March 7 '08

I found an old European site-guide book (1970) that has a few for Yugoslavia. The closest one to Zagreb (140 km SW) is an upland region with extensive pine forests (& lakes & waterfalls), and supposedly has 8 species of woodpeckers! The most interesting for westerners would likely be the White-backed Woodpecker. There is bus service from Zagreb. The area was declared a national park in 1946.

There is another site at the confluence of the Danube and Drava Rivers. Extensive marshes, oxbows and ponds are the featured attractions. It would be on the new border with Serbia.

I imagine there are newer guide books available, such as from ABA.

Phil Hotlen
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: vogelfreund at comcast.net
> It's been decades since I was stationed in Germany and did opportunistic
> birding. May is a great time to be there, at the latter part of Spring migration
> and singing males of various species on territory.
>
> Assuming one has a car at their disposal, I would recommend keeping an eye out
> for smelly old farms with lots of insects, in the hinterlands, for example on
> the west bank of the Rhine (Palatine). One could even pick up rarities like
> Woodchat Shrike. And Golden Orioles were also in that (Palatine) area when I was
> in Germany.
>
> The famous Rheingau vineyard region is good. Go up behind the grapevine fields
> and listen for Wrynecks, an increasingly rare bird.
>
> Kuhkopf (Gernsheim, I think) on the east bank of the Rhein is a sanctuary, good
> for Nightengales and Black Kites, among lots of other wetland types.
>
> Switzerland, which I only fleetingly visited in the NE corner a couple of times,
> including the Falls of the Rhein, seems too well drained for great birding. But
> the confluence of the upper Rhein and the Bodensee at Bregenz, Austria, is a
> well known birding spot. Of course there are a few alpine species to see up
> high.
>
> School children are enthusiatic birders in Germany, but adults seem to be
> interested in other things, for the most part.
>
> Driving on the back roads can be irksome, with the farm machinery on the narrow
> roads. Be careful in passing, etc.
>
> Well, that's my 2 cents worth - ha ha!
>
> Phil Hotlen
> Bellingham, WA
> -------------- Original message ----------------------
> From: jackie boss <jackieaboss at yahoo.com>
> > This May I will be in Germany (central), Switzerland (Luzern, Zurich &
> > Graubunden) & Croatia (Zagreb & the coast). I would greatly appreciate
> > recommended "easy-to-get-to" birding hot spots.
> >
> > Thank-you in advance!
> > --Jackie Boss
> >
> >
> > *.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
> >
> > Jackie Boss
> > 1501 16th Street
> > Anacortes, WA 98221-2230
> > U.S.A.
> >
> > Tel: (970)449-3369 (Cell)
> >
> > jackieaboss at yahoo.com
> >
> > .*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
> >
> > ---------------------------------
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Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Birding in Germany, Switzerland & Croatia?
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