It’s getting on for a couple of weeks since my return from Slovenia – it just seems a lot longer!!! – and only now have I managed to put aside a little time to write up a report, so apologies for the delay!
Our holiday was not a birding holiday, and as such this prose won’t be dripping with birds, but if you own a pair of binoculars – well you have to find room for them in you hand luggage, don’t you?
Anyway, we travelled down to Stansted in pretty good weather, but once airborne and over mainland Europe the cloud cover was such that we didn’t see land again until final approach. As we taxied along the runway at Trieste Airport, we saw half a dozen or so Kestrels hunting in the grasses – the first “official” birds of the trip, and taking my “plane-list” up to a magnificent 1. From Trieste, it was the usual taxi to Nova Gorica, catching a bit of “Wild Dances” by Ruslana on the way (all you Eurovision fans), before dusting off my minimal Slovene - “Dve enosmerna vozovnica v Bohinjsku Bistricu, prosim” - and catching the train to Bohinj.
Day 1.
The cloud was hanging low in the valley on our first morning, but fresh-faced and full of optimism, we decided to do a circular walk from the town up to Ravne, across to Nemški Rovt and back down to Bohinjska Bistrica.
The walk from the town quickly passes through woodland, and so we picked up quite a good number of familiar woodland birds, many by call rather than sight, along with the first of what turned out to be the ubiquitous Jays, and the first of many Nutcrackers.
The walk along from Ravne itself was quieter, even though we lunched in a wood, with “just” another Nutcracker to show.
As we approached Nemški Rovt, we saw Swallows and House Martins feeding over the fields and houses, whilst in the village we passed a house we passed a house with a 17th Century fresco on one of the walls.
Returning to Bohinjska Bistrica, we added, amongst others a Whitethroat - one of a small number “summer stragglers” we managed to catch during our stay - as well as a Mistle Thrush, Wren and Wheatear.
One addition that evening in the town, was a Grey Heron flying over.
Day 2.
The cloud was even lower this morning, so we would do a low-level walk, being the Vintgar gorge near to Bled. We packed and wore sufficient clothing for the murky weather, only for the clouds to open as we bussed down the valley. The day was very warm and almost unbroken sun. Luckily we had prepared for that as well.
We walked from Bled, through Spodnje Gorje and on to Podhom, before arriving at the gorge. We had walked the gorge “there and back” on a previous visit, and expected to do so again.
The birding wasn’t excellent; Bled provided Mallards (and later Mute Swans) on the lake, and the lardiest House Sparrows I’ve ever seen, whilst the walk through the villages added Black Redstart, Chaffinch, Yellowhammers and the like, as well as Hooded Crow, and, you guessed it, Jays and Nutcrackers. As we approached Sp. Gorje, we got excellent views of a Great Spotted Woodpecker.
The gorge walk itself is a means to an end, mostly along a 120-odd year old walkway clinging to the walls. I guess it must have been renovated a few times!
At the far end, we had a change of plan, and decided to return via the Sava Katarina church and the village of Zasip. The view from Sv. Katarina down the Sava valley was stunning - and would perhaps have been even more so but for the haze. In addition we were treated to some stunning aerobatics from what we took to be a Buzzard.
A (female?) Kestrel was the main birding interest on the walk back to Bled, with aching feet and a desire for more fried cheese.
Day 3.
It started to rain the previous evening, and, still having trouble sleeping, I was awoken by a thunderstorm during the night. I watched the lightning for twenty minutes or so before there was a very intense flash, and the electricity in the whole neighbourhood went off.
The rain was still pouring in the morning, but we nevertheless decided to go out. We walked from Bohinjska Bistrica along the northern bank of the Sava Bohinjka, via Brod to Stara Fužina. Well we got soaked!
Our reward, well perched on one of the hayracks, alongside some White Wagtails and looking somewhat bedraggled, was a pinkish looking bird. As we approached closer along the track, the better view confirmed our suspicions, and then as if specifically to rid all doubt, we got great views as the Hoopoe took off and flew in a large arc around us before finally heading for a more distant, and perhaps drier, perch.
The rain eased as we left Stara Fužina, and in fact stopped as we took coffee at the Jezero hotel in Ribčev Laz. We had dried sufficiently that we decided to walk back to our pension via Polje and Žlan. As we skirted a large puddle in our way, stopping to investigate the wildlife therein, I lingered too long against the electric cattle fence.
That smarted!
Day 4.
Although not rainy, the next day was still fairly miserable, and we didn’t fancy getting soaked again. We went into Bled to arrange our car hire, and then pootled around the lake for the day.
The usual suspects were on and around the lake, and in addition we were able to spend some time watching the Black Terns feeding over the water. Technically not a lifer (as we have seen them on a previous visit) this was the first time we deduced what they were, as they were not in their summer finery. In truth, id was achieved probably by about 50% observation and 50% knowing they should be there.
Day 5.
The first day with the car, we took a trip to the Adriatic coast, and the beautiful town of Piran. After some sightseeing in the town, which included Yellow-legged Gull… oh yeah… and all the architecture, we then tried to have a look at Sečovlje. Truth is though, complete lack of local knowledge, and a bit of pressure time-wise, meant we ended up simply driving past, turning left just before reaching Croatia, before running around the country a little taking in the village of Korte on the way.
As time was getting on, and it was Friday evening, and it was my first day with the car, we decided to set of home, but avoid the motorway, Ljubljana and the traffic, choosing to take the scenic route. Not only did I avoid the traffic, but I also managed to avoid some of the roads with tarmac.
As we left Sp. Idrija, we decided to take the “short cut”… but not reading the map carefully enough, I didn’t quite suss that this short cut went up the valley, and over a pass into the Hotenja Valley.
The view down the Hotenja Valley was really something though… the photo does it no justice.
Any FIVE HOURS later, we finally got back for our evening meal. All part of the holiday experience, as I like to say!
Day 6.
We had always planned this to be a shorter day, and after our previous adventure, there was no fear of changing that plan. We had decided to visit the Vrata Valley, taking in the Peričnik Waterfall, and ending with a view of the north wall of Triglav, Slovenia’s highest and iconic mountain.
I can say with no shadow of a doubt that Peričnik is the best waterfall I have ever seen. (It’s a good job really, as I missed the Treecreeper and Bullfinch!)
It’s actually two falls, and it is impossible (as far as I could tell) to see the upper and lower falls at the same time. The upper falls tumble 16 metres, the lower 52 metres. And straight out of Geography / Geology lesson from school, you really can stand behind the curtain of water. You do get wet though.
I guess the rain earlier in the week helped the falls be at their best and WOW!
Moving onwards to the end of the road (no tarmac, but I’m used to that now!) and a drink and in the shadow of Triglav’s Severna Stena… almost literally as the sun was threatening to dip behind the peaks. It was one of those days that I guess is perfect for climbing the mountain (something that “all Slovenes” do at least once in there life, and looking through binoculars, we saw a caravan of intrepid adventurers, doubtless including some heading for a birching.