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Slovakia
Birds and Mammals

Saturday 19 - Saturday 26 April 2008 (8 days)

Slovakia is one of Europe's newest nations, formed when the long country of Czechoslovakia split in 1994. This wild and rugged country offers a wonderful diversity of limestone meadows, high mountains, pristine beech and conifer forests, and lowland wetlands rich in birdlife. We go in spring, when the fruit trees are in blossom, and resident forest birds can be seen most easily.

This is prime woodpecker country – all ten European species can be found here. The High Tatra Mountains contain some of Europe's finest and least disturbed habitats, home to Alpine Accentor and a healthy population of mammals, including Lynx and Wolf, whose tracks we may be able to follow across the snow-capped peaks. We will keep our eyes open for soaring Black Stork and Lesser Spotted Eagle, plus Nutcracker in the forests which also host an excellent variety of owls, including Pygmy, Tengmalm’s and Eagle Owls.

This wild land with mountains up to 2,655m also hosts one of Europe's best populations of large mammals, the star of which must be the Brown Bear. There are about 300 Brown Bears in Slovakia and our tour should give us the opportunity to observe these impressive creatures in the wild from special hides overlooking clearings in the forest, and to learn more about their lives. From our hides (which are absolutely safe) our guides will try to attract bears with baits including corn and honey (what else?).

The most numerous bird populations are to be found in the extensive lowlands, with their marshes, rivers and ponds, located on the south-east and south-west sides of the country. Our main targets here will be Red-necked Grebe, Saker and Imperial Eagle.

This is an area largely unvisited by tourists, and the choice of accommodation is limited. We stay at 2- and 3-star hotels, chosen for their excellent locations. A network of local guides will help us get the best from each of the sites we visit.

Price: £ 1,295
Single supp.: £ 145
Deposit: £ 300 per person

The price is per person and includes scheduled return flights London- Kosice, airport taxes, ground transportation, accommodation on a full-board basis, local taxes, incidental tips, and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, optional tips to the driver and local guides, drinks, and other personal expenses.

Leaders: Keith Grant and local guides

Itinerary
Days 1 - 3
We take an early scheduled flight from London to Kosice via Prague. We meet our local guide and travel by minicoach via the historic town of Levocÿa to central Slovakia and the beautiful High Tatras National Park for a three-night stay, in a hotel beneath the snow-covered Chocské Mountains.

During our stay, we will go up into the High Tatras, looking for Golden Eagle, Nutcracker and Three-toed Woodpecker. We will also have the chance to track mammal footprints where the snow is lying. In the past we have found footprints of Brown Bear and Lynx together with those of several other mammal species and Capercaillie.

In the conifer forests of near our hotel we hope to encounter Nutcracker, the attractive alpine race of Ring Ouzel, Black Woodpecker and Crossbill. Other birds we hope to find include Lesser Spotted Eagle and White-backed Woodpecker, with Dipper in the streams, and we hope to repeat the superb views of Pygmy Owl we’ve had in the past. Hazel Grouse are common, but highly elusive! We will also explore the Chocské Hills, a limestone range well off the regular tourist trail where our local guide maintains nestboxes for Tengmalm’s Owl, and we may be lucky with one of these.

On at least two evenings we will have a chance to go to the bear-watching hides, and may have some time to go on an evening ‘owl-prowl’ as well.
Three nights High Tatras

Days 4 - 5
We travel to the south-east corner of Slovakia via the historic Spissky Castle. Our base for the next two nights will be near the Zemplen Lake close to the Ukrainian border.

Next day we will be joined by Slovak ornithologist Dr Stefan Danko. The Vihorlat Hills are home to the protected Imperial Eagle and Dr Danko will tell us about his special nest protection project in Slovakia. Other raptors we may encounter include White-tailed and Short-toed Eagles, Goshawk and Saker. Ural Owls also breed in this area, and we hope to see these magnificent birds in an area known to our local guide. The mixed forest is home to an excellent variety of birds including Collared Flycatcher and Middle Spotted and Grey-headed Woodpeckers, with Syrian Woodpecker to be found in nearby villages.
Two nights Vojenska Zotavovna

Days 6 - 7
Next day we head for the Latorica Marshes, a wetland of international importance offering ideal habitats for an excellent range of bird species including Great White Egret, Purple Heron, Spoonbill, Short-eared Owl, Penduline Tit and a mix of terns and warblers. Pygmy Cormorant and Ferruginous Duck may also be present, with potentially huge flocks of migrant waders, including Marsh Sandpiper and Temminck’s Stint, in the shallower areas. Near the Hungarian border we will have a look for Hoopoe and Eagle Owl and will hopefully have time to taste the local Tokaj wines.

Our final full day will be on the Slovak Carst, a limestone plateau with breeding Rock Bunting and Black Stork. We should encounter White Stork nests in almost every village we pass. We may also have an opportunity for bat-watching and mist-netting in the evenings. In 2006 we caught several Daubenton’s Bats and a Soprano Pipistrelle.
Two nights Ranc Sugov

Day 8
We transfer to the airport at Kosice for our homeward flight via Prague. Please note that we can arrange optional extensions to the trip in Prague, for a chance to spend a bit of time in this delightful city.

Accommodation: Two- and three-star hotels with all rooms en suite.

Numbers: Max. 12 clients