Thursday 8 March 2018
Arrived in Bratislava around 5pm and drove about one hundred miles north to the town of Valaska Bela, where my Slovak family have a holiday home, in a remote location atop a hill.
Friday 9 March 2018
Awoke at first light to find there was still a good coving of snow and ice up here. An early morning walk found a few yaffling woodpeckers presumed Green, but some of the other species cannot be ruled out. Apart from a fox and a few Blackbirds very quiet. On returning to the hamlet 3 Grey Herons flew up the valley, a distant pale Buzzard looked interesting. A tit flock then passed though with Blue, Great, Coal, Long-tailed and Marsh among it number, including a treecreeper species (I can only i/d them if I photograph them). Later in the morning we scaled a 1352 metre high mountain called Klak, difficult climb and descent due to snow and ice. In five hours the only birds seen were a lonely Raven and a Common Buzzard circling over the car park on our return.
Saturday 10 March 2018
Stayed fairly local today, but very similar birds to the previous day.
Sunday 11 March 2018
Again stayed fairly local until mid afternoon. New birds at Valaska Bela were Great Spotted Woodpecker, Yellowhammer and a Black Redstart. On the journey back off the hills a large flock of Fieldfares were found on newly exposed grassland, now the snow has melted. Driving south a Great White Egret was flying north along the river Vah. A look in at the reservoir south of Piestany at Radnovce found a lot of duck including Goldeneye and Goosander. On the edge of the ice was a large flock of Gulls, this included Black-headed, Caspian, Common and a lone Baltic Gull.
Monday 12 March 2018
Visited the large reservoir to the south of Hlohovec at a village called Soporna. There was a very strong wind, but large flocks of Coot, Pochard and Tufted Duck were close to my vantage point. I soon found amongst them 10 plus Smew, single female Long-tailed Duck and Scaup. I then drove west to have a four-night stay at Lenice in the Czech Republic. Spent a couple of hours exploring the old 'Iron Curtain' from the Austrian side. Here I found some steppe type grassland amongst intensive arable. Several large flocks of Starlings, many Skylarks and Yellowhammer and picked out from the regular Common Buzzards a lone Red Kite. After checking into my hotel, it was off into the grounds of the Lenice Castle, Woodpeckers being the number one target. Great Spotted, Middle-spotted and Green were soon found before dusk.
Tuesday 13 March
Up at dawn and back into the castle grounds, woodpeckers were quieter than the previous day, but at least I had brief views of Black Woodpecker. Walking back to my hotel for breakfast a Lesser-spotted Woodpecker flew over the centre of the town. After breakfast I drove to a limestone hill area about ten K. NW of Lednice, at least 3 White-tailed Eagles were soring together. In the afternoon did a long walk around Lednice Castle grounds, but found nothing new.
Wednesday 14 March
Another uneventful walk around the castle grounds Woodpecker wise, but Great White Egret, Red Kite, Roe Deer and Red Squirrel, provided some interest. After breakfast I went to explore the floodplain forests on the Czech side of the old iron curtain. I came to a gate with opening times, but no indication (In English or graphically) that it was entry for cyclists and walkers only. After driving around for a while and seeing a White-tailed Eagle and Great Grey Shrike, an official looking vehicle turned up with a guy in uniform. I was then subject to what seemed to be a tirade of abuse in Czech by a very nasty guy, who indicated that I should get out of the reserve. This I did "welcome to the Czech Republic’s nature reserves ". On returning home I looked in Gerard Gorman’s “Birding in Eastern Europe” to find that he say that access is for walkers and cyclists only, so my fault! The only parking outside, is at a very remote place for two cars! On the way back to Lednice I stopped and walked alongside one of the many fishponds of the area. Lots of wildfowl including a large flock of Red-crested Pochard and Pintail. Of particular interest were a flock of many thousands of geese, a long way off and not having a scope, causing an i/d problem. They did not sound like Greylags, so after taking a few photos and zooming in on the cameras screen, it became obvious that most were Bean Geese, with a few White-fronted mixed in. Then it was off to a small wetland reserve just to the north of Lednice. A sign at the entrance gave information about a wetland reserve called Pastvisko, but no indication of access. Two White-tailed Eagles landing in a distant tree provided an incentive to explore. After walking across a field, I met an equality confused Czech father with two young sons, also trying to access the reserve. Between us we eventually found our way to a viewing tower. From here there was a reasonable selection of wildfowl, most of which cleared off when one of three White-tailed Eagles flew over. These 3 adult eagles stayed around for the hour or so of the duration of my stay. It was obviously a pair, one of which was bigger than the other and the third bird was trying to gate-crash. Otherwise all of interest, were two Red Kites that passed over and signs that a Beaver had been gnawing at the viewing tower steps!
Thursday 15 March 2018
Early morning a trip back to yesterday's wetland, two White-tailed Eagles present again, but most the time they were perched in a tree. Later did a long walk to the south of Lednice through old oak forests and around fishponds. Red Kites were regularly passing over, some Brambling were feeding with Chaffinches, the Bean and White-fronted Geese were still loafing on the fishponds. I eventually found my first Hawfinch after seven days, presumably they have all moved West for the winter! Caught a bus back to Lednice.
Friday 16 March 2018
Woke to find it raining, which persisted for most of the day. It was the end of my time in Lednice and on the journey back to Hlohovec, I explored some areas new to me. The rain made birding difficult, but again Red Kite, Great Grey Shrike and I managed a positive i/d on Caspian Gull on a small reservoir.
Saturday 17 March 2018
Explored the fishponds/flood forest to the north of Leopoldov to the west of the River Vah early morning. The ponds have only been ice-free for less than a week, so held little in the way of wildfowl. However one pond held at least 12 Great White Egrets. While driving along a track I noted a small Woodpecker, which then moved into thick cover. Parking the car, I walked back down the track and managed to confirm my suspicion that it was a Lesser-spotted. It was a female and she allowed me to approach quite close, while she pulled apart a gall on bramble, presumably looking for grubs.
Sunday 18 March 2018
Stayed fairly local today to Hlohovec . Very cold with a biting wind. A look at the Oransany airstrip found it had been ploughed right up to the edge. A male Stonechat was the only birds next to the runway. At the manure dump a lone White Wagtail and the usual flock of Tree Sparrows. Despite a long run around some favoured sites all that was seen was an obvious influx of Robins which had been rare to date and a Caspian Gull.
Monday 19 March 2018
Another very cold day with temperatures only just going above freezing by mid afternoon. Went to visit the woodlands to the NW of Chtelnica, which have been productive in the past. A surprise as soon as I arrived, was a Black Stork flying away from a stream below the top reservoir, still early in the year for this species. I noted other birds coming to drink at the stream and sat in my car photographing an amazing variety. There seemed to be an endless precession of Chaffinches, occasionally joined by a few Brambling. Highlights were a couple of Hawfinches which had a nack of hiding behind branches, but I managed a couple of decent photos. Other birds that came down included a Song Thrush that was eating a small fish, Marsh Tit, Great Tit, Robin, Wren, White Wagtail, Nuthatch and Great Spotted Woodpecker in the trees. Black Redstarts were around the reservoir. In general while driving around today, on most grasslands Song Thrushes were predominating over Fieldfares, Robins, Lapwings and Black Redstarts, suggesting a major northwards passage in progress.
Tuesday 20 March 2018
Went back to the large reservoir by the village of Soporna. Very cold and windy conditions made observations difficult. Managed to pick out a pair of Smew, but overwise just the comoner ducks. Over 40 Great White Egrets were sheltering out of the wind by a reedbed. The banks of the reservoir had a couple of large flocks of Meadow Pipits, a lone Chiffchaff was feeding over pondweed in a ditch. A new Slovak Bird for me was a couple of Redpol. Another poor day for woodpeckers the cold seems to be keeping them quiet, only Great Spotted observed. A few Caspian Gulls about.
Wednesday 21 March 2018
Left Slovakia today to spend my last night in the village of Hegyko Hungary passing through Austria. First port of call was the triangle of farmland in Austria, between Andau, Tadten and the Hungarian Peace Bridge. On my last two visits here Imperial Eagles showed well, but apart from a possible bird on the ground a long way off, had to settle for Common Buzzard, Marsh Harrier and Kestrel. Soon found a flock of around 20 Great Bustards, mostly females, with a couple of males doing half-hearted displays. Close enough for a good view, but too far away for any decent photos. There was still some snow on the ground and some of the water bodies were frozen. Other birds on these grassland steppes were Lapwings, Redshank, Curlew, Ruff, White Wagtail, Fieldfares and thousands of Starlings. As usual here, many Roe Deer and Brown Hares. Moving on to the Neusiedler See National Park a large flock of geese flew over and landed in a field and turned out to be White-fronted. The see itself was very windy and from experience I will leave alone and try tomorrow. Pretty much the same birds as at the triangle, plus Shelduck. Moved into Hungary and visited the Ferto-Hansag National Park above Fertod. Same birds as before but in even bigger numbers, plus Black-tailed Godwit and a Hen Harrier. As I write a flock of over a hundred Black-tailed Godwits came close to my car. Then what looked very out of place with the snow and ice a Black-winged Stilt, later to be joined by three Avocets. On the way to my hotel, I came across a freshly ploughed field full of gulls, most seemed to be Caspian, with Black-headed, Common and a surprise when I found two adults Mediterranean Gulls.
22 March 2018
My last day was fairly uneventful. It had been minus 5c the previous night and all water bodies bar the salty Neusiedler see were frozen. At Ferto-Hansag National Park, above Fertod a Black-winged stilt was stood on the ice and most of waders were in a field waiting for a thaw in the strong sunshine. Driving along the eastern edge of the Neusiedler See, lots of White-fronted Geese and regular sightings of Marsh Harriers over the extensive reedbeds. A last picnic lunch on the northern shore of an unusually calm Neusiedler see, found me next to a flock of Common Gulls and a few Black Redstarts. It was then back into Slovakia to return the car to Bratislava Airport, before the flight home.
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