Thursday 2 June
At security at Manchester Airport, only one family in front of me! Arrived after 2300 hrs at Bratislava. ‘The joy of Brexit’ the Slovak border guards now ask questions, as to why you have come, where are you staying, etc? Stayed the night at a nearby airport hotel.
Friday 3 June
Woke to hear a Pheasant on the grassland outside the hotel. Walk to car hire Jackdaw, Swallow, Woodpigeon
Vodná nádrž Budmerice (A reservoir 14 km west of Trnava)
Song Thrush, Blackbird, Buzzard, Reed Warbler, Mute Swan, Great Crested Grebe, Tree Sparrow, Grey Heron, Black-headed Gull, Common Tern, Goldfinch, Little Ringed Plover, House Martin, Cuckoo, Linnet, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Coot, Cormorant, White Wagtail, Black Redstart, Serin, Great Tit, Sedge Warbler, Jay, Turtle Dove, Marsh Harrier.
Koplotovce (An area of old gravel pits and scrub to the west of the village)
Little Egret, Nightingale, Great Spotted Woodpecker.
About
Carrion Crow, Lapwing, Collared Dove, House Sparrow.
Saturday 4 June
Sokolovce (Walk around the River Vah and oxbows with lots of scrub to the west of the village)
Green Woodpecker, Blue Tit, Golden Oriole, Red-backed Shrike, Long-tailed Tit, Hooded Crow, Yellow-legged Gull, Treecreeper species.
Lukáčovce (Walk along edge of two small reservoirs next to the village)
Sand Martin, Red-crested Pochard, Moorhen, Greenfinch.
Then drove to Lučenec to stay overnight
Fairly quiet driving along the Hungarian border, apart from a handful of villages with nesting White Storks.
Sunday 5 June
Lučenec
Quiet early morning walk through a heavily wooded park found little that could not be found back in the UK
Dubno
Several Bee-eaters on overhead lines. Found some nests in a bank nearby, most birds laid up in trees, presumably most birds will be on eggs at this time of year.
Petrovce
Stonechat
Drove into Hungary between Bánréve and Aggtelek, a stop near the village of Imola was good for butterflies and a Hoopoe.
On re-entering Slovakia made a detour along a quiet lane to a hilltop viewing point near Silická Brezová and was rewarded, when what at first seemed to be a distant Common Buzzard turned out as it got closer, to be a fairly short-winged Honey Buzzard. The dark head and pale chest combination is unusual and is not illustrated in popular field guides!
Arrived late afternoon at my base for five nights at the village of Zádiel 33 km SE of the regional capital of Košice.
A walk at dusk found Noctule and Serotine bats
Monday 6 June
Zádiel (The village is at the foot of an impressive heavily wooded limestone gorge)
Pre breakfast walk. Hoopoe, Red-backed Shrike, many Nightingale, Sparrowhawk, Brown Hare.
Zádiel Gorge (A walk to the top of the gorge and back along to top)
Lower gorge Grey Wagtail, Wren, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Blackcap, Chaffinch, Red Fox, Roe Deer.
Top Lesser Whitethroat, Skylark.
Tuesday 7 June
Hrhovské rybníky (Large fish ponds to the SW of Zádiel)
East Side Hobby, Reed Bunting, 7 Red Deer,
West Side Great Reed Warbler, Black Stork, Great White Egret, Little Grebe, Midwife Toad, Fieldfare,
Quiet midday walk in the fields and woods above Hačava found little other than butterflies.
Late afternoon walk to a protected area of grasslands and woodland to the west of Zádiel. Good Oak woodland. Hoopoe flew in as did a Mistle Thrush, A male Great Spotted was the first woodpecker for a few days. On the way back many Souslik (Ground Squirrels) were out in some pasture.
Wednesday 8 June
Zadiel
Nuthatch on next door’s roof. Golden Oriole singing from cover in next door's garden walnut tree.
Hrhovské rybníky
Immature White-tailed Eagle. Heavy rain for half an hour. Hobby whizzed by. A very grey looking Nightingale was on the ground, could have been Thrush Nightingale, but flew off before I could take any photos. This species western distribution limit is in this area, so very possible. Understood these fish ponds have open access. An employee of the fish ponds got a bit ‘shirty’ with me but calmed down a bit when I convinced him I was not poaching fish and gave the impression access was only to the bird tower hide!
Silica
White Stork happily walking across the road for some time.
Lunch by pleasant pond with shady picnic bench, with Nightingales, Golden Orioles and Turtle Doves singing and calling all around.
Silická Jablonica
Whinchat
Thursday 9 June
Travelled the short distance south to spend the day in northern Hungary
Tornaszentjakab
A warbler was observed singing from the top of a dead tree in scrub on wet grassland. After eliminating Grasshopper and Savi’s that left River Warbler, which aparenttly often use this kind of habitat. Whitethroat,
A Small Skipper got caught in a small web and a white spider (White Crab Spider?) appeared and with great speed wrapped a web around the butterfly. Red Dear fawn, large longhorn beetle.
Lanes around Rakaca
On overhead lines endless stream of Cuckoos, Red-backed Shrike, Turtle Doves and Stonechats. Checking the many perched Buzzards paid off when I eventually found a Lesser Spotted Eagle.
Rakaca-viztaroló Reservoir
Eventually found a quiet part with no anglers. In the reeds Common/Great Reed and Sedge Warbler, Tree Sparrows and an adult and juv Penduline Tit. Little on the water other than several Common Terns fishing. A male Little Bittern flew round the edge of the reeds.
Szögliget
Went for a walk through the woods to a large pond. Beautiful Demoiselle, Blue Chaser plus other Dragonflies. What was probably an Eastern Green Lizard Lacerta viridis, returning to the car, large flock of Long-tailed Tits with Marsh Tits.
Friday 10 June
Uneventful drive back to Sokolovce. After a family evening meal out at Ratnovce, walked along the ditch below the reservoir, found a family of Coypu, annoying as there is evidence of Beavers nearby! A Kingfisher flew by. Little in the way of bat activity at Sokolovce at dusk.
Saturday 11 June
Sokolovce river and oxbow
Two Hobbys perched in the same dead tree. Night Heron, Spotted Flycatcher. Large Red-eyed Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly.
Late afternoon my daughter and I were taken by a local forest ranger, she has befriended, deep into a forest in a 4X4 to observe an Eastern Imperial Eagle (One of Europe’s rarest birds) nest. We stood at the top of a disused quarry and looked across a valley down to the nest, in the top of a pine tree. A Peregrine flew over the nest and they apparently nest on the small quarry we were above. The ranger advised us not to look over the edge for fear of disturbing the Peregrines. We were a long way away from the eagle’s nest, there was no sign of any adults, but two approximately half-grown eaglets could clearly be seen, one flapping its wings. It was refreshing to meet someone in countryside management so committed to protecting wildlife. He does not allow hunting and tree felling in the area around the nest. If this was back home, they would be putting mountain bike trails through the woods and the RSPB would be encouraging people to make dens in the woods (As per Sherwood Forrest)! I understand that the two eaglets fledged and were flying over the nest early July.
Sunday 12 June
Orešany Airstrip
Crested Lark, my first Skylarks at this location, Turtle Dove, Brown Hare,
At the manure dump 50 plus Stock Dove.
Svrbice
Back in autumn 2019, I found nest holes in an excavated pit. Presumed they were Bee-eaters. Being my first summer visit since 2019, I checked out the site and several Bee-eaters were around the pit. I stayed well away from the pit; the birds were perched in trees next to the pit. Found a Corn Bunting nearby, which seem thin on the ground in Slovakia.
Drove to stay the last two nights at Fertőd in Hungary via Austria.
Tadten (Austria)
Called in to view the Austrian grasslands. At my first stop, a Quail calling next to the road. Montagu's Harrier, at least 3 adult males and 1 first summer female. Presume the females will be on eggs at this time of year.
Monday 13 June
Fertő-Hanság National Park (The lagoons and grasslands to the SE of Lake Neusiedl next to Fertőújlak)
Greylag Goose, Shelduck, Black-winged Stilt, Avocet, Redshank, Gadwall, Shoveler, White-fronted Goose 2, Meadow Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Rook. Plus, Corn Bunting, Cuckoo, Hobby, Golden Oriole and Red-crested Pochard being just about the most common duck.
Esterházy-kastély (A large palace, with large wooded grounds)
As on my single previous visit, little other than the most common of birds.
Fertő-Hanság National Park, Esterházy Ornithological Centre (Closed) near Osli. Wet woodland/grassland.
Pygmy Cormorant, Chiffchaff, Purple Heron, Short views of a small bright green/yellow warbler with a bright supercilium, were a bit baffling for the habitat, presumed to be Wood Warbler, it was in an isolated oak tree in the middle of damp willow/alder woodland. Penduline Tit, Night Heron, Great Reed Warbler singing high in willow tree! Banded Demoiselle. Lots of butterflies.
Return to Ferto Hansag (Fertőújlak) in the evening.
Watched the going's on between Avocet and Black-winged Stilts with young chicks. Greylag Geese were remorseless chased off. Some distant Marsh Terns were probably Whiskered at this time of year. A few Souslik out, but with so many Great White Egrets combing the grasslands for them, it’s a surprise there are any left, particularly the younger ones. Towards dusk a thick cloud came over making for poor light. Three distant falcons made me sit up, they did not seem to be Kestrels or Hobbys, being very dark. One eventually came close, just as a ray of sunlight came through and the red legs and underside coupled with a black body clinched identification, male Red-footed Falcons. They were diving to the ground and quickly rising, presumably picking up insects.
Tuesday 14 June
After a successful couple of days, it was difficult to see what new birds I could find today. Another trip to Fertő-Hanság National Park (Fertőújlak) quickly produced the goods when several Cranes flew past and landed in the distance at 0545 hrs. Sat quietly for an hour near some fence posts hoping for some photo opportunities, surrounded by Corn Buntings, Yellow Wagtails, Tree Sparrows, calling Cuckoo's and Turtle Doves, was like being in some kind of time warp! Although in a protected area, the surrounding farmland is as extensively farmed, if not more so than the UK, why are these birds, now so rare in the UK still here?
Returned to Fertod and went for a walk around the village and grounds of the Esterházy-kastély Palace in the hope of finding Wryneck. Given the large gardens, they should be around. Eventually I heard one in an overgrown garden. On leaving my apartment, one was calling in a neighbouring garden. Spent a couple of hours at the Tadten/Andau Ausrian Grasslands triangle. Apart from a couple of distant Montague Harriers, fairly quiet. As I set off back to Bratislava a male Golden Oriole flew high up into a poplar, not to seen again and my last Red-backed Shrike flew out of the same tree.
Arrived back in Manchester around 1825 hrs, quickly getting through border checks.
Butterflies
Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Comma, Small Heath, Orange Tip, Common Blue, Small Copper, Clouded Yellow species, Map, Pearly Heath, Marbled White, Large Skipper, Silver Washed Fritillary, High Brown Fritillary, Chequered Skipper, Grizzled Skipper, Woodland Ringlet, White Admiral, Poplar Admiral, Large Copper, Camberwell Beauty, Black-veined White, Large White, Small Skipper, Duke of Burgundy, More to add as I go through photos.
Dragonflies
Large Red-eyed Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Banded Demoiselle, Beautiful Demoiselle, Emperor Dragonfly, Blue Chaser, Common Blue Damselfly, Black-tailed Skimmer, Southern Migrant Hawker.
A dragonfly I had on small reservoirs on a couple of occasions was new to me. It was always on the wing, going constantly around a small patch. It never landed. From a poor photo in flight, I could see it was a pincertail dragonfly. The only one that occurs in the Hungary/Slovakia area is Small Pincertail.
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