Researchers track raptor migration over Dobratsch
Tuesday 18th August 2026 on 18:45 in
Austria
About 6,000 birds of prey cross the state border southward each year, and scientists have been monitoring the migration around Dobratsch for 20 years, ORF reported. The project was the first of its kind in Austria.
The lower Gail Valley around Dobratsch is again a major migration route, particularly for honey buzzards travelling to their wintering grounds in Africa. Birdwatchers begin looking for the first birds early in the morning.
The Skywalk observation platform in Dobratsch Nature Park becomes a visitor attraction during Raptor Week, drawing up to 2,500 people. The best sightings usually follow bad weather around August 20 or 22, when improving conditions can bring large numbers of migrating birds. Up to 70 birds may be seen together, with as many as 1,000 passing in a single day, according to Robert Heuberger of Dobratsch Nature Park.
Observers identify far more than honey buzzards. Hermann Pirker, a birdwatcher, said the migration also includes various harriers, kites, falcons, and sea and fish eagles. He said sightings can bring major surprises, but some days produce few birds.
Attentive birdwatchers first noticed the migration towards Italy in the lower Gail Valley in 2003. BirdLife Carinthia then established a raptor camp in Arnoldstein, where the birds have been counted and identified ever since.
More than 6,000 migrating honey buzzards were recorded in 2014, the highest figure of the past 20 years, said Andreas Kleewein of BirdLife Carinthia. Numbers have since settled at more than 3,000 birds during the final weeks of August. The population is relatively stable but shows a slight downward trend.
Changing habitats and a lack of food can threaten young birds. Weak juveniles are sometimes taken to the Adlerarena Landskron, a facility that raises injured or weakened birds of prey, for rehabilitation. Franz Schüttelkopf said a young male honey buzzard recently recovered quickly from a minor impact injury and was released as soon as it was fit enough to continue its migration.
Correctly identifying the birds requires practice. Birdwatcher Julius Nussbaumer-Willdroider said one distinguishing feature of a honey buzzard is its longer tail compared with a common buzzard. Observers will need a trained eye during the next two weeks of migration.