Tycjan Chmiel
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tycjanc.bsky.social
Tycjan Chmiel
@tycjanc.bsky.social
550 followers 410 following 3.4K posts
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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tycjanc.bsky.social
Starting the festivities appropriately, I feel 😹
A pint glass of amber ale with a thick, creamy head sits on a coaster next to a BrewDog “Shore Leave” Amber Ale bottle on a polished wooden table, with a softly blurred living‑room background. That’ll do!
December 21, 2025 at 1:07 PM
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I very rarely get to see the sunset where I live - there are only sunrises to admire from my home. But I caught the first sunset this year while holidaying in Szczecinek, and the second one recently is reflected in a new hotel that’s been built a couple of blocks away so I ‘saw’ the sunset that way😺
A wide lakeside sunset with the sky glowing in soft orange and peach tones, streaked with wispy clouds, all perfectly reflected in the calm water; dark tree‑covered shorelines frame the scene on the left and right, creating a peaceful, summer’s end‑of‑day atmosphere. An inner-city sunset view with classic European buildings in the foreground and bare winter trees below, while a modern glass structure in the distance catches the low sun and glows bright orange, adding a fiery contrast to the muted pastel sky.
December 21, 2025 at 9:54 AM
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We had a fantastic Golden Polish Autumn, as they say in these parts. Our beech forests didn’t disappoint! The first two pictures are from Szczecin in the north, while the second two are from Lower Silesia, in the south west.
An autumn lake with very still water reflecting trees along the shoreline. The trees are mostly bare, with remaining leaves in yellow, orange and brown. In the centre of the image, a pale stone arched bridge is visible among the trees, with its reflection clearly mirrored in the water. The sky is light blue with thin cloud, and the overall scene feels calm and crisp. A tall dark green sculpture showing three stylised eagles with raised wings, mounted on a vertical column in a park. The sculpture is surrounded by trees in full autumn colour, with bright yellows, oranges and reds against a clear blue sky. Several people are walking on the paths below, giving a sense of scale. Fallen leaves are scattered on the grass and paths, and the park looks sunny and relaxed. A small stream flowing through an autumn landscape, with stepping stones crossing the shallow water and fallen yellow leaves collecting around the rocks. Trees with golden leaves arch over the stream. In the background, a light-coloured house with a balcony stands partly hidden by trees. The scene feels quiet, tidy and very typical of a mild autumn day. Wide view of a quiet autumn forest with a small cascading waterfall on the left and tall, slender trees on a steep hillside to the right. Water spills down several moss-covered rock ledges into a narrow stream at the bottom of the frame, with fallen leaves floating in the shallow water and collecting along the banks. The rocks around the waterfall are dark and slick, blanketed in bright green moss that contrasts with the warm browns and golds of the season. On the right, the forest floor is densely carpeted with dry leaves, sloping upward beneath straight tree trunks that rise out of the hillside. The trees are mostly bare at the lower branches, but a canopy of yellow and light green leaves glows in the background, giving the scene a soft golden light. In the distance between the trunks, the forest continues into shadow, suggesting depth and a sense of quiet seclusion.
December 20, 2025 at 11:21 AM
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Swift eggs are the most beautiful things, but I’m happier when I see part of a shell that shows me it’s hatched!
A hatched swift egg that’s been discarded from the nest. You can still see the blood supply inside the shell. The outside is rubbery rather than smooth.
December 19, 2025 at 11:48 AM
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If anyone’s after some last-minute mistletoe, there’s plenty of it here! Just bring a fireman’s ladder 😹#Szczecin
Tall, mostly bare winter tree seen from below against a grey sky, its branches cheerfully decorated with plump green clumps of mistletoe - nature’s own festive baubles, thoughtfully hung far out of reach of any would-be kissers.
December 19, 2025 at 11:33 AM
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While I see lots of interesting things on my walks, I’m always spotting small things on my balcony - some just catch my eye during a fleeting visit while others stay longer. It’s amazing what you get on a city balcony 😺
A Swift egg that was ejected from the nestbox on my balcony. The egg is creamy white in colour and is oval in shape, tapering slightly at one end. It’s always a shame when eggs get rejected, but this one landed in a soft spot so I could rescue it before the balcony wildlife found it! Hooded crows often spot fallen eggs and snaffle them. A couple of mating mason bees on the dark table protector on my balcony. The male is obviously smaller and is clasping the female from behind tightly. I have an ‘insect hotel’ on the balcony and this year there was quite a lot of activity around it from solitary bees. A walnut orb-weaver spider that took up residence behind one of the Swift boxes on my balcony. In this image the spider is viewed from above. Its long legs are spread wide and its rounded abdomen and compact body are clearly visible against the brown background of the nest box. I don’t know what happened to it - it lurked behind the box for some time and came out in the evenings to build its web but after a month or so it disappeared - perhaps a bat got it! Every year I get wild Fleabane growing in a pot or two on the balcony. This year was no exception! Here we can see a small bee feeding from the bright yellow disc florets. The flower’s narrow white petals form a delicate halo around the centre. The bee is positioned in the disc, with its wings folded along its body. Green stems and unopened fleabane buds appear softly out of focus in the background.
December 19, 2025 at 9:19 AM
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Another beautiful sunrise - today’s is all purply 😺 #Szczecin
Silhouette of Szczecin city skyline at sunrise: dark church spires and leafless trees stand against a glowing sky that glows from warm orange near the horizon to soft pink and purple above. A few building windows and street lamps are lit below, adding small points of light.
December 19, 2025 at 6:40 AM
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The view from my bedroom window on a sunny summer’s day. Old buildings, trees, Swifts … perfect!
Big Ginge the ginger tomcat sits on the windowsill, ears pricked and whiskers forward, staring intently at a swift flashing past the glass. Outside, swifts slice through a bright blue sky above a leafy green park, with elegant old buildings lining the street beyond. Big Ginge appears convinced this is a tactical situation requiring very serious observation, despite the inconvenient presence of a closed window.
December 17, 2025 at 3:48 PM
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I couldn’t find any pictures of maps in my collection apart from this one I copied shortly after my balcony Swifts had departed for the final time in September (late, as usual!). I find the idea that they’re now somewhere in E Africa absolutely amazing. Only 5 months more to go and they’ll be back!
This map shows the migration of a single Common Swift, known as A320. The bird was caught and fitted with a tiny tracking device in July 2010, in Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire. Over the next year, the tracker recorded where the Swift travelled. The coloured lines on the map show its route as it flew south from the UK to Africa, spent the winter there, and then returned north to Europe the following spring. The Swift did not fly in one straight line. Instead, it moved in stages, stopping in different places along the way. The map shows these stopping points and the dates when the bird was in each area. During winter, the Swift stayed mainly in central and southern Africa, moving around within its winter range before heading back north. What the colours mean • One colour shows the journey south in late summer and autumn • Another colour shows the return journey north in spring • A third colour shows where the Swift spent the winter and moved around during that time The project was made possible by cooperation between professional scientists and volunteer bird ringers. Swifts were caught safely at known nesting sites, often in nest boxes, and then released again. Some nest boxes have cameras, which makes studying the birds easier without disturbing them. The researchers also ask for help from the public and birdwatchers. If eggs are accidentally lost from Swift nests and found beneath nest boxes, the remains can provide useful scientific information about where the birds have been feeding, using chemical (isotope) analysis. This kind of tracking helps scientists understand how far Swifts travel, where they depend on safe places to stop, and how conditions in Europe and Africa affect them. Following just one bird already shows how extraordinary and demanding a Swift’s life in the air really is.
December 15, 2025 at 8:41 AM
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Where I live I never get to see the sunset as it’s always behind tall buildings but since they built a hotel a couple of blocks away I at least get the reflection in winter 😻 #Szczecin
Warm sunset light glows on a modern hotel in the background, its glass façade reflecting fiery orange and gold tones, while older pastel-coloured tenement buildings and a church, and bare winter trees stand quietly in the foreground under a soft evening sky.
December 14, 2025 at 4:37 PM
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Ding, ding! All aboard Santa’s tram for a spot of festive shopping! #Szczecin
December 13, 2025 at 8:43 AM
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Gosh! Is that the time already?
No.
😹
A close-up of a ginger tom cat looming into the camera with huge pleading eyes, performing his daily ‘I’m definitely starving’ routine, despite the inconvenient fact that dinner isn’t for another hour.
December 11, 2025 at 6:13 PM
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Hello from the #GinjaBoiz in Poland 😻
Two ginger kitties cuddled up to each other on a brown sofa. The bigger one has his paws crossed and the smaller one has his tail wrapped around his body.
December 9, 2025 at 8:37 PM
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Something tells me we’ve passed l’heure de l’apéro … #GinjaBoiz
A large ginger tom looks expectantly into the camera at close range. He is expecting his dinner.
December 9, 2025 at 6:29 PM
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I wouldn’t say I have a favourite tree but more a row of them (London Planes) at our Jasne Błonia park here in #Szczecin. Impressive in every season! They were planted over 100 years ago.
A sturdy London Plane tree rises from the grass, its mottled bark and sweeping branches creating a cool, leafy canopy. Sunlight filters through the green leaves, casting soft shade over the park and the quiet benches nearby. A snowy winter scene along an avenue of tall London Plane trees, their bare branches and thick trunks covered in fresh snow, forming a quiet white tunnel beside a snow-blanketed park and a line of parked cars. A tree-lined park path in summer, with tall London Plane trees arching overhead, dappled sunlight on a wide sandy walkway, and people strolling between parked cars on one side and a grassy field with others relaxing and playing on the other. A long avenue of London Plane trees stretches into the distance, their tall trunks and golden autumn leaves forming a glowing tunnel of colour. Fallen leaves carpet the path, while people stroll beneath the warm, dappled light.
December 9, 2025 at 11:08 AM
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LOL (it’s raining here too but not as obviously 😹)
December 9, 2025 at 9:03 AM
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Good morning, all! 😺 As the sun is fighting its way over the horizon on another dull day here, please take a second or two to imagine the sunshine of a few days back and say hello to my friend the Willow in the park who’s looking resplendent in their winter outfit #ThickTrunkTuesday
A tall White Willow stands on a frosty green meadow, its soft, twiggy branches catching the morning sun against a clear blue sky. The tree’s wide, graceful shape gives it a calm, welcoming presence at the edge of the quiet woodland.
December 9, 2025 at 7:01 AM
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Christmas Market at the Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes in #Szczecin, Poland. Performances, and lots of local foods and products, from cheeses to honey and proper mulled wine round a roaring fire 😺
A lively Christmas market set in a castle courtyard at night, with warm fairy lights draped across the old buildings. People wander between stalls on the wet cobblestones, and a small open fire glows in the foreground where a boy stands warming his hands. Colourful lights on trees and façades add a festive sparkle to the scene.
December 7, 2025 at 8:24 PM
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Pumpkin! Do you mind? There’s some very serious business going on! 😹 #GinjaBoiz
A ginger and white tabby cat is lying upside down on top of a large white plastic brewing bucket with colorful "BA”labels (for BrowAmator - BrewAmateur) and a tap at the bottom.
December 7, 2025 at 10:09 AM
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Here are the four seasons along one of my favourite paths at Jasne Błonia (Bright Meadows) in #Szczecin, Poland. The path runs from my house all the way to the forest, but this is just a small section behind the Town Hall. It’s lined with London Planes and in spring, thousands of crocuses.
A winter scene of an open piece of land lined by avenues of London Planes trees and a path heading into the distance with a snow-covered bench in the foreground. An open piece of parkland lined with an avenue of Plane trees and thousands of purple, yellow and white crocuses stretching into the distance. People are strolling alongside the flowers and taking photos. A path alongside an open grassed area with an avenue of Plane trees on the left. The trees are in full leaf. People are strolling down the path. A Plane-tree-lined avenue in Autumn. The leaves are golden with many on the ground. A wide path goes between the trees straight into the distance. A man is jogging and to the left of the picture others are sitting on benches and looking into an open park area.
December 7, 2025 at 9:37 AM
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Here are some Polish ones 😺
A close-up photo of a chunky forest mushroom standing among dry brown leaves. It has a pale, slightly cracked cap with a patch of reddish texture on one side, and a tall yellow-orange stem that looks softly striped. The background is a blur of green foliage, giving the scene a calm, woodland feel. Close-up of a bumpy, pale pink fungus growing on a mossy tree trunk, covered in dozens of clear, shiny droplets that make it look wet and slightly translucent. A cluster of smooth, shiny white porcelain mushrooms stacked like little umbrellas along a fallen tree trunk in a leafy forest, with soft green light filtering through the trees in the background. A bright orange-and-red mushroom with white spots growing from the forest floor, surrounded by brown pine needles and a small pine cone, looking like a classic fairytale toadstool.
December 7, 2025 at 9:19 AM
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As Święty Mikołaj (St Nicholas) has been busy delivering small gifts to good Polish children overnight, here’s a special 6 December #PostboxSaturday from Bydgoszcz, where kids can drop off their letters on the square 😺
A brightly lit, oversized festive post box glowing in red and white on a winter evening in Bydgoszcz, Poland. The front features a cheerful cartoon Santa reading children’s letters, surrounded by stacks of envelopes. The decoration is trimmed with twinkling lights and star shapes, giving it a warm, Christmassy feel. A side view of the illuminated Christmas post box in Bydgoszcz, covered in red and white lights with glowing star decorations. A young child, bundled up in winter clothes, reaches towards the Santa illustration while an adult stands close by. Historic buildings and soft street lighting create a cosy festive atmosphere in the background.
December 6, 2025 at 12:04 PM
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Reminds me of this:
December 5, 2025 at 8:39 AM
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I had a lovely trip down south to the castles of Lower Silesia (Dolny Śląsk). Summers in Poland are beautiful - long, warm days passed to the sounds of skylarks, corncrakes, bitterns and swifts 😻
Karpniki / Fischbach Castle. A fairytale-like pale cream castle with a tall turret reflected in its quiet moat, with a stone bridge leading to the entrance. It’s surrounded by bright summer greenery under a clear blue sky. Wojanów Castle. A beautiful, four-turreted castle with a red roof perfectly mirrored in the still pond below. Lush bushes and trees frame the scene on a sunny, cloudless day.
December 5, 2025 at 8:37 AM
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Don’t you love it when their little paws are tucked in like this? 😻#GinjaBoiz
A close-up photo of a ginger tabby cat with white markings on its chest and paws, lying on a soft cream-coloured blanket. The cat is facing slightly to the left, with relaxed ears, bright round eyes, and a calm, gentle expression. A dark sofa and a striped cushion are blurred in the background.
December 4, 2025 at 9:00 AM