Mikolaj Koss was born and lives in Gdansk, Poland. As an undergraduate he's very busy at the moment writing his thesis on autumn migration of snipe.

"In my drawings of which most are done in the field, I try to depict the impression the bird leaves in my mind rather then the bird itself. Nowadays I have restrained myself only to field sketches for they seem to me more genuine than complete works, but it might as well be an excuse for my laziness. My favorite technique is still watercolor, but I have started experimenting with watercolor crayons.

I have spent most of my recent time in front of the PC cheating myself that I am writing anything, but the sad truth was that there was little progress and my frustration only grew. So when a friend called me saying that he was going to visit Biebrza Marshes...........So the next day in the late afternoon we left Tricity, driving through beautiful districts of Warmia and Masuria and enjoying the views of vast meadows and huge lakes most of which are scattered all over the Masuria region. We reached Biebrza marshes late in the evening.

The next day, we visited several places including Brzostowo, a village that is situated close to Biebrza River. There, I had great views of foraging White-winged Terns in the vicinity of their colony - there are at least 400 pairs breeding here. Black-tailed Godwits were accompanying me as well. There was also Hobby hunting Swallows.

In the evening, we took part in the Aquatic Warbler survey carried out by the Polish Society for the Protection of Birds, so we had a unique chance of visiting places, which are normally beyond the reach of most birders visiting the marshes. And thus we enjoyed views of Aquatic Warblers in the light of the sunset. In the same area we had a few Citrine Wagtails, a species that is becoming more and more frequent. Indeed since the 1990's when it was first found breeding in Poland near my hometown, it's now present in nearly every corner of the country.

The next day wherever we went, there were hundreds of White-winged Terns. I estimated that there might be a few thousand breeding along Biebrza River, though there are not enough birders to count them. In practically every accessible region of the Park, we encountered trips of Dutch and English birders, experiencing what they've lost in their homelands due to excessive drainage and agricultural development. I still have some hope that we will be able to avoid the same fate."

Black-tailed Godwit, Biebrza Marshes

White-winged Tern, Biebrza Marshes

White-winged Terns, Biebrza Marshes