It's been a really steady day. The camp last night was great and the area around it supported a genuinely enjoyable run first thing this morning. As well as facilitating an ongoing uncomfortable fascination with railway sidings and rolling stock, the run also included trails through mature mixed woodland. It was very birdy, with middle-spotted woodpecker being the most noteworthy sighting. Altogether a top place.
Not long after quitting camp we chanced upon an area of wetland (pic) that had a couple of tumble-down bird hides alongside. It was teeming, and provided an opportunity to catch up on a bit of birding over open water; something that's been largely elusive for the entire trip.
We were there a couple of hours all told and worked lunch in around seeing what we could see. Whiskered and black tern were the most notable from a very long species list.
After lunch we headed to the Czechia border for no other reason than we were close anyway, and the country generally just seems altogether less urbanised, more laid back, and much more tranquil than the bit of heavily-populated Poland we've recently found ourselves in. Before leaving Poland we took on diesel at £1.19/l.
Once into Czechia we did indeed soon hit upon some much quieter roads and pointed the truck towards the Jelensky National Park. Not long after we hit the park's boundary we struck up a conversation about what mammals might be lurking therein. Emma trotted out a list of suspects, which included pine marten.
It was at exactly this point that a pine marten hopped into the road in front of us, paused to briefly look at us, then continued across the road and disappeared into vegetation. Neither of us said anything for quite a long time. It was all a bit weird.
Anyway, post supernatural conjuring spell we chanced upon a spot that we deemed would do for the night and from which we might be able to have a crack with the thermal imager and trail cam.
Long story short: one mammal that was most likely a fox featured on the thermal imager and the trail cam is set.
Post composed at 22:10 Monday 18th August from our intended overnighting spot N 50.06273°, E 17.31809° / http://maps.google.com/maps?q=loc:50.06273%2C17.31809