It wasn’t only the wildlife of the forests which impressed in Poland, so did the wildlife of the meadows and farmland.
From the balcony of our accommodation …
… there were views over the surrounding gardens …
… and a few minutes walk away were the meadows around the river.
The English countryside would have looked a bit more like this 75 years ago, and its wildlife would have had a greater resemblance too.
In the meadows on the edge of town there were Corncrakes singing from the hayfields, just as they would have done in my grandparents’ youth.
There were Red-backed Shrikes and Wrynecks in the meadows, but also in the gardens around where we stayed, rather like they would have been in the UK in my parents’ youth and almost in my own.
And there were Lapwings, Snipe, Cuckoos, Tree Sparrows, Corn Buntings integrated into the farmed and built up landscapes – as was much more common in my own youth.
Throw in some White and Black Storks, River and Barred Warblers, and some unfamiliar butterflies and plants and a stroll out of the house could keep one’s attention for hours.
Now I’m not suggesting that we should turn our economic clock back several decades but it is striking, to any naturalist, how much wildlife we have lost so carelessly. Do we flock to our national parks to recapture the wildlife experiences of our childhoods? Hardly! We are much more likely to be reminded of our childhoods by taking a 2000km train journey to the eastern side of the EU than to find it in our own ‘protected’ landscapes.
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Very familiar Mark, currently in Romania and much the same. Five Marsh warblers on our morning walk.
Nice building plot opposite, not many of those left round here.
Very true, no exaggeration. Go to Bialowieza Forest while it is still so good. You paint a wonderful picture Mark but the forest is under huge pressure from logging. Visiting birders draw attention to this amazing natural asset, one of the best forests and surrounding countryside in Europe.
Did you take the train? How long did that take?
Ed – yes, I did. Wellingborough-Berlin, Day 1; Berlin-Warsaw, Day 2, And the same on the return journey.
Thanks Mark. Can I ask roughly how much the train cost? I’d love to go birding im Poland but would like to
Keep my carbon footprint as small as possible. Was wondering if the train is more expensive than flying.
Ed – I’m not quite sure, I’m afraid as the package included car hire in Poland and accommodation in Berlin on the outward and inward journeys.
So much precious stuff we have lost. All on the altar of consumption and too many children. Must have been wonderful. Hope the Common Agricultural Policy doesn’t trash their landscape like it has ours.
Good to hear you went by train too. Well done!
Looks like the same accommodation we stopped in Mark. The wildlife in the village/town was as you describe it coupled with the Common Rosefinches, Hawfinches and Great Reed Warblers in the park. The plants and insects were great too, very different to our almost completely impoverished habitats. I thoroughly enjoyed Poland and am surprised that I have never been back.