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By
Billie Ann Lopez and
Peter Hirsch
Visions
of Strauss waltzes and apple strudel are what come to mind to most
visitors to Vienna, not an abundance of woodpeckers, swifts, titmice,
nuthatches, and kestrels. And yet, within the city limits of Vienna,
those are but a few of the many bird species that can be seen
here. A sixty to ninety minute drive from Vienna, the possibilities
for birders are truly astonishing.
 To
the east, the Neusiedlersee one of Europe's largest inland lakes,
and the area's many steppe lakes attracts birdwatchers from all over
Europe. Bee-eaters, great bustards, both white and black storks,
hoopoes, egrets, spoonbills, avocets, squacco herons, well the list
goes on and on and on. All together more than 400 species have been
sighted in Austria's cities, towns and villages, forests and
woodlands, plains, vineyards, wetlands, hills and mountains, lakes
and rivers.
VIENNA
Vienna
is luckier than many other large cities. It is relatively compact
and does not spill out into the countryside for miles and miles,
destroying habitats. Vienna is situated in a natural border area,
with the end of the Alps to the west and south, the beginning of the
great plains to its east, and along a great river, the Danube, with
its accompanying wetlands that stretch all the way to the Slovakian
border. The bird populations of the low plains and high mountains of
central, eastern, and southern Europe meet here. Even the late 19th
century architecture of many of Vienna's buildings contribute by
providing nesting space for birds like swifts and kestrels.
Within
Vienna, there are a surprising number of bird habitats for
birdwatchers to enjoy. In the old city center, the parks lining its
wide Ringstrasse--the Stadtpark, Burggarten, Rathauspark, and the
Volksgarten--all offer a surprising number of resident species as
well as species passing through during spring and fall migrations.
Outside
the city center, the Schoenbrunn Palace gardens, particularly in the
woods on both sides of the Gloriette, are home to several species of
woodpeckers, nuthatches, treecreepers, and titmice. The Schoenbrunn's
Tiergarten (zoo) has three large aviaries plus many other species on
view as well as an important endangered species breeding program. The
Lainzer Tiergarten in the 14th District, the Tuerkenschanzpark in the
19th District, the Vienna Woods that encircle part of the city, the
wetlands of the Lobau and the arms of the Danube in the southeastern
sector of Vienna all offer habitats that are bird-friendly.
THE
BURGENLAND
While
many species can be seen on the western side of the Neusiedlersee,
some of the best sites are on the eastern side. Maps of the area and
other information can be obtained at the large information facility
on the outskirts of Illmitz, just before you enter the village. The
center also has several types of exhibitions, including photographs
of the birds, mammals, insects, reptiles, plants and flowers that can
be seen in the area. Its homepage is www.neusiedlersee.com.
Weiden
Loess Cliffs - On the eastern side of Weiden am See, there are clay
sandy cliffs on the rise of a small hill to the left of the main road
a few hundred meters from the village. Park your car on the farm road
parallel to the main road and walk up on the dirt path between the
vineyards. This area is notable for bee-eaters. As you approach
the cliffs, you will see a wooden blind to your right which will give
you the best view. The bee-eaters usually arrive in mid-May. They
share the cliff side with nesting kestrels, sparrows, and little
owls. Hoopoes, goldfinches, and other songbirds can also be seen here.
Illmitz
- In the center of the village, there are several white stork nests
on rooftops. The storks arrive in late March or early April. (Our
favorite restaurant is the Zentral. If you get a window table, you
can watch the storks take off and land while you enjoy a delicious lunch.)
The
road from Illmitz leading to the Neusiedl lake offers many
birdwatching opportunities. Shortly after you pass the vineyards
outside of the village heading for the lake, there are open fields
and more vineyards to your left and right where we have seen
kestrels, reed buntings, red-backed shrikes, hoopoes, cuckoos and
many many other species.
Zicklacke
- As you proceed down the road to the Neusiedl lake, pull into the
parking lot on the left. To the right is a traditional reed shelter
next to a well and the Zicklacke. Here you will see a large number of
different species depending on the seasons. Spoonbills, swan, grey,
purple, and squacco heron, great egrets, avocet, black-winged stilt,
redshank, spotted redshank, ruff & reeves, coots, tufted ducks,
redcrested pochards, shovelers, dabchicks, greylag geese, gadwalls,
teals, marsh harriers, great reed warblers, larks, even bittern (if
you are lucky), and more.
Lange
Lacke - There is a small admission charge. It takes about three
hours to walk around the lake. We've seen spoonbills, greylag geese,
curlews, black-headed, Mediterranean, and yellow-legged gulls, terns,
whinchats, goldfinches, tree sparrows, blacktailed godwits, avocets,
coots, kentish plovers, a variety of other waders and ducks, little
gulls, stonechats, flycatchers, barnswallows, ruff & reeves, and
many other species.
Hansag
(near Tadten) - The special species to see here are the Great
Bustards. It is very important to observe the "Verboten"
signs and stay on the main roads. There is a lookout about half-way
between the village of Tadten and the Hungarian border. It is okay to
drive to the border road and turn left on to the road paralleling the
border to the next road where you turn left. There are two look-outs
on this road. Great bustards are EXTREMELY shy. To see them well
takes luck, patience, binoculars, or better yet telescopes. Best time
of day is early morning or late afternoon. Best time of the year is
spring before the grass gets too high.
Other
birds we've seen in the area: white stork, kestrels, curlews, turtle
doves, shrikes, greenfinches, buzzards, honey buzzards, partridges,
hen and montagu's harriers, short-eared owls, red-footed falcons
(rare), cuckoos, tree sparrows, goldfinches, barn swallows, spotted
eagle (rare), pheasants, and marsh harriers. In the village, the
tree-lined street passing the church is good for Syrian woodpeckers
and turtle doves.
OUTSIDE
THE BURGENLAND
Marchegg
- Take the autobahn and then the road in direction of Bratislava and
turn to left crossing the Danube after Bad Deutsch-Altenburg.
Marchegg is located about 20 kms north of Hainburg across the Danube.
Marchegg
is special because of the 60+ pairs of white storks nesting in the
trees overlooking a small meadow a hundred meters or so inside the
castle park on the edge of the village. This is a large
forest-nesting colony of white stork not commonly seen in Europe. The
white storks begin arriving in late March and early April.
If
you walk to the right along the dyke, there is a grey heron heronry
as well as a variety of forest birds like nut hatches, robins, tits,
short-toed treecreepers, spotted, middle-spotted, and green
woodpeckers, finches, long-tailed titmice and many other species.
In
the surrounding reserve, you may see black stork, though they
are very very shy. Also, we've seen kingfishers, red and black kites,
and orioles among others.
Hohenau
- To the north of Marchegg is Hohenau where the waste water from the
sugar refinery creates a paradise for waders and ducks. Just drive
round the sugar refinery, keeping it to your right, until the asphalt
road ends and the settling ponds start. You can walk along the dyke
to the ponds and continue on into the forest should you want to.
The
Alps - Wherever you go in the Alps, once you climb up over a 1,000
meters, you will see choughs and ravens playing in the sky. They are
wonderful fliers. Schneeberg and the Rax to the south of Vienna are
both fairly easy to get up to via ski lifts, cable cars, or BIG fun!
cogwheel steam trains. (Puchberg is the village where you can get the
steam powered cogwheel train to the top of Schneeberg.)
BIRDLIFE
AUSTRIA
BirdLife
Austria is Austria's ornithology organization. It offers slide shows
and lectures (in German) on the first Wednesday each month at 18:00
in the Kleiner Vortragssaal in the Natural History Museum. BirdLife
Austria also provides its members with periodic reports and newsletters.
BirdLife
Austria organizes half-day or longer guided birdwatching tours
outside of Vienna, in the Burgenland for example, on Saturdays or
Sundays throughout the year. The meeting points for all tours are
easily accessible by public transportation.
Annual
membership is 30,- Euro for adults, 15,- Euro for students. Family
membership is an additional 10,- Euro per member.
For
further information or membership, contact BirdLife by telephone at
++43 1 523 46 51, fax at ++43 1 524 70 40, e-mail
BirdLife@blackbox.net, or at BirdLife Oesterreich, Gesellschaft fuer
Vogelkunde, Museumplatz 1/10/8, A-1070 Wien.
We
wish you much birding pleasure.
Billie
Ann Lopez and Peter Hirsch
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