Member-only story
Is it worth waking up early for birdwatching?
Short answer: Yes.
I hate group trips. First, there seem always to be different expectations on what to do and when, ironically often combined with frowning upon the suggestion to split the group. Second, with groups with age gaps, there’s a difference in who can afford what, and splitting the grocery bill equally may not be the best solution for those who wouldn’t ever put those items in their shopping carts.
Going to Warta Mouth National Park, even on a group trip, I had a specific plan of how my trip was going to look like. I rented a car to be independent transport-wise and researched nearby places with open water that I wouldn’t be anxious to visit in the dark — and “in the dark” meant an hour before sunrise. At that point in time most animals like birds and frogs start to be active. The trip took place during the summer solstice, so the worst time for birdwatching sleep-wise, as it required me to wake up at 2:00 am.
When my partner heard about the waking time, they were reasonably upset — even with minimal noise and light, there still will be some disturbance caused by sneaking out with an audio recorder, binoculars, and all other stuff in the middle of the night. And there was also the question of being able to participate in the group outings, planned for a more reasonable hour. So on the first day, I went birdwatching alone.
The next day my partner decided to go with me. Perhaps it was the Fear Of Missing Out, or the Fear Of Renting A Car Specifically To Bring A Large Backpack With Photography Stuff And Not Using It Once. We got into the car and drove about 15 kilometers through Słońsk to Przyborów. We parked next to a bridge over the Postomia River. It was still very dark outside.
When we got out of the car, the first reaction of my partner was the same as mine a day before, unmistakably identifying us as Polish native speakers.
The sound of frogs was overwhelming. It was so loud I doubted how anyone in nearby houses could get even a minute of sleep. After our ears got used to the frogs, we could distinguish birds’ screams as well…
