Pannonian BirdExperience – Day 1 and 2
Friday – Saturday, April 15-16, 2011
In the end of last week Pannonian BirdExperience 2011 took place in Illmitz, Austria. This nice combination of exhibitions, lectures and birdwatching excursions was held in Information & Education Centre of Nationalpark Neusiedler See – Seewinkel. We used our opportunity to meet the exhibitors, ornithologists and fans of birdwatching. On Friday we made a tour around Zicklacke, Langelacke, Zicksee, Darscho Warmsee and Neusiedler See. It was very interesting to see unusual habitats of rare European inland saline lakes and their bird species.
On Saturday we made just a little walk, but it brought a sensation to all involved participants of BirdExperience. Just 15 minutes of walk from Illmitz alongside the salines and reeds of Zicklacke and Geiselsteller we have discovered very rare bird – Aquatic Warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola). It was the first observation of this species in Burgenland and probably the earliest observation in whole Austria. We felt moved as 2 hours after our discovery the observation was confirmed by more than 40 experienced birdwatchers and ornithologists that congratulated us to this discovery. We were asked to send a report to Austrian Rare Bird Committee. More information about this observation you can find here.
During these 2 days we spent in Eastern Austria we recorded 79 different bird species, a few of them first time in our lives.
List of observed bird species:
Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
Greylag Goose (Anser anser)
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)
Shellduck (Tadorna tadorna)
Gadwall (Anas strepera)
Wigeon (Anas penelope)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
Garganey (Anas querquedula)
Teal (Anas crecca)
Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina)
Pochard (Aythya ferina)
Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)
Bittern (Botaurus stellaris)
Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)
Great Egret (Egretta alba)
Pygmy Cormorant (Microcarbo pygmeus)
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Coot (Fulica atra)
Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)
Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)
Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)
Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)
Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)
Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
Common Redshank (Tringa totanus)
Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)
Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Little Gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus)
Mediterranean Gull (Ichthyaetus melanocephalus)
Common Gull (Larus canus)
Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)
Feral Pigeon (Columba livia f. domestica)
Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus)
Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
Common Magpie (Pica pica)
Jackdaw (Coloelus monedula)
Rook (Corvus frugilegus)
Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix)
Raven (Corvus corax)
Great Tit (Parus major)
Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)
Common Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
House Martin (Delichon urbicum)
Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)
Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)
Aquatic Warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola) !!!
Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)
Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos)
Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)
European Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava)
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)
Serin (Serinus serinus)
Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)
Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
Linnet (Carduelis cannabina)
Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)
Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)
unidentified large Gull (Larus cachinnans/michahellis)
