Tycjan Chmiel

@tycjanc

Cat slave and Swift landlord based in Szczecin, Poland, one of Europe’s largest population of White-tailed Sea Eagles 🦅 Keen on (urban) wildlife, active travel and Pogoń Szczecin.

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Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· 23d

For a brief hour when we were in the eye of the storm, I went out for a walk along the forest path behind our holiday cottage & suddenly there was this European Larch with a ‘Natural Monument’ sign by it. I was very surprised that someone would have thought to recognise it! #ThickTrunkTuesday

A low-angle view looks up into the crown of a very tall European larch, designated in Poland as a Pomnik Przyrody (Natural Monument). This legal status is given to individual trees and other natural features that are considered exceptionally old, large, rare, or otherwise significant, and gives them special protection. The larch’s straight trunk rises high above dense undergrowth before branching into a broad crown of fine, drooping twigs. Mature deciduous trees and dark green conifers surround it, while sunlight filters through the canopy onto the green vegetation below. Wispy white clouds stretch across a bright blue sky overhead. In the foreground, a red wooden sign mounted on a post reads “Pomnik Przyrody – Modrzew Europejski” (“Natural Monument – European Larch”), identifying the protected tree.

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· 24d

One thing I enjoy about travelling is the food, and on my last trip I enjoyed the potato offerings in Podlasie, although they did a lot of freshwater fish dishes too. It was all very simple, homemade fare, nothing fancy but freshly made and filling (info in ALT text) 😺

A white plate holding two whole fried freshwater fish (likely roach, płoć), served with boiled potatoes sprinkled with dill and a cabbage-and-carrot salad (surówka), on a dark wooden table.

A white plate holding four thick slices of babka ziemniaczana (traditional Polish potato cake), browned and crisp on the outside, topped with sautéed onion and small pieces of bacon. A generous serving of shredded cabbage and carrot salad (surówka) sits alongside. The plate rests on a dark wooden table.

A vintage-style advertising poster for Pigwoniada, a quince-based lemonade produced in Podlasie, displayed on the wall of a lakeside café in Suwałki Landscape Park. The poster depicts a European bison standing in a forest, with two bottles of the drink hanging from its horns. One is labelled “z miodem” (with honey) and the other “klasyczna gazowana” (classic sparkling). The slogan at the bottom reads “Moje Podlasie” (“My Podlasie”). I had the sparkling version and it was very tasty, if a little sweet.

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· 24d

A drab morning this #ManholeCoverMonday, so I’ll share it with you in the form of this dull scene from Suwałki, Poland. Nothing wrong with Suwałki, just the weather was dodgy! (More info in ALT text 😺)

A Close-up of a decorative cast-iron manhole cover in Suwałki. The centre shows the city’s coat of arms: St Romuald and St Roch standing on either side of the Camaldolese emblem—a crowned cross rising from a three-peaked hill. The cover is set into a ring of grey granite cobbles. Around the edge are geometric panels plus utility markings like 600 and D400 K40, all in weathered brown iron.

A wet pedestrian street in Suwałki, Poland, with shops and cafes on both sides and a decorative manhole cover in the foreground.

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· 24d

With all the rain they had in NE Poland recently, a lot of fields turned to ponds and very quickly the ‚Kumaki’ (European Fire-bellied Toads) moved in. We stopped to look at the Storks in the field but quickly noticed the calls of the toads. A proper frog chorus! 😺

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· 25d

The Wigry National Park near Suwałki has some very interesting natural and cultural features. It’s post-glacial so some of its lakes (the ones known as ‚Suchary’ (dry) are deep and ‘dead’, with little aquatic life. But they’re beautiful nonetheless 😺 (See ALT text for more info)

A wide panoramic view of Suchar I, a small forest lake in Wigry National Park. Calm, dark water reflects the surrounding mixed forest, with lighter green deciduous trees around the shoreline. In the foreground, dense vegetation almost reaches the water’s edge, leaving only a narrow opening to the lake. The sky is overcast with large grey clouds, creating soft, even light across the landscape. The lake is completely enclosed by woodland, giving it a quiet, secluded atmosphere.

An information board beside the Suchar I viewing platform on the Forest Educational Path in Wigry National Park. The board explains that Suchar I is a small forest lake with no inflowing or outflowing streams, formed after the last Ice Age around 12,000 years ago. It describes these lakes as dystrophic, meaning they are nutrient-poor, acidic and rich in humic substances from surrounding peat bogs, giving the water its characteristic dark brown colour. The text explains that a floating peat mat surrounds much of the lake and supports specialised plants including bog-mosses, cranberry, cotton grass, bogbean, round-leaved sundew and marsh Labrador tea. It also notes that fish are scarce or absent because of the acidic water, while dragonflies, beetles, amphibians and European beavers are common; a beaver lodge is located nearby. A cross-section diagram illustrates the peat bog and lake, and a column of botanical drawings identifies plant species visible from the viewing platform. The board also includes a photograph of the nearby beaver lodge.

Several traditional flat-bottomed wooden boats are moored alongside a simple wooden jetty on the sheltered edge of Lake Wigry. Tall reeds surround the shoreline, while calm water reflects a cloudy summer sky and the overhanging branches of a silver birch.

A panoramic view across the Long Lake Wigry (Jezioro Długie Wigierskie) under dramatic dark-grey storm clouds. Water lilies and tall reeds fill the shallow foreground, while the open lake stretches towards wooded shores and small forested peninsulas in the distance. The still water reflects the changing sky, creating a calm but atmospheric scene.

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· 26d

This summer I went out east to the borderlands with Lithuania to experience the peace & quiet of #Podlasie, #Poland. We stayed in a place called Cisowe Wzgórze in the village of Rowele where there were cute little holiday cottages to rent. Very charming, as you can see, and also very peaceful 😺

A modern dark timber cottage with a steep gabled roof is partly hidden by dense shrubs and climbing plants. Two large picture windows overlook a wooden deck, with a light-coloured shade sail stretched between the upper walls. A white chimney rises above the roof, and the cottage is almost entirely enclosed by mature trees and leafy vegetation, creating a private woodland setting full of birdsong.

A traditional whitewashed cottage with a steep wood-tiled roof and bright blue shutters sits behind a wide lawn. Flower beds filled with yellow and pink blooms frame the front of the house, while birch and evergreen trees surround the garden. Dark, heavy clouds overhead contrast with the colourful planting and the light-coloured walls.

A single-storey traditional dark timber cottage with green wooden shutters and a wooden tiled roof stands beneath large mature apple trees laden with fruit. A rustic wooden covered porch shelters the central entrance, while shrubs and flowering plants line the front of the house. The cottage is surrounded by a lawn and enclosed by mature trees, giving it a secluded, shaded setting.

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· 26d

In the first (and probably last, tbf 😹) of my series on ‘Polish isn’t as bad as you think (honest!)’, here’s a simple way to show you that you can at least read their improbable-looking consonant clusters 😸 How hard can it be?!

A small gift shop called Gadżet-Szop located in a renovated single-storey yellow building with a red tiled roof. A large sign above the shopfront is flanked by three display windows advertising the shop’s opening. A white car is parked on the cobbled street outside in front of the shop. The entrance on the left has a freestanding signboard and a rose-gold balloon in front of the door, giving the shop a welcoming appearance.

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· 26d

For #PostBoxSaturday here are the traditional and latest versions of the idea, in the village of Rutka-Tartak in Podlasie, Poland. The parcel machines have taken us by storm and there’s now one on every corner, either run by the PO or by private operators like InPost 😺

A small red Polish post box stands on a metal stick on grass verge outside the post office in the village of Rutka-Tartak, Podlaskie, Poland. Behind it is a white Pocztex parcel locker (Automat Paczkowy, APM) with rows of locker doors, a touchscreen, and card reader, enclosed by a metal fence. The cream-coloured two-storey post office building, which doubles as a private house, displays the red Poczta Polska sign above the entrance, with the Polish coat of arms mounted nearby. Residential houses and an overcast sky complete the rural village setting.

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· 27d

It’s all aboard the Swift carousel this morning! Peep, peep! 😺 #FirstBirdOfMyDay

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· Jul 13

Like every morning for me when I’m at home in the summer 😺

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· Jul 13

A trip to Suwałki in north-eastern Poland (the coldest spot in the country, apparently) was quite productive for #ManholeCoverMonday moments 😺

A decorative cast-iron manhole cover in Suwałki, Podlaskie, Poland on a cobblestone pavement. The cover shows the city’s coat of arms, with Saints Romuald and Roch standing on either side of three silver hills topped by a golden crown and a cross. The three hills (the “Suwałki” or “Suwa” hills) are a long-standing symbol of the town, while the saints are its patron figures. Around the edge are the city’s name and technical markings for the sewer cover.

A street scene in central Suwałki, Podlaskie, Poland, with one of the city’s decorative manhole covers in the foreground and a large pale yellow neoclassical building with a green roof dominating the background. The building is the historic Resursa Obywatelska (Citizens’ Club), built in the early 19th century as a social and cultural centre for the town’s civic elite. Today it houses the Suwałki Regional Museum and is one of the city’s best-known historic landmarks. The scene also includes paving stones, traffic lights, a city bus and an heavy grey sky.

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· Jul 12

This week have been staying in Stork Village (that’s not its official name - there were just a lot about!). As we left, lots of the youngsters decided to put on a show of flying and landing practice 😺 They’ll be off on their travels before long. Good luck to them all 😻

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· Jul 10

Had a bit of luck this morning in the garden - happened to be looking through some photos when I saw these two posing in the trees outside - an Icterine Warbler and a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker 😻

An Icterine Warbler (Hippolais icterina) perched on the branch of a larch tree near Suwałki, north-east Poland. The bird’s pale yellow underparts, olive-brown upperparts and long, pinkish bill are clearly visible against a softly blurred green background, highlighting this summer visitor to the region.

A juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) clinging to the trunk of a broadleaf tree in woodland near Suwałki, north-east Poland. Its bright red crown, black-and-white plumage and reddish undertail stand out against the lichen-covered bark as it pauses to scan its surroundings.

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· Jul 10

Quick, before it starts raining again - argh, too late! 😹😾 (Info on the beer & location in ALT text)

A bottle of Trybunał ‘90 Polish lager is held up in the foreground of the garden at Cisowe Wzgórze near Suwałki, Podlaskie. A neatly mown lawn leads towards gently rolling ground dotted with mature trees, while a vine-covered wall and tall conifers frame the right-hand side. Dramatic white clouds sweep across a deep blue summer sky, with sunlight breaking through after passing showers. Brewed by Browary Łódzkie, Trybunał ‘90 takes its name from Trybunał (Tribunal), reflecting Łódź’s brewing traditions, while the peaceful rural setting showcases the glacial landscape characteristic of the Suwałki region, often described as Poland’s coldest corner.

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· Jul 10

A lovely day out at the Biebrza National Park - it’s a fabulous wetland area which in spring and autumn teams with birdlife, but the only one around yesterday that we could hear over the gales and the rain was the Chiffchaff in the woods 😹

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· Jul 9

Summing up the second half of my summer holiday thus:

Black-and-white photograph of a quiet country road in Rowele, Podlaskie, north-eastern Poland, leading past a white farmhouse and a utility pole topped by a large white stork’s nest. A young stork stands in the nest, silhouetted against an immense sky filled with towering, turbulent storm clouds. Dark cloud bases hang low over fields of maize, creating a dramatic contrast with the lighter, sunlit cloud tops and lending the rural landscape an ominous, atmospheric mood.

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· Jul 9

Oh you’d like it here in Suwałki! They’re having a blues festival this weekend 😺

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· Jul 7

One advantage of the wet weather is that all your frens come out to play 😺

A large Roman snail (Helix pomatia) crosses weathered wooden decking in a garden beside woodland. Its pale grey body is fully extended, with long eye stalks reaching forward beneath a chestnut-brown spiral shell. The photograph is taken at snail level with a shallow depth of field, so the snail is in sharp focus while the green background is blurred. H. pomatia is Europe’s largest native land snail and can grow to around 5 cm across. It is the species traditionally used for escargot, but in Poland is protected. Collection is very highly regulated.

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· Jul 6

It’s hard to believe, but Ostróda was once at the centre of European history. Founded by the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century, it briefly became Napoleon’s headquarters in 1807, before spending over a century as part of Prussia. After being largely destroyed in 1945, it became part of Poland.

The brick wall of the interior courtyard of Ostróda Castle in north-eastern Poland, with a black commemorative plaque mounted between the Polish and French flags marking Napoleon Bonaparte’s stay from 21 February to 1 April 1807. A carved medieval figure stands in an arched opening above the plaque. Although Ostróda is now a quiet lakeside town, for five weeks in 1807 this Teutonic castle served as Napoleon’s headquarters after the Battle of Eylau. From here he directed military operations, received diplomats and generals, and effectively governed the French Empire while planning the campaign that culminated in victory at Friedland and the Treaties of Tilsit.

A display board in Ostróda Castle Museum titled “Ostróda Dawniej i Dziś” (“Ostróda Then and Now”), showing pairs of historic black-and-white photographs alongside modern colour views of the same streets, squares and waterfront. The comparisons reveal how elegant the pre-war town once was, with ornate late-19th- and early-20th-century buildings that reflected Ostróda’s time as the East Prussian town of Osterode. Much of this historic centre was destroyed during the fighting of 1945 and replaced with simpler post-war buildings after the town became part of Poland. In recent decades, especially since Poland joined the European Union in 2004, investment has restored public spaces, renovated surviving historic buildings and improved the lakeside promenade, giving the town an increasingly attractive appearance while acknowledging that much of its original architectural heritage was lost during the Second World War.

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· Jul 6

On my travels in northeastern Poland and here’s a rather splendid design for #ManholeCoverMonday from the rather unassuming town of Ostróda. This quiet town, which is on a lake, doesn’t seem to have a lot to offer, but there’s a surprise! See below and ALT texts for more info 1/2

A close-up of a cast-iron manhole cover set into cobbles at Ostróda Castle, Poland. It bears the name of the municipal water and sewage company (Przedsiębiorstwo Wodociągów i Kanalizacji), the word “Ostróda”, and the town’s coat of arms depicting a mounted knight defeating a dragon. The weathered metal contrasts with the surrounding red and grey cobblestones.

A vaulted brick passageway at Ostróda Castle, Poland, looking out into the inner courtyard. A decorative manhole cover bearing Ostróda’s coat of arms sits in the centre of the cobbled floor, drawing the eye through the archway. Rough stone footings, Gothic-style window openings and warm red brickwork frame the symmetrical view into the sunlit courtyard beyond.

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· Jul 5

I don’t think many English speakers from the UK would call them Zeppelins unless they were authentically German 😺 While we’re on the topic, the only zeppelins I know of these days are these tasty potato ones filled with meat - very popular in Eastern Poland & especially Lithuania (see ALT text) 😺

A plate of Lithuanian cepelinai / Polish cepeliny (“zeppelins”) – large oval potato dumplings stuffed with minced meat and served with crispy bacon, fried onions and fresh dill. One dumpling has been cut open to reveal the savoury filling. Bowls of sour cream and pickled cucumbers sit in the background.

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· Jul 4

I see it’s #NationalMeadowDay (probably not here in PL but never mind) so here are some meadow moths and butterflies that I saw on my walk yesterday near Wysoka Wieś in NE Poland. Help with ID would be appreciated 😺

A Marbled White butterfly (Melanargia galathea) resting with its wings spread on a cluster of white fleabane flowers. The striking black-and-cream pattern contrasts with the soft green meadow background near Glaznoty in northeastern Poland.

Probably a New Forest Burnet moth (Zygaena viciae) feeding on a pale purple field scabious flower. Its metallic blue-black wings have vivid red spots, which stand out against the blurred green meadow behind.

A Small Skipper butterfly (Thymelicus sylvestris) (I think) basking with its bright orange wings partly open on a pink red clover flower. The surrounding clover leaves and grasses frame the tiny butterfly in a meadow.

A Scarce Copper butterfly (Lycaena virgaureae) perched on an oxeye daisy with its bright orange wings fully open, edged by a fine black border. A hoverfly hovers nearby while several daisies bloom softly out of focus in the background, one of which has a wood ant on its petals.

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· Jul 4

The weather’s distinctly dodgy but better a stiff breeze than the 37C they had last week, I reckon. The meadows and rolling countryside around here are lovely.

A wildflower verge of daisies and blue cornflowers beside a ripening cereal field near Wysoka Wieś, northeastern Poland. A white farmhouse with an orange-red tiled roof is in the distance beneath dark, dramatic summer storm clouds.

A view across a small lake fringed with reeds and wet meadows, surrounded by mixed woodland near Glaznoty, northeastern Poland. A narrow stream enters the lake from the left, while heavy grey storm clouds hang overhead.

A gently rolling field of ripening grain stretches towards the horizon near Glaznoty, northeastern Poland. Tractor tracks lead up the slope between scattered trees under white and grey cumulus clouds with patches of blue sky.

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· Jul 3

Please see if you can put nest boxes up. I started with 2 in 2018 and now look!

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· Jul 2

On the terrace at a hotel and even with the background music (never quite understood why we can’t just be left to ‘enjoy the silence’) the Golden Oriole is giving it some 😻

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· Jul 2

A good start to the holiday 😺

A glass of Prosecco and a tall glass of hoppy lager with a bottle of Kormoran Chmielowy Lager sit on a wooden terrace table in the late afternoon sun. Three small bowls of snacks—pretzels, peanuts and crackers—are arranged on a wooden serving board in front of a pot of bright pink carnations. Large cream parasols cast dappled shadows across the table, while trees and a restaurant terrace form a relaxing summer backdrop.

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· Jul 2

Santé ! 😺

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· Jul 1

It’s a lovely evening over Park Andersa in #Szczecin The swifts are slowly going to bed 😺

A panoramic view across the treetops of Park Andersa in Szczecin, Poland, just before sunset. Layers of pink, orange and mauve clouds glow above the green canopy, while the copper spire of the red-brick Gothic St John the Baptist’s Church rises above the trees on the right, illuminated by the last warm rays of the evening sun.

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· Jul 1

All this time I’ve been worrying that the barrier is too high, or that the awnings get in the way, when it’s the swifts that get in each others’ way and cause the crash landings. Twits. #ŚląskaSwifts

Tycjan Chmiel@tycjanc· Jun 30

#ŚląskaSwifts update - after the heatwave, in which I thought I was going to melt, I am pleased to report plenty of peeping continuing in the boxes & no fallen babies. I think the trick is being in the shade. Even though the boxes here are south-facing, they’re out of the sun 1/2