Slovakia – Birds of the Mountains & Plains

Naturetrek Tour Report 9 - 16 May 2016

Eurasian Pygmy Owl Souslik

Looking for Citrine Wagtail White-backed Woodpecker

Report and Images compiled by Gerald Broddelez

Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk

Tour Report Slovakia – Birds of the Mountains & Plains

Tour participants: Gerald Broddelez (leader) & Martin Hrouzek (local guide) with 13 Naturetrek clients

Day 1 Monday 9th May

The tour started at Gatwick with a flight to Poland. We arrived at Krakow airport at lunchtime, met up with Martin and our driver Pavel, and began the two-hour journey to the Slovak border. Once clear of the city, we passed through a rolling patchwork of farmland, mixed woodland and picturesque villages. At roadside stops we saw a flyby Goosander, Eurasian Hobby, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Montagu’s Harrier, Rook, Western Jackdaw, Common Buzzard and White Stork. A brief stop at a petrol station, with the rugged snow-capped peaks of the High Tatras visible in the distance, added European Serin, Common Whitethroat, Tree Pipit, Black Redstart and White Wagtail.

We arrived at our hotel in Vitanova in the late afternoon and after a short break to settle in, we took a stroll down the road. By the River we found a couple of Dippers, Grey Wagtail and several Black Redstarts. Back at the hotel we enjoyed a good dinner and then retired for the night, prepared for an early start in the morning.

Day 2 Tuesday 10th May

Away at first light, we drove a short distance to a large area of wet meadowland and Spruce forest near Sucha Hora, by the Polish border. The area was alive with singing Whinchats and Grasshopper Warblers and we also heard Corn Crake, Common Quail and Common Cuckoo. Additionally we saw Common Skylark, Common Whitethroat, Common Reed Bunting, Hare and Roe Deer. There was not much lekking activity from the local Black Grouse and we had to be content with distant views of a couple of males flying.

After breakfast back at the hotel, we set off again. Our first stop was at a woodland near Tvrdosin. Here we found several groups of Red Crossbill feeding high in the trees, Common Firecrest singing and finally excellent views of a pair of Three-toed Woodpeckers, the male excavating a nest hole.

We then drove to an area of marshy meadows and sedge beds with ditches and areas of willow scrub. Here we enjoyed fabulous views of at least two Citrine Wagtails calling, singing and chasing each other around. We also saw several Common Reed Buntings, Meadow Pipits, Western Marsh Harrier, Great Egrets and a Lesser Spotted Eagle, and we heard Corn Crake.

A little later we stopped for a picnic lunch by Orava Reservoir, overlooking a low grassy island covered in nesting Black-headed and Caspian Gulls and Common Terns. Some close observation revealed a Mediterranean Gull in amongst the Black-headed Gulls whilst, out on the water, there were several smart Little Gulls, various ducks and some Great Crested Grebes.

We finished the afternoon in high altitude Spruce forest near the summit of Oravska Magura mountain where we had great views of two White-backed Woodpeckers and Common Firecrest. Then, after a bit of a walk, a Boreal (Tengmalm’s) Owl peering out of its nest hole high in a large Beech tree. Beautiful!

Slovakia – Birds of the Mountains & Plains Tour Report

Day 3 Wednesday 11th May

After breakfast we drove across to the Oravsky Podzamok where we spent most of the rest of the morning in an area of steep Beech/Spruce forest. A small wheel problem was quiclky solved and soon we were exploring these magnificent forest in bright sunshine. Pearl-bordered Fritillary, several Camberwell Beauty, Map and Wood White were among our first butterflies. A Northern Goshawk briefly appeared overhead, Dipper was sitting in the top of a Spruce tree and then, for the next half hour, we were entertained by a smart Eurasian Pygmy Owl sitting totally in the open being mobbed by no less then 10 different birds including Crested Tit and Common Firecrest! What a show!

We ate our lunch in an open meadow with a great view. We were interupted by sightings of a pair of ‘white- headed’ Long-tailed Tits and a Spotted Nutcracker calling high in a Spruce tree.

We stopped for coffee below the scenic Oravsky Castle where a Spotted Flycatcher, a couple of Dippers and a singing European Serin kept the bird interest going.

We then travelled on through the valleys to Besenova Reservoir near Liptovska Sielnica. We finished the day here with Tufted Ducks and Great Crested Grebes out on the water.

Day 4 Thursday 12th May

A pre-breakfast walk yielded a calling Spotted Nutcracker, several male Ring Ouzels and Red-backed Shrike. We then set off for the high mountain forest in Velka Fatra National Park. The site was reported to have a lekking Capercaillie which we were unable to find despite some hard searching, but we did see a few Ring Ouzels and singing Common Firecrests were around.

We then visited a small marshy area near the paper factory. Here we all had fantastic views of a River Warbler singing its heart out. More birds were heard in the distance and a Lesser Spotted Eagle past low overhead.

Late afternoon we visited the lake of Liptovska Mara. Here we found two Ruff, several Great Egrets and a lovely Chequered Skipper.

Day 5 Friday 13th May

A damp walk in the forest this morning brought out dozens of beautiful Fire Salamanders, a Slow Worm and after a bit off waiting, the head of a male Black Woodpecker sticking out of a nest hole! After this we warmed up at a nearby cafe were we had coffee and/or soup. At the nearby bridge the attendant Dipper and Grey Wagtails allowed some great photographic opportunities.

Our route then took us along the south side of the spectacular snow-capped High Tatras, past Poprad and so to the dramatically positioned Spissky Castle where we broke the journey for an hour or so. We spent a little time

2 © Naturetrek May 16

Slovakia – Birds of the Mountains & Plains Tour Report

watching Common Linnet, Black Redstart, European Stonechat and a colony of Sousliks gambolling around the castle lawns.

We continued the drive through the late afternoon, past Presov, Vranov and Trebisov and noted a few Roe Deer, a couple of Lesser Spotted Eagles, both Western Marsh and Montagu’s Harriers, a few Common Buzzards and some Northern Lapwings along the way. We arrived at Vinicky, our destination, right by the Hungarian frontier and the Zemplen Hills in the early evening, in good time to settle in before dinner. A short walk to the nearby lake produced several Black-crowned Night Herons, our first Barred Warblers, Common Nightingales and lots of Red-backed Shrikes.

Day 6 Saturday 14th May

European Serin, Black Stork, Barred Warbler and Red-backed Shrike were good early morning birds, before we set off in the bus across a landscape of pleasant rolling farmland, copses, shelterbelts and attractive little villages. En route we found a close female White-tailed Eagle and a Great Grey Shrike perched in the open allowing excellent telescope views before arriving at our destination, Senne fishponds.

This rich mosaic of open water, reed and bulrush beds, marshy pools and willows proved to be a wonderful place. In a few hours either side of a picnic lunch we saw a huge range of birds and other wildlife. Western Marsh Harriers were in view all the time and there were lots of Great Egrets and Grey Herons, a few Black- crowned Night Herons, several Purple Herons and a few Eurasian Spoonbills. Ducks included flocks of rare Ferruginous Ducks and Common Pochard and among a range of waders we found Wood Sandpiper, Ruff, Dunlin and a couple of Black-winged Stilts.

We also saw all three marsh terns, both Black-necked and Red-necked Grebes, masses of Great Crested Grebes, a brief Little Bittern perched in the open on top of a small bush, and Black Storks. Eurasian Bittern was booming too but only one of us saw it flying. Sedge Warblers were singing all around us and we enjoyed lovely views of these, plus both Great Reed and Savi’s Warblers. Especially nice were close views of both Bearded Reedling and Eurasian Penduline Tit, and a singing male Bluethroat that finally showed itself well.

In the mid-afternoon we drove across country to an area of farmland near Trebisov where we saw an adult Eastern Imperial Eagle on the nest. The bird was apparently shielding youngsters from the rain and was half standing in the nest. We also saw a nice female Montagu’s Harrier both perched on the ground and in flight.

Day 7 Sunday 15th May

Today on our pre breakfast walk we saw Hawfinch, our first Black Kite and a close Eurasian Hobby overhead, and more Barred Warblers and Red-backed Shrikes.

We then drove to a small quarry were we saw a Short-toed Snake Eagle overhead. Northern Wheatear, Little Ringed Plover, Burning Bush (Dictamnus albus), Siberian Bell (Campanula sibirica) and a nice male Green Lizard were nice additions to the list.

Slovakia – Birds of the Mountains & Plains Tour Report

During the walk to the next quarry we found several nice butterflies including Grizzled Skipper, Large Wall, Wood White, Small and Sooty Coppers and many Chestnut Heaths. Birds included several Eurasian Golden Orioles and a nice young Eurasian Eagle-Owl giving unsurpassed views!

We then drove to Velky Kamenec for lunch. There was a sandpit European Bee-eater colony where we also found a Eurasian Hoopoe, many Yellow Wagtails, smart Lesser Grey Shrikes, more Eurasian Golden Orioles, Black Kites, Crested Larks, Short-toed Snake Eagle, a colony of Eurasian Tree Sparrows, mating White Storks and Eurasian Hobby. Several blues butterflies and moths were also found.

We had a short coffee stop at the hotel, complete with a small Grass Snake trying to get into one of the rooms. We then drove to the Trebisov area again and found a nice Saker Falcon sitting in front of its nestbox. With our powerful telescopes we could see parts of a young bird appearing in the back of the box. A last stop was made at a small woodland were, in the liquid sunshine, we found a pair of Short-toed Treecreepers and a Middle-spotted Woodpecker.

Day 8 Monday 16th May

After breakfast, we left the hotel and spent half an hour or so in the flood plain woodland by the village of Borsa. From here, we crossed the frontier into Hungary and began the drive to Budapest airport. En route we noted an extraordinary density of Common Buzzards sitting on roadside posts. We broke the journey at a motorway service area somewhere along the way, where a European Roller was a fitting last bird.

We made it to Budapest airport in good time for our early afternoon flight. Everything went smoothly and we all arrived safely back in the UK a few hours later.

Thanks to Martin Hrouzek for all his hard work on our behalf, to Pavel for his driving and good humour, to our dedicated local guides Oldo, Dushan, Bohush and Milosh, and to all the members of the group for what was a very memorable and thoroughly enjoyable trip.

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