Austria Day 9: Wetland Wonders at Neusiedler See

Sat Oct 22: After our alpine heroics, we had trekked back East -- in fact almost to the juncture where 3 nations meet: Austria, Hungary and Slovakia. Adjoining those borders is the beautiful National Park of Neusiedler See, one of Austria's most idyllic regions, especially renowned for the birding paradise of Seewinkel. We had stayed the night at a small bed and breakfast in the unspectacular main hub of Neusiedl-am-See (my first choice, the tiny hamlet of Rust on the west bank of the Neusiedler See, was chock-a-block booked. As luck would have it, our visit had fallen on a Friday night, in the heart of the summer.

Undeterred, we were up at the crack of dawn in the ardent hope of catching some coveted feathered friends during their morning ritual. And quite a day it was! Thanks to that wonderful global resource, BirdingPal.net, we had connected with a local ornithology enthusiast by the name of Roman Matz (left photo with Chitra) who had very kindly offered to take us around the area and show us the best Neusiedler has to offer in mid August. So 6.40am, and we duly hit the road!

And quite a day it was. We were going for a full 12-13 hours, traipsing through fields, woodlands and of course those treasured wetlands. The weather was quite perfect, low 80s with gentle breeze caressing us as we sauntered through the unspoilt terrain.
And there was plenty for our eyes to feast on. Some of our favourite viewings were two Lapwings up close (right photo) with their trademark crested heads. Then a Wagtail (left photo) right below our observation deck, its arrow-like tail waving furiously as is its wont. Then two pairs of Red Footed Falcons (males and females) doing a merry dance in a high-grassed field. . The always eye-catching multi-coloured European Bee-eater perched on a telegraph wire above a farmyard field of horses. A giraffe-necked Purple Heron towering over its compatriot. Then a marvellous shot of a pair of spoonbills (left photo) preening themselves in the pristine waters. And a statuesque Black Winged Stilt, flanked by a pair of Spotted Red Shanks, feverishly trawling the waters for unsuspecting prey.

Then there were some real eye-openers. A swarm of hundreds of starlings making geometric patterns above us being scrutinized by a Kestrel, who was maybe storking them. Big mistake! The starlings accelerated to breakneck speed and the Kestrel was struck and forced to dive down in a rapid retreat. Then a swallow nest under the roof of a building as the male and female took turns to guard their residence. And the oddity of bird behaviour who would fly off in terror at the slightest flutter of a human footstep, yet were blissfully oblivious of the drone of an approaching vehicle!

Another highlight of the day was Roman taking us to his parents' house, where he grew up in the 1970s and 80s. They gave us a rousing welcome, along with some tea and cookies. Their residence was warm and homely and blessed with a dazzling garden with an array of fruit trees and vegetable borders, along with their own bird pets including the colourful Australian King Parrot and the tree-green Red Winged Parrot, also an Antipodean native.

Please do check out our 2 videos of this inspiring day:

Part 1


Part 2


And here is a full list of the birdies we spotted:
1. Raven
2. Wood Dove (biggest dove in Europe)
3. Eurasian Collared Dove sitting on a house gate (7.45)
4. White Wagtail (black chest): afternoon below our observation deck.
5. Common Blackbird
6. Eurasian Magpie
7. European Robin (smaller and squatter than American Robin; only similarity is red chest).
8. Common Buzzard (flying)
9. European House Sparrows
10. Hooded Crow with grey chest, perched in some trees.
11. European Kestrel in a field, viewed from a sandy path.
12. Red Backed Shrike (Lanius Collurio) on left roadside.
13. Skylark in field hopping along
14. Common Pheasants (several) trotting in bushes by road
15. European Goldfinch (juvenile - fleeting glimpse; later at Roman's house
16. Northern Harrier flying in field
17. European Tree Sparrow (Passa Montanis)
18. House Martins (Swallow family) in nest under building roof
19. Red Footed Falcons: male fully grey front; female with grey back and orange front
20. European Starlings in a flock, clashing with Kestrel, which had to dive away downwards.
21. Jackdaws flying above our observation deck

Observation Deck adjacent to Neusiedler See:
22. Greylag Goose (white back to head; black near tail)
23. Grey Heron
24. Great Egret
25. Lapwing -- by water (white underbelly, black backtop)
26. Yellow-legged Gull (Larus Cachinnans)
27. Common Tern (Sterna Hirundo): Black-headed and smaller less hooked beak.
28. Black-headed Gull (Larus Ridibundus)
29. Little Egret, walking on water
30. Several Coots swimming excitedly.
31. Red-crested Pochard Duck (young) (Netta Rufina)
32. Sparrow Hawk disappearing into tree.
33. Purple Heron briefly on the water
34. Marsh Sandpiper
35. European Starling (Sturnus Vulgaris) sitting on bush
36. European Bee-eater (heard in morning, but then perched on a wire in a horse field)
37. Mute Swan (Cygnus Olor) with young ducklings

In Field with small pond:
38. Spotted Redshank
39. Linnet (Carduelis Cannabina)

Large pond with L-shaped fence:
40. Great Crested Grebe, ducking its head under water
41. Pygmy Cormorands, preening themselves.
42. Common Pochard (Aythya Ferina) with rust head.
43. Gadwall (Anas Strepera), just beyond wooden fence with white underbelly and white tail
44. Black winged Stilt with long red legs.
45. Green Winged Teal (Anas Crecca).
46. Great Reed Warbler (brownish bird)

Field from sandy path:
47. Black Cap (chip, chip call from trees; then saw in afternoon).
48. Blue Tit
49. Spoonbill (two) feeding and preening themselves
50. European Stonechat, perched on a hedge
51. Wood Sandpiper (Tringa Glareola), stepping between reeds
52. White Stork
53. Male Marsh Harrier in flight
54. Corn Bunting (Miliaria Calandra); in field sitting on bush

Final Evening scene next to swimming hole:
55. Shelduck (3 females with multi-coloured bodies & orange beaks)
56. Avocet
57. Little Ringed Plover
58. Dunlin
59. Curlew Sandpiper (wader with light brown chest)
60. Ruff (juvenile without plumage)
61. Common Sandpiper
62. Ruddy Turnstone (Aranaria Interpres): small wader with black stripe back and white belly.
63. Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus Schoenobaenus)

We also heard the calls of: Eurasian Jay, Great Tit (didh didh didh like a spitfire), Bearded Tit.