Thursday 21 March
Arrived on time at 5:00 pm at Bratislava with Rynair, which was a close call after my train from Sheffield was nearly an hour late. Buzzards and 3 Great White Egrets seen from the motorway, as I drove to my base at Hlohovec.
Friday 22 March
Fishponds near Madunice
Tree Sparrow, Blackbird, Great Tit, Chaffinch, Song Thrush, Robin, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Red-crested Pochard, Black-headed Gull, Caspian Gulls, treecreeper species, Mallard, Buzzard, Egyptian Goose.
Arable fields south of Piestany
2 Black Storks drifted north, Mute Swans Lapwing, Magpie.
Piestany Reservoir
Coot.
Slovak/Czech border Hill Country
Black Redstart, Red Admiral, many Large Tortoiseshell Butterflies feeding on pussywillow, Roe Deer, Fallow Deer, Red Squirrel, White Wagtail, Crested Lark, Brown Hare, Magpie, Kestrel.
Lednice Park, Czechia
Wigeon, Gadwall, Pochard, Grey Heron, woodpeckers Green and Grey-headed heard, Great Spotted seen, Nuthatch, Jackdaw, Blue Tit, White Stork, Little Grebe.
Pastiviska Reserve, Lednice
Teal, Great White Egret. This reserve apparently has Beavers. Much excitement when I thought I had found one, only to turn to disappointment, when it turned out to be a Copyu.
Spent the next two nights in the town of Mikulov, Czechia.
Saturday 23 March
Spent the day with my family and found no new wildlife.
Sunday 24 March
My family went back to Slovakia late afternoon and I changed accommodation to Lednice. Just had time to walk around the park at Lednice up to dusk. A Middle Spotted Woodpecker showed well and a Black Woodpecker flew over at dusk. Lots of bats were out in the evening sunshine. From size and behavior, some were probably Noctule. Other species present feeding at tree top level, some much smaller and bigger than Noctules. Given a few of the bats (Photos below) were the biggest I have ever seen in Europe, it must be presumed they were Greater Noctules Nyctalus lasiopterus Another Copyu seen.
Monday 25 March
Lednice Park
Early morning rain, cleared to sunshine by eight. Quickly added some new birds Grey Wagatil, Redwing, Kingfisher, Blackcap, Tufted Duck and a stunning male Gargany that was very approachable. A very pale yellowish bird turned out to be an aberrant Great Tit (Photo below). Woodpeckers, Middle Spotted seen Grey-headed and Green heard.
Soutok, floodplain and forest South of Breclav
For the most part very quiet, until after an hour's walking a few raptors took to the air. First a few Buzzards displaying, then a few eagles took to air, all seemed to be White-tailed. A couple of Red Kites passed over. Tree nesting Storks. A few butterflies out including a Queen of Spain Fritillary.
Last two hours before dusk waked around Lednice Park again, first Hawfinchs in the park so far, and 3 male Gargany. More Copyu, but due to the temperature being 10C colder than yesterday, no bats.
Tuesday 26 March
Early morning walk around Lednice lake and park.
Flushed a Black Stork from a conifer next to the path. First Long-tailed Tits were unusual, in that, what was presumed to be a pair preening together, were a typical type and white headed type. A few Swallows were feeding over the lake. Hooded Crows seemed quite numerous today. Black, Green and Great Spotted were the only Woodpeckers.
After breakfast went for a long circular walk, through forests and along rivers to the north of Lednice. Spent some time watching a pair of Black Woodpeckers chasing each other about, drumming and mating. Just got close enough to do some photos, when out of the blue a school party of about 50 kids on bikes came past and scared the peckers off. Two White-tailed Eagles soared over a clearing. A partly flooded field had small flocks of Lapwing and Ruff. A Green Sandpiper was flushed from the side of the river and a Sparrowhawk and Red Kite flew over.
After a drink in a local bar, did another circuit of Lednice Park. It was now mostly windy and cloudy and fairly quiet bird wise. A female Gargany was accompanying a male. Got close to a Hawfinch and finally a couple Goldfinches.
Wednesday 27 March
Early morning walk round Lednice Park again. Observed a Hawfinch collecting nest material and taking it into the top of a Yew tree. A pair of Middle Spotted Woodpeckers showed well.
After breakfast climbed the highest hill in the region, Devin at 500 metres high. Being on limestone, some interesting plants to try and identify. A pair of Firecrests gave me the run around, by always being on the opposite side of some small hawthorns, meaning I still have not managed to photo any. On the grassland a few Skylarks were singing. Over the surrounding forests plenty of buzzards soaring and displaying. Where are the Goshawks?
Then went back down into the lowlands to walk alongside one of the big lakes to south of Lednice. A White-tailed Eagle was picked up straightaway, later a Red Kite went over. On a distant island, Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls (ID confirmed from photos) seemed to be settling down to nest. A few Bean Geese were to be found amongst the Greylags. Here as elsewhere all Long-tailed Tits were of the white-headed race.
Pastiviska Reserve, Lednice
Due to a lot of dredging work going on around the reserve, little other than a few Teal and more Copyu.
Lednice Park
Did another circuit of the lake up to dusk. Nothing new, a few Hawfinch and a pair of Gargany.
Thursday 28 March
Left Lednice for the journey back to Hlohovec. Called in at some remnant steppe type grassland in northeast Austria next to the Slovak Czech border. As is usual in this kind of habitat, lots of Tree Sparrows, Brown Hares and Roe Deer.
Then drove back over the border into Slovakia and went to explore an area of breckland type habitat. Went for a long walk through conifer woodland, with clearings next to the village of Lakšárska Nová Ves. Fairly quite apart from many sightings of Roe Deer and a small herd of Red Deer. Bird life was sparse, until I found a couple of small tits, which I thought would be Coal, that have been absent so far. So it was a pleasant surprise, when they turned out to be Crested Tits high in a conifer.
In the afternoon the weather became very cloudy with occasional showers. Managed to pick up a few more bird species for the trip, being Stonechat, Mistle Thrush and Greenfinch.
Friday 29 March
Spent the day exploring some of regular sites to the north of Hlohovec. Nothing too exciting today, Linnet, only new bird. Always great to see lots of Tree Sparrows, Black Redstarts, Hawfinches, plus Crested Larks in the supermarket car park. Weather picked up and is now sunny, calm and warm, this brought a few butterflies, out including Large Tortoiseshell and Brimstone.
Saturday 30 March
Early morning drive around the fishponds to the NE of Madunice. Did some fishing in the sense of waiting by dead trees for woodpeckers. At the first location lots of activity by 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers. At the second site much drumming and yaffling, then I found a male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker excavating a hole. A female arrived and the pair mated. A pair of Black Woodpeckers also showed on a couple of occasions. A Marsh Harrier soared over the area.
Sunday 31March
Early morning visit back to the Fishponds NW of Madunice. Fairly quite just the pair of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers again and Hawfinchs. Rest of the day with my family.
Monday 1 April
Left Hlohovec to stay two nights in the Hungarian village Hegykő at the southern end of the Neusiedler See
Andau Tadten area, Austria
19 Great Bustards, Raven, first winter Eastern Imperial Eagle, Curlew.
SE area, Neusiedler See National Park, Austria
Shelduck, Redshank, Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit, Gargany, Shoveler, Spoonbill, Little-ringed Plover, Yellow-legged Gull.
Lake Ferto, Hansag National Park, nr Fertőújlak, Hungary
Large numbers of waders, mainly Ruff, Black-tailed Godwits, Avocets plus Wimbrel. A small number of Sousilk (Ground Squirrels) were out on the grassland.
Hansag National Park, Hungary, South Western Reedbeds
Common Gull, Reed Warbler.
Tuesday 2 April
Early morning visit to Lake Ferto, Hansag National Park, nr Fertőújlak, Hungary, just as the sun rose. With the sun behind me, it allowed perfect viewing of the vast amount of birds. Thousands of Shoveler and Black-tailed Godwits, hundreds of Ruff and Avocets. Managed to pick out from the Teal a few Gargany.
Went to explore some more of the reserve near Foldsziget. This was former peat bogs that are now mainly wet woodland, reedbeds, and open water. Just the common passerines, until I had a White-tailed Eagle. Later from a viewing platform, the incredible site of at least 7 immature Eastern Imperial Eagles together, in some large willows, regularly taking to the air.
Right in the far SE corner of the reserve near Feherto, another walk to a viewing platform. Very little apart from some skydancing Marsh Harriers and 4 very large Red Deer.
Back at Lake Ferto, Hansag National Park, nr Fertőújlak, Hungary, managed to find, despite looking into the sun, a small party of Dunlin and a Yellow Wagatil. The Sousilk put on a good show late afternoon.
Wednesday 3 April
Andau, Austria
Got to the plains before sunrise, only to be beaten by a few Austrian and German photographers. Luckily after a while the Great Bustards came closer to me than them. 25 Great Bustards, 7 of which males. Some display, but nothing serious. Annoyingly many photographers get out of their cars, which deters the Bustards from coming too close. The Bustards were unfazed by passing Marsh Harriers and Buzzards, but were completely spooked and flew off, when a White-tailed Eagle flew over. Only other birds of note were several Yellow Wagtails and a distant ring-tailed harrier. Then it was time to drive the hour-long journey, back to Bratislava. My Rynair flight arrived back in Manchester several minutes early, unusual perhaps because of Brexit, it was only two thirds full.
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