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NEUSIEDL LAKE AND CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS
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Itinerary Day 1 We drive straight from the airport to our first hotel where we stay for four nights. During our way we will see from a car window five or six castle ruins reminding us of ... history of the country. We arrive late in the evening. Before we fall asleep, repeating calls of Quails and Corn Crakes will sound like a lullaby outside our windows. Day 2 We begin the day with pre-breakfast birdwatching. We don´t have to go too far, because our hotel stands alone on a small hill above large Liptovska Mara reservoir, surrounded by meadows, water and woods. In early morning all birds sing loudly and it is easy to find Marsh and Grasshoper Warbler, Stonechat and Whinchat, Fieldfare, Linnet or Common Rosefinch. After breakfast, we go out to explore mixed forest with spruces and old beaches in the Chocske hills. It is about half an hour drive and with packed lunches we set on our way which is some four kilometers to and four back. Main species we will be looking for are those small and inconspicuous owls - Pygmy and Tengmalm´s, but there are more rarities to see here. During our stay in Slovakia we should add to our list Grey-headed, Black, White-backed, Three-toed Woodpecker and Crossbill and it might be here we will see some of them, because our local guide knows exactly where to find all birds in the vast areas of deep forests. Nest of Dipper will be a nice end of the day. Day 3 Before breakfast our coach can take some of us to a one kilometer far-away small reservoir to see what´s new there. After the morning meal, it takes us forty minutes by car to get to this day´s starting point. Wallcreeper is no doubt one of the most sought after Slovakian birds and we will try to observe it near its nest at a limestone gorge in Chocske hills. The walk is usually not long but some parts of the track may be a little steep. In forest we hope to see its numerous inhabitants - Nutcracker. Ring Ouzel is quite common. On both days we will seek for some of many Crested Tits, Firecrests, Crossbills and Red-breasted Flycatchers. In the evening after dinner our local guide will try to catch male Corn Crake in hands while playing its call from tape recorder. Day 4 After breakfast we head for Low Tatra National Park some 60 km from the hotel where we will be searching above the tree line. We take a lift to 2000 meters asl and on the top of possibly snow-covered Chopok mt. (warm clothes are needed) spend one or two hours. First alpine flowers just start to bloom but birds are already active and building their nests. We expect to see Water Pipit and Alpine Accentor, with luck Chamoix or Golden Eagles hunting their main prey - Marmots. If we have some time left, we can look into the nest of Goshawk from above. In the evening, the more curious of us can prove the statement on the road signs along the motorway - ´Beware Otter´. Hazel Grouse and Capercaillie are less predictable birds and it is always difficult to find them although they are not uncommon in places where we walk. Hazel Hen readily replies to its voice imitated by whistle but seeing one is a question of luck. Anyway, we have three days for challenging our luck. Lesser Spotted Eagles breed in hundreds of pairs in Slovakia and sometimes they even take their prey on the meadows adjacent to the hotel. Day 5 Transfer back to Austria with two or three breaks. First with refreshment only, the second one possibly with Imperial Eagle and the third one near state border with Red-footed Falcons breeding in windbreaks, Sakers on a high voltage pole and maybe Lesser Grey Shrike above the road. We reach our hotel for dinner and stay four nights again. It is placed in the centre of the National Park in small village. Day 6 Landscape has completely changed during the last days and now we are amidst the flat plains of the Neusiedl lake. We don´t have to hurry with our breakfast and we can expect easy walking here with many good birds to see. Before breakfast we do some leisure birdwaching around our hotel. It is almost impossible not to meet with Syrian Woodpecker among ordinary birds like Wryneck, Serin, Black Redstart or Icterine Warbler. After breakfast we start the day at the Lange Lacke reserve. It consists of shallow lakes, reedbeds and steppe meadows with sparse saline vegetation. The system of five hides enables us to watch typical birds for this season: Avocets, Bittern and Little Bittern, Greylag Goose, Kentish Plover, Redshank, Great Reed and Savi´s Warbler all breed, Spoonbills with Little and Great White Egrets feed here and Marsh Harriers glide over the pool with peacefully swimming Red-crested Pochards and Garganeys. Among spring migrants we will be happy to find all three Marsh Terns, Marsh and Broad-billed Sandpiper or male Little Stint in breeding plumage. But there is more wildlife to see in the meadows, especially Common Sousliks are not shy and you can catch a glimpse of steppe polecat or hamster. No doubt that with so much prey on the table, the Eagles and Sakers from Hungary love to feed in Austria. Day 7 The last remnants of formerly strong population of Great Bustard are preserved in Waasen-Hanság reserve. Compared to similar places in Hungary or Spain it is a relatively small area with three hides from which you can have good views of displaying males unless the grass is too tall. Short-eared Owl often perches further afield and Montagu´s Harriers overfly while Black-tailed Godwits and Curlews are hatching their eggs in flooded meadows. By crossing a wooden bridge over the canal few meters off the road we hopefully will be allowed to get several steps into Hungary and watch busy birdlife below us. Water margins can produce Bearded plus Penduline Tit, River Warbler, Hawfinch, Golden Oriole, Short-toed Treecreeper, Yellow Wagtail or Middle Spotted Woodpecker. From time to time we also have to check the skies above for passing Honey Buzzard, Osprey, Peregrine or Hobby. In the afternoon after a picnic lunch we will continue our birding along the road. While Red-backed Shrike, Nightingale, Corn Bunting and Barred Warbler are common birds, our main target will be male Ortolan Bunting singing from a vineyard and incresingly declining Crested Lark, Woodlark or Tawny Pipit. We can also visit small pools to increase our chance of seeing rarer spring migrants. Day 8 We devote the whole day to looking for those attractive species we haven't seen yet. Among them there certainly are birds requiring special habitats like Moustached Warbler having European strongest breeding population around a proper lake. Together with it, thousands of hectares provide home to Red- and Black-necked Grebe, Purple Heron, Ferruginous Duck, Crakes, Bluethroat and many others mentioned above. In the end we go by coach in hope to see both Kites and Collared Flycatcher in a distant woods. More excitingly, access to the nest of Black Stork is not difficult if our guide has found any. After dinner some of us go out to listen to a cacophony of marsh passerines and above all Water Rail, Spotted and Little Crake. Day 9 We leave Lake Neusiedl to meet our plane at the Vienna airport. We stop at a Bee-eater colony before and maybe for more because we have two hours left to catch our last birds in Austria. Special list of birds on request. |