Eagle on both days in the eagle hide(s) but they didn t present themselves for good photographs, but that s wildlife for you (and an excuse to return). However, it s those moments that make the successes all the more satisfying. The buzz in the group after we all captured shots of the Elk in the meadow was something to experience. I cannot fault the organisation, accommodation or meals. The whole tour made all the more enjoyable by the fact that all in the group got on well. Especially when recanting tales of a long day in the field over a Zubr beer (or two), not forgetting the infused vodka made by the landladies! If you want to observe, and more importantly photograph, 'Polish Wildlife in Winter' then I wholly recommend this tour and shall definitely be returning again in a couple of years, hopefully with similar weather conditions that we experienced in Thanks again to Rob, Marek and Zenon. Paul Davison (2015) I d like to say how much I enjoyed my trip to Bialowieza last month. The holiday was well organized from start to finish. You kept us well advised and informed before and during the holiday and it ran like clockwork. The accommodation was warm and comfortable, and the food hot and filling. Just what was needed for the sunny but minus 14C days. Marek was a top notch guide and never failed us. He found good bison photo opportunities on every occasion. He maneuvered us around the bison, at first letting them get used to our presence, and then working our way around for good light and different angles. The bison walking past us at sunset will be a lasting memory. The day you took us to Marek s woodland bird hides was my best days woodland bird photography ever. I remember counting seven hawfinch all in view at the same time. On another occasion I counted three woodpeckers. Seeing and photographing white-backed, middle spotted and grey headed woodpeckers and the hawfinch was a real treat. The small group of photographers worked well throughout the holiday, with everyone content and happy to go with the flow. Thanks Robert and Marek. Roy Waller (2014)

11 Meet your guides Marek Rob Dr. Marek Kosinski is a professional nature photographer specialising in the flora and fauna of his home country, Poland, who has received awards in both the Wildlife Photographer of the Year and GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year competitions. A trained biologist (PhD in plant ecology), Marek held the position of lecturer and scientist for 12 years at Krakow university. He is the author of several natural history books and has had more than 15,000 images published. Marek also runs his own photo agency is represented by the Polish photo agency, Forum, and is a member of the Polish Union of Nature Photographers. A certified tour guide, for 15 years, Marek has also guided general nature tours for various travel agencies. I must state, that although he is a Doctor of Biology he is in no way "stuffy" that one might assume with having such a title! Yes, he can give you the scientific name for every European plant species but at the same time he is a damn nice fellow with a wicked sense of humour, ensuring you not only leave with fantastic images and bundles of information, but you have a fun time taking them, too! is a professional nature photographer who has been running workshops and tours for over 20 years both in the UK and abroad. Robert's first experience with Poland came about 15 years ago when he visited the remote forests of Bialowieza in eastern Poland photographing European Bison and in 2012 he ran his first tour with Marek Kosinski in Bialowieza. His work is marketed by three international agencies FLPA, Wildlife GmbH and Photoshot. He has, to date, written 10 articles for Outdoor Photography magazine and an 11 page feature for Practical Photography. Awards include, Category winner in the British Wildlife Photography Awards, twice Highly Commended in the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year, twice in the International Garden Photographer of the Year, Highly Commended in the Environmental Photographer of the Year and First Prize Gold Medal in the Royal Photographic Society s Annual International Exhibition. More recently, Robert has been appointed a Nikon ambassador for their current (2015) Extreme Weather Photography campaign. tel: rmcanis@msn.com