NaNaNa discovery route - the Marzer Kogel

Red-backed shrikes belong to the songbird family, even though their falcon-like beaks might suggest otherwise. From elevated perches, they hunt for larger insects as well as small mammals. They impale their prey on thorns to store them for times of scarcity.

The first and most striking harbingers of spring in dry grasslands are the large pasque flowers. The large, striking flowers develop before the leaves. The pasque flower obtains the water it needs via a long taproot.

One of the most striking plants in downy oak forests and dry forest edges is the diptam. Due to its high content of highly flammable essential oils, this plant, which has a strong lemon scent, is also known as the “burning bush.”

The meadows of the Marzer Kogel show off their colorful blooms, especially in spring. But it's not just in spring that some plants bloom; in late summer and into fall, too, such as the mountain aster, which is endangered in Burgenland.

The bee-eater, one of the most colorful birds in Europe, is a highly specialized insect hunter that catches its prey exclusively in the air. Bee-eaters need open sand or loess walls in which entire colonies dig their breeding burrows every year.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)