Lowland wetlands of Eastern Slovakia – waterbird paradise

characteristics: Lowland area in the South-Eastern part of Slovakia comprises rivers, canals, oxbow lakes, marshes, wet meadows, floodplain forests. Protected area Sennianske rybníky fishponds, SPA Medzibodrožie and surrounding country are the most important breeding and migrating site for waterbirds in Slovakia. Distant location of this sparsely populated region, in some places abandoned agricultural land, traditional and extensive farming and near-natural water regime provide conditions for such unique plant and animal communities, which are nowadays not easy to find. Colonies of herons, beautiful oxbow lakes with water lilies and water soldier, vineyards, castle ruins, all this can be found here.

other highlights (possible to include in to the trip itinerary): colonies of Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) and Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Tokaj and Tibava wine-growing area, wooden churches, castle ruins

protected areas visited: National Nature Reserve and IBA (and SPA) Senné (www.life-senne.sk), IBA (and SPA) Medzibodrožie, Protected Landscape Area Latorica, IBA (and SPA) Vihorlatské vrchy Mts.

target species: Western Great Egret (Egretta alba/Casmerodius albus), Little Egret (Egretta garzetta), Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea), Eurasian Bittern (Botaurus stellaris), Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus), Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia), Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca), White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca), Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus), Common Crane (Grus grus), Corncrake (Crex crex), Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta), Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa), Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybridus), Little Owl (Athene noctua), European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster), Lesser Grey Shrike (Lanius minor), River Warbler (Locustella fluviatilis), Savi’s Warbler (Locustella luscinioides), Thrush Nightingale (Luscinia luscinia), Icterine Warbler (Hippolais icterina)

species upon request: beech forest species (eagles) in Vihorlatské/Slanské vrchy Mts.

Trip length: 3 days

Terrain difficulty: easy; plain, lowland area; some places may be wet

Accommodation: *** guest house in a nice locality surrounded by vineyards – possibility to walk around

Day 1: arrival in the afternoon, accommodation, colony of herons and egrets, in the evening: nocturnal voices of birds (owls, bitterns, nightingales)

Day 2: IBA Medzibodrožie: Black-crowned Night Heron, European Bee-eater, Lesser Grey Shrike, White-tailed Eagle, colonies of Black-crowned Night Heron and Grey Heron; evening: Thrush Nightingale

Day 3: IBA Senné and its surroundings (villages Senné and Iňačovce): Western Great Egret, Little Egret, Purple Heron, Eurasian Spoonbill, Ferruginous Duck, Western Marsh Harrier, Whiskered Tern, Little Owl; departure in the evening

Starting and final point: Bratislava. Pick up and transfer to airport Košice is included in the trip price. Possibility to get an extra paid transfer from airport Vienna or Budapest.

Recommended term: March – August

Prices for guiding in English for 1 person:

410,-€ / 3 – 5 participants

360,-€ / 6 – 10 participants

320,-€ / 11 and more participants

Price includes: transportation, accommodation for 2 nights, full board (2xbreakfast, 3x lunch, 2x dinner), full guiding service, local guide, binoculars and bird identification guide rental, corporate insolvency insurance

Price does NOT include: individual travel insurance

If you are interested in this trip, please don’t hesitate to contact us, either by email to info@watching.sk or give us a call at +421 903 751 330. We can then discuss the date that suits your needs the best.