Carpathian Summer – Part 2

After spending a couple of days in the Tatras, we headed east (a drive of some 4 hours) to the Bieszczady National Park which lies on the borders of Ukraine and Slovakia. I had often come across this place while reading about the nature of Poland but didn’t really know anything about it and, before now, had you?! It’s not as well known as the Tatras or Capathians but after spending a few days there, I have to say, hand on heart, it was my favourite region of the trip!

A sparsely populated region (5 persons per 475 km sq.), as we drove deeper and deeper into the park buildings were taken over by mountains clad in beech forest. It doesn’t have the open-mouthed “look at that” wonder that you get with the Tatras. It’s highest peak is only 1346m compared to the Polish Tatras 2499 but, what is lacks in majesty, more than makes up in wildness. As you drive past and through these dark woods you get a sense that something could and, indeed does, lurk in there! Bison, brown bear, wolf and lynx all inhabit these woods as indeed do black stork, ural owl, lesser-spotted and golden eagle.

As soon as we arrived we headed out to look at a few possible locations for sunrise/sunset images. There were a couple of viewpoints quite nearby to where we were staying and, with the possibility of a decent sunrise in the morning, our alarm clocks were set for 3.50, or should I say, dead-o-clock! When I’m working like this, I really don’t mind early rises and late finishes. On a trip like this, after a sunrise shoot, you go back to bed for a few hours, back out to do more reconnaissance and, weather permitting, out till late for sunset, and beyond.

That evening we walked (this time with hiking sticks!) up and along a steep rocky path cutting through ancient beechwoods to reach the high mountain pastures or Poloninas.

After shooting this ridge in the evening light, we turned our attention to this “relatively” tame red deer stag. I managed to crawl down through the long grass to shoot this  contextual image.

Soon after, I noticed how the sun was rapidly setting and head for the top to get this view. As the sun dipped it just got better and better and, as the colour intensified, my card rapidly filled!

I just couldn’t drag myself away!

We made it back to the car as it got dark, spotting a toad and glow worms along the way. Marek checked the forecast for the following morning. It looked promising, so alarms were once again set. This time, however, rather than getting landscape sunrise shots we decided upon a deer safari en-route to a bridge that gave nice views of the River San. It wasn’t so important to get there at dawn since the surrounding hills and mountains shielded the light up until 30 minutes, or so, post-sunrise. With camera’s on laps, it wasn’t long before Marek spotted this roe deer in a meadow. I had just enough time to fire off a few frames before it bounded into the woodland. A great start!

A few miles further along and, once again, eagle-eyed Marek (he really is good at spotting stuff!) spotted this red deer hind crossing the river. Shortly after getting this image, her fawn followed.

Another hind crossed the road infront of us and, with that, we drove to the bridge where, for the next hour, we busied ourselves capturing the dissipating mist. At 288 miles, the River San is Poland’s 6th longest and for it’s first 35, forms the border between Poland and Ukraine.

Where there isn’t beechwood, there are meadows where the sound of corncrake and warblers fill the air. Bliss!

Later that evening we headed to a very remote area, close to the Ukrainian border to photograph a raised peat bog area called Tarnawa Wyzna. This lesser-spotted eagle perched quite close to the road which we photographed from the car and as we walked nearby, Marek spotted wolf prints.

While driving to the bog, a fox was spotted trotting along the road towards us. We stopped and photographed it as it came closer and closer until it was right next to the car then disappeared into the long grass of a neighbouring meadow. It had us all in fits of laughter. It was so unbelievable!

Protected since 1976 and part of the National Park since 1999, these bogs are on an elevation of approximately 670m. It holds some very interesting plant species including bog bilberry, cowberry, marsh labrador tea and round-leaved sundew. This is a really wild area and I absolutely loved the few hours we spent there. With hardly a soul to be seen and the rasping call of the corncrake the only sound.

The following morning was to be our last in Bieszczady. We had a long drive to Krakow that afternoon where we would spend the night before my departure the following morning. We explored a few places and, as the weather was overcast, it seemed appropriate to seek out waterfalls. The conditions were perfect and so we spent some time shooting this particular one.

In all, it was an amazing trip (albeit too short – I could have stayed for a month!). The incredible heights of the Tatras and remote wild nature of Bieszczady had me in awe of this beautiful country which, I am certain, will have me return time and gain.

Marek and I are currently in the process of designing photo-tours for 2013 to the regions I have mentioned. We are looking at doing a 7 day tour in the autumn of 2013, capturing the amazing autumnal colours of the Carpathians, where we will spend 2 full days in both the Tatras and Bieszczady Mountains and another, shorter one, in the Bieszczady, only, in June. This will be for landscapes and wildlife. Late spring is a marvellous time for photographing deer from a a vehicle, for example, at first light since they will be feeding in roadside meadows and would not have been disturbed by traffic which would be the case in autumn when sunrise is much later. And, as you can see, other possible encounters may include foxes and eagles, too! To register your interest in these you can do so by contacting me at rmcanis@msn.com or, alternatively, subscribing to my mailing list, HERE, where you will be among the the first to hear about upcoming workshops and tours.

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 co-author of several natural history books and has had more than 10 000 images published. Marek also runs his own photo agency www.kosinscy.pl, 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 imformation, but you have a fun time taking them, too!

Tags: bieszczady, deer, fox, marek kosinski, mountains, photo holiday, photography, poland, red, robert canis, roe, tatra, tatras, tours, ukraine, Workshops