Neusiedler See at June 2016 - Bustards & accommodation etc. (2 Viewers)

[Warixenjalka]

Hi,

I and my (non-birding) family are coming to Neusiedler See at next June. I have allready looking at Opus and this forum to find where exactly is best point to see Great Bustards, but no good results. So I would be very happy if someone could point me a right place (adress or even map). You can send PM if you prefer.

Also I like to get good vices for good and inexpensive accomodation. Plus sides are if it's "green" and has a good views of the National Park or/and to lake (See).

One more question: How easy it is to drive (by car) the Hungarian side, if you want to get around the lake?

Thank you very much - und Vielen Dank. B

- Joni -

PS. I probably will ask more questions later...

 

[albatross02]

Hello Joni,

I spent last time in Rosenhof in Ilmitz.
It is very good be not really cheap.
Normally I check booking.com for price and evaluation.

Look into ornitho.at for "Großtrappe" or "Grosstrappe", which means Great Bustard.

Normally there are in the austrian Hansag national park.
There was also Short-eared Owl. The active 1 h before sunset with very high chance.

Travel to Hungary was easy. But I do not know if there are passport check now because the refugees.
Some car rentals do not allow access to Hungary for some car brands like BMW, Audi and Mercedes.

Austrian bird forum is here
http://www.bird.at/forum.43.0.html?&L=1


Best regards
Dieter

 

[Dale Forbes]

I would suggest finding something in the town of Illmitz (Johannes Zeche and Hotel Post both have owners/managers that will help you with finding birds).
The bustard location is well known in the area and is near the town of Andau:
http://www.grosstrappe.at/de/grosstrappe/trappen-beobachten.html
I'm sure the national park information centre in illmitz would be more than happy to help you with guidance when you are there, and let you know what is about.

 

[Warixenjalka]

Vielen dank Dieter,

I looked ornitho.at and found that Grosstrappe is on those species what are "observations fully protected all year". So even I register myself in ornitho.at I don't have access to the detailled map.

Do you know any good "Where to watch birds in Austria" -books? Or is there any?

We travel with our own car, so driving to Hungary will not be cought at least in the terms of car rental.
However, we have followed with concern the development of refugee flows, as it may adversely affect the other border crossings at our way. Indeed, our intention is to make a small tour of eastern EU countries (Home - Baltic - Poland - Slovakia - Austria - (maybe Hungary) - Slovenia - Croatia - Italy - Austria - Germany - Denmark - Sweden - Home).
Lets hope that the situation in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East calms down, and conflict parties reach an agreement. Of course, we hope it happens without our trip anyway.

 

[Warixenjalka]

Thank you too Dale. I will look those hotels.

 

[occasional]

The one complcation you might find is paying motorway tolls. It is worth investigating beforehand.

I also wonder if you might be too late for bustards - I was told that they simply disappear in long grass.

 

[Warixenjalka]

The one complcation you might find is paying motorway tolls. It is worth investigating beforehand.

I also wonder if you might be too late for bustards - I was told that they simply disappear in long grass.

Yes, I have to do that (and I allready take a peek). In Austria - do you have to pay mortorway toll, even if you don't drive motorways? Or is it impossible to avoid motorways? I think we come to Austria from Bratislava so maybe between road no: 61/9 (E58/A6 is motorway - I think). I noticed that Google Street View doesn't work at Austria. Why? I check that again and noticed same thing at Germany. Wierd?!

I hope that I can see those Bustards even briefly. :t:

 

[occasional]

In Austria - do you have to pay mortorway toll, even if you don't drive motorways? Or is it impossible to avoid motorways?

It seems to be surprisingly difficult to discover exactly what is required, and you really need local advice.

I am pretty sure that if you do not travel on motorways you do not need a sticker, and also that it is possible to travel all round Neusiedler See without using a toll road. The difficulty is in discovering exactly what is a toll road.

 

[Dale Forbes]

Austrian Motorways:
Signs leading on to an Autobahn in Austria are always blue and have a street designation number starting with A (e.g. A13 Brennerautobahn) or S (e.g. S31 Burgenland Schnellstraße).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobahns_of_Austria
On-ramps going on to an Autobahn have this sign to warn you that you need a toll sticker: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Mauttafel.jpg

A 10-day vignette sticker (toll card) will cost you €8,70
You can buy these at any petrol station and many other places in Austria. You'll then stick it on your wind shield.

You do not need a Vignette to drive on larger country roads Autostraße / Bundestraße / Straßse mit Vorrang. These will have a designation starting with B. If a street sign just has a number (i.e. no preceding S or A), then it falls in to this category.

Speed limits on country roads is typically 100km/h, on Autobahns 130km/h and in towns 50km/h, unless otherwise stated. These speed limits will normally not be stated, so as soon as you pass a sign that tells you you are entering a town, the speed limit is 50km/h. At the end of the town, the speed limit will revert back to 100km/h only at the point where there is a sign showing the town name crossed out.

When using google maps, if you click on "avoid tolls", it'll get you from Bratislava to Illmitz without going on the autobahn: https://goo.gl/maps/h5owEsSZgsF2

Hungarian highways:
at the border crossing in to Hungary, you will need to stop at one of the Vignette/Toll offices (these often look like informal huts, it seems). You'd buy an electronic Vignette for 10 days, costing 2.975 HUF (about €9.50) and your licence plate number will be registered in the system and automatically monitored/checked as you pass along the motorways. There is no sticker or anything like that.

If you have the time, you might want to check out the Bükk hills and Hortobagyi: both absolutely lovely birding areas.

Google Street View:
The Austrian government has stopped google from offering its street view services in the country, on the grounds of personal data privacy. As far as I can tell, this stand-point has fairly broad acceptance within the country.

 

[Warixenjalka]

Thank you Dale. This was great help to me.

That toll isn't so much and it just might be still valid for when we drive back to north.

 

[Roman M.]

It seems to be surprisingly difficult to discover exactly what is required, and you really need local advice.[...].

Hello,

I´ve to disagree:
http://www.wkoratgeber.at/expert/bilder/lkw_fv_autobahnnetz_at_gross.gif
The only toll roads in the Neusiedler See area are:
A4: Leading from Vienna to Nickelsdorf/Hungary
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ost_Autobahn
A6: Near Bruckneudorf to Bratislava (Slovakia):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordost_Autobahn
S31: From Eisenstadt to Oberpullendorf in the middle of the state Burgenland:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgenland_Schnellstraße

 

[Roman M.]

[...]
Normally there are in the austrian Hansag national park.
[...]
Best regards
Dieter

Minor correction: There is no such national park, the area is as conservation zone part of the NP Neusiedler See/Seewinkel.

 

[Roman M.]

Hi Joni,

I can suggest the following B&B for 50€ for 2 persons incll breakfast/per night:
http://www.haus-hebaus.at/de/zimmer-und-preise/
It´s in my hometown, in the heart of the NP.
Lots of other B&B in Apetlon like e.g. this one:
http://www.heurigerpensionboehm.at/html/zimmer_-_appartement.html
If you need help don´t hesitate to ask here or contact me via this website:
http://birdingpal.org/Austria.htm

 

[occasional]

Hello,

I´ve to disagree:
http://www.wkoratgeber.at/expert/bilder/lkw_fv_autobahnnetz_at_gross.gif
The only toll roads in the Neusiedler See area are:
A4: Leading from Vienna to Nickelsdorf/Hungary
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ost_Autobahn
A6: Near Bruckneudorf to Bratislava (Slovakia):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordost_Autobahn
S31: From Eisenstadt to Oberpullendorf in the middle of the state Burgenland:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgenland_Schnellstraße

Your list seems to confirm that there is a minor problem. Take your list to Google maps and it looks like you cannot easily get from Bratislava to Neusiedler See without needing an Austrian motorway sticker.
I am pretty sure that in reality no sticker is needed.

 

[Roman M.]

Occasional, the first link clearly shows you where in Austria a toll sticker is needed.
But here´s the route on Google Map from the Bratislava airport to Apetlon with no sticker used:
https://goo.gl/maps/9LBqRjH1B2Q2
Note that the state road B50 runs alongside the highway A6 after Gattendorf towards Kittsee. You do NOT use the highway there.

 

[occasional]

Thanks, Roman.

Please could you provide similar information about the nearest Hungarian motorways, particularly where the toll sections start.

For the benefit of anyone reading this in a years time: if you magnify the map sufficiently the B50 appears from beneath the A6.

 

[Roman M.]

You´re welcome. The only highway in the Neusiedler See area on the hungarian side is the continuation of our A4 which is named M1 and is leading to Budapest. Toll section starts right behind the border and you need to buy the toll in one of the kiosks there. They do not have stickers to clue on your front screen, also Slovakia is changing their system from jan 1st 2016 and adopting the hungarian system. They save the number plate of your car in their software and are controlling/comparing them with cameras over the highways. Same like we do with the stickers.
There are two other short highways called M85 from Györ to Csorna and M15 from Level towards north to Slovakia/Bratislava. But no need to use anyone of those three (M1 included) if you´re sticking only to the NP area.
https://goo.gl/maps/4jJDPQ8vehC2

 

[ianreid]

Hi,

I and my (non-birding) family are coming to Neusiedler See at next June. I have allready looking at Opus and this forum to find where exactly is best point to see Great Bustards, but no good results. So I would be very happy if someone could point me a right place (adress or even map). You can send PM if you prefer.

- Joni -

I wrote a report on my 2006 short trip to Neusiedlersee that you can find on cloudbirders or at http://www.cs.adelaide.edu.au/~ianr/Birding. I stayed in Ilmitz and found the bustards fairly easily along the roads leading SSE from Tadten and Andau maybe 2/3 of the way to the bridge at the border. I also spent an excellent afternoon with Roman who has contributed above to this thread (hi, Roman).

Cheers, Ian

 

[Roman M.]

Hi Ian,

as I read through your field report it came into my mind that a lot of time past since then. Calling my much appreciated Opel Vectra B in 2006 " a banger" when only a couple years old. How dare you! This good boy still runs on the road and does a good job, now he reached almost 4x4 quality
And my daughter, which we dropped off at my parents, is finishing high school already.
Nice folk I guided through the years from all over the world (mostly US ). Vijay S., he is also here on birdforum, Clive B from the Bergen University in Norway ( I posted a report about our excurse here under my old nick/account "stonechat1"), etc. Last guest was a very nice lady from the US west coast with only hoopoes in mind. Of course I didn´t disappoint her, and at the Hansag we were, how could it be differend, after the Great Bustards too. There we met two couples from Denmark already searching them for 2 hours. After the Bridge of Andau we drove along the alley as I, only driving by, spotted a single hen in the distance (~200m) in the field walking and only neck and head visible. Stopped the car immediately and checked again with the spotting scope: hell yeah, a Great Bustard! Those Danish still at the bridge a couple kilometers away. Asked Pam to stay and to keep an eye on the bird, which she sure enjoyed, while I rushed back and came for the Danish. They couldn´t even believe that I came for them! It was a real celebration when the group enjoyed the bird for a half hour.

Happy New Year and best regards,
Roman

 

[ianreid]

Hi Ian,

as I read through your field report it came into my mind that a lot of time past since then. Calling my much appreciated Opel Vectra B in 2006 " a banger" when only a couple years old. How dare you! This good boy still runs on the road and does a good job, now he reached almost 4x4 quality
And my daughter, which we dropped off at my parents, is finishing high school already.



Happy New Year and best regards,
Roman

It scares me to think it was nearly a decade ago! I had a great time there and it was excellent to meet you and I am so grateful for the time and effort you put in. I always true to make it back, but never managed it -- though the family friendly hotel outside Illmitz inspired me to spend several family holidays in Austria, just i the also rater than in the Hansag. I have still not seen Moustached Warbler or Saker...

Very best for 2016 to you too!

Cheers, Ian