The March-Auen

A year ago I described the woodland flood plain that borders the River Danube between Vienna and the Slovakian border near Bratislava, known as the Donau Auen. There is another river, the River March, that flows south along the border of Slovakia and Austria that feeds into the Danube near Hainburg, a little upstream from Bratislava. This river similarly has a forested flood plain, known as the March-Auen, which I was able to visit recently.

The River March near the village of Marchegg;
Slovakia is on the far bank and Austria the near bank

Much of the March-Auen is conservation area, in particular the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) reserve just north of the village of Marchegg. At this point the River March regularly floods its banks, inundating the surrounding meadows and forests creating what is more typically eastern European marsh landscape. The area is enormously rich in birds and other wildlife, with many species of raptors, both species of stork, River Warbler, woodpeckers, owls and Kingfisher. The reserve at Marchegg is one of the top priorities for wildlife tour groups visiting the area.

The White Stork colony at Marchegg is one of the largest tree-nesting colonies in Europe

The Au-forest is inter-laced with wet pools, a rich habitat for wildlife

The retreat of recent flooding leaves a tangle of fallen trees, assisted by the work of beavers

Research along the River March - the bird-ringing station near Hohenau an der March

Wildlife of the March-Auen includes the Red Squirrel...

...the Suslik (Ziesel) which can be found on higher, drier ground...

...and deer may be surprised as they graze in the meadows between the forest groves

Birds of the region include the blue-headed form of the Yellow Wagtail

And as a rare special treat, an Imperial Eagle soars over the March-Auen forests