Sketchbook from the Gulf of Gdansk, Poland 2007

Mikolaj Koss

Mikolaj Koss was born and lives in Gdansk. As an undergraduate he's very busy at the moment writing his Masters' thesis on autumn migration of snipe. It is meant to be very serious, that's why he decided to give himself a break. "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 started experimenting with watercolor crayons." Long-tailed Ducks at Vistula Mouth. Many people describe it as the best rarity spot in Poland. I find it attractive for other reasons as well. There is no place like it. Long-tailed Ducks used to winter here in thousands, but nowadays you'd be happy if you saw a few hundred. For me even that humble number is still spectacular, as their presence makes the sea 'boil'. It's also a top site for another northern guest, Velvet Scoter (see above). Common Gull - Hel Peninsula Hel is one of the greatest fishing ports in Hel Peninsula, where in the winter you can watch large flocks of Herring Gulls. There are so many that even Common Gull seems to be an unusual sight. Every year there is also at least one Glaucous Gull wintering here. There are records of an adult appearing practically every year for the last 15 years, but there is no certainty that it's the same bird. Despite the fact that there have been frequent attempts to trap and ring the bird, nobody has ever succeeded. So it just sits there mocking the ringers of Poland. Glaucous Gull - Hel Peninsula I heard from a friend that there was a Hawk Owl spotted near a small village called Cedry Male. So I decided to visit the place. It was first sighted along the Aspen alley, but I found it perched on an electricity plant. The bird was extremely tame and allowed me to approach it closely. Hawk Owl - Cedry Male