Austria's Steppes & Wetlands

In terms of diversity, Neusiedler See- Seewinkel National Park in Austria is one of Europe’s least known wildlife hotspots. Forget the alpine meadows and mountains of the Alps that you would normally associate with Austria! On this holiday we will be focusing exclusively on the country’s warm and flat lowland regions, more akin to the steppes to the east, and the reason we can expect to see such a range of birds, insects, mammals and plants is that we will be exploring a region that lies at a crossroads of landscapes, habitats and cultures. During our stay here we will enjoy all these highlights, but particularly the birds.

Neusiedler See-Seewinkel National Park, in fact, spans the Austro-Hungarian border and was the first bi-national park to be created in Europe, the majority of it lying within Austria but the southern part being in Hungary. To reach it we fly to Vienna then drive to our comfortable hotel in Illmitz, which is our base for the duration of the tour and situated amongst the sights and sounds of nature. The numerous Great Egrets are just one indicator of a rich diversity which also includes breeding Red-footed Falcons, Savi’s Warblers and Bee-eaters.

For our initial exploration of the region we will spend the morning of our first full day focusing on the largest of Seewinkel’s lakes, Lange Lacke, where the birds and plants are more representative of the coast. Amongst a wide range of species, we will be looking out for breeding Mediterranean Gulls and Avocets, whilst the swathes of wild flowers all around us include the purple-flowered Austrian Sage and contrasting yellow bedstraws that span the ‘hutweide’ or shepherded pasture. After lunch, we will head off to the extensive plain near the Hungarian border, where we will go in search of displaying Great Bustards which, for many, will be the undoubted avian highlight of our holiday; we also hope to see Short-eared Owl, Montagu’s Harrier and a variety of other raptors.

On our third day we will rise early and travel by horse-drawn carriage to enjoy some amazing views across the park’s reedbeds from the upper platform of an ex-Cold War watchtower. Here we will have breakfast whilst watching numerous herons and egrets setting out to feed, Pygmy Cormorants flying between areas of open water, and we may even catch a glimpse of one of the Bitterns that boom in the vast reedbeds. Later in the day we will look for migrant waders at one of Seewinkel’s soda lakes and explore the adjacent woodland and fringing reedbeds which are home to Golden Oriole, Hoopoe, Barred Warbler, Penduline Tit and numerous Nightingales.

The insect-life, too, is very rich and we will look for both the dragonflies and butterflies attracted to the region’s profusion of meadow flowers. The beautiful Southern Festoon butterfly may, perhaps, be amongst the highlights. Interesting beetles, praying mantis, flies and spiders will also turn up on our walks, particularly when we visit Zitzmannsdorfer Wiesen, another area of remnant steppe and a breeding site for Black-tailed Godwits, Curlews and many other species. We will have lunch at a nearby restaurant to taste the local specialities before driving to a hilltop nature reserve known for its profusion of butterflies and flowers.

Today we will travel to the River Danube and beyond. To the north of Seewinkel we hope to find a range of exciting raptors, such as Eastern Imperial Eagle, Saker and Red-footed Falcon, before enjoying a picnic lunch overlooking the Danube. We will also look for Baskettail, Clubtail and Emerald dragonflies. After lunch, we will travel to the Marchegg Nature Reserve, which protects ancient wet woodland and quiet meadows alongside the River March. Here we can watch the comings and goings of a tree-nesting colony of White Storks and walk the trails in search of woodpeckers (most of Europe's species occur here) and Collared Flycatchers. Beaver are common too, though seeing one of these nocturnal creatures would be a highly unlikely treat! We will end the day at a traditional restaurant in Illmitz, giving us another opportunity to savour locally sourced food and wine. 

We will spend our penultimate day, a long but exciting one, in Hungary. Rising early, we travel to the Hansag, the remains of a wild marshland and wetland forest which the Hungarians are currently restoring. This is a very atmospheric place, offering a great feeling of isolation. In addition to an interesting variety of birds, the grassy plains are home to colonies of Souslik, an endearing little ground squirrel and favoured prey of the Hansag’s raptors!

Our final day in Austria will focus once again on the lakes around Illmitz but we will keep the itinerary flexible depending on which hold water and what we have yet to see. As well as an interesting variety of migrants, we hope to find Long-eared Owl, before retracing our steps back to Vienna to catch our return flight to London.