Poland Birding Tours

Poland’s geography varies greatly across the country. The north and west of the country are part of the Northern European plain and are generally low-lying areas with large river valleys and marshes. A vast area of lakes in the northeast of the country leads into immense forests which cover the area around the border with Belarus, including the world famous Białowieża National Park. The south of the country is mostly mountainous with the Tatra Mountains (part of the Carpathian range) being the highest point. These mountains run along Poland’s border with Slovakia and are considered some of the most beautiful mountains in Europe. The summit of Rysy at 8,199 feet (2,499 meters) is Poland’s highest point. The climate of Poland is mostly temperate with warm to hot summers in lowland areas and very cold winters across the country.

Poland is one of the best countries for birding in Europe and it is one of our favorite destinations. Following International Ornithological Congress (IOC) taxonomy (v150.1 in March 2025) the bird list of Poland stands at 485 species, with 28 of these being globally threatened. Some of the most important species for international birdwatchers include Great Snipe and Aquatic Warbler, the latter is Europe’s most threatened songbird. Poland is the best place in the world to see these rare migrants, and on our spring tour we have a good chance of encountering them, with the possibility of watching Great Snipe displaying at their leks. Furthermore, Poland is one of the best countries to see the majority of Europe’s woodpecker species. Poland has 170 Important Bird Areas (IBAs), sites identified by BirdLife International as having high value to birds. Our birdwatching holiday in Poland will take in some of these fantastic, bird rich areas, including Białowieża (Bialowieza) Forest, Biebrza River Valley, and the Siemianwóka Reservoir.

We have two fantastic Poland birdwatching tours timed to provide optimum birding experiences in the country, each outlined below. We can also easily organize custom bird holidays here, so do get in touch.

Poland: Spring Birding in Europe’s Ancient Forests and Marshes

Our 9-day spring Poland tour features many great species and visits the two best areas for birdwatching in Poland. First up are the excellent wetland habitats of the Biebrza marshes, which hold European Turtle Dove, Corn Crake, Little Crake, Common Crane, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Temminck’s Stint, Great Snipe, Whiskered Tern, White-winged Tern, Black Stork, White Stork, Little Bittern, Greater Spotted Eagle, Montagu’s Harrier, and Eurasian Hobby. Breeding passerines are also well represented here, and we will look for Great Reed Warbler, Aquatic Warbler, Marsh Warbler, Icterine Warbler, River Warbler, Savi’s Warbler, Barred Warbler, Eurasian Penduline Tit, Bluethroat, Citrine Wagtail, Common Rosefinch, and Ortolan Bunting. These marshes are also home to Eurasian Beaver, Moose (Elk), and Wild Boar.

We then spend 4-full days in the ancient forests and surrounding grasslands and wetlands of Białowieża Forest, Europe’s last remaining area of primeval forest. Here, we will search for Hazel Grouse, Eurasian Pygmy Owl, nine of Europe’s eleven woodpecker species, including Black Woodpecker, Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker, and White-backed Woodpecker, as well as other interesting species such as Lesser Spotted Eagle, White-tailed Eagle (Poland’s national bird), Northern Goshawk, Red-backed Shrike, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Northern Nutcracker, Thrush Nightingale, Red-breasted Flycatcher, and Collared Flycatcher. We will make a special effort to look for the iconic mammals that thrive in these wild forests, hoping to see European Bison, Grey Wolf, Eurasian Lynx, and Wild Boar.

Poland: Birding the Baltic Coast and East in Fall

Our fall tour of Poland will see us enjoy the best the east of the country has to offer. Here we will explore the ancient forests and marshlands that are home to fascinating birds. We then move up to the Baltic Sea coast. This will see us come face to face with migration at its best, as vast numbers of seabirds, wildfowl, and shorebirds (waders) move through the area. On land, the bushes and trees will be teeming with migrant passerines and other exciting species.

Key species for this tour include Hazel Grouse, Northern Nutcracker, six woodpecker species including Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker and White-backed Woodpecker, Common Crane, waterbirds including Common Pochard, Smew, Velvet Scoter, Tundra Bean Goose, Black-throated Loon (Diver), and Horned (Slavonian) Grebe, shorebirds like Spotted Redshank, Purple Sandpiper, and Jack Snipe, birds of prey ranging from the massive White-tailed Eagle to the rare Greater Spotted Eagle, owls including Eurasian Eagle-Owl and Eurasian Pygmy Owl, plus a range of passerines including Crested Tit, Great Grey Shrike, Willow Tit, Brambling, Twite, Bohemian Waxwing, and rarities like Red-throated Pipit, Yellow-browed Warbler, and Pallas’s Leaf Warbler.