Western Rock Nuthatch - 1st for Slovenia

Western Rock Nuthatch Sitta neumayer, Karst edge (SW Slovenia), 30 Dec 2025

 

A short but necessary blog just to publish an exceptional observation that we made at the end of the past year. On the 30th of December 2025 I (Domen) was searching for Wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria on the limestone cliffs along the Karst edge (Kraški rob) in SW Slovenia. Soon after arrival at the site, a rather quiet but insisent "trill", coming from the south-facing limestone slopes, started puzzling me for quite a while. Although I soon recognised in it a Western Rock Nuthatch Sitta neumayer, I still couldn't really believe my ears, as the species has never been documented before in Slovenia and its normal distribution range lies far south from us in coastal Croatia (Velebit mountain chain). However the habitat seemed perfect and Rock Nuthatch might seem a good candidate for a possible northward colonization of the warmest sub-Mediterranean region of Slovenia. Actually there is already a known observation of the species from a limestone quarry near Ilirska Bistrica on the 22nd of July 1996, but the record somehow wasn't accepted by the Slovenian Rarities Committee (although in the past I spoke with the observer, who is very familiar with the species from the Balkans and observed it at really close quarters, without any ID doubts).

Looking at EBBA2 maps, the nearest confirmed presence of WRN isn't far away from Slovenia, so a future (current?) colonisation is rather likely. In Croatia the species has expanded north recently.

A short note on previous known WRN records from Slovenia by Hanžel & Šere 2012 (The list of birds of Slovenia with an overview of rare species - Acrocephalus 32 (150/151)).

Anyway, if we get back to my observation: when I convinced myself the call I was hearing could not be anything else apart from Rock Nuthatch, I ventured closer in the bush-covered limestone scree. The frequent calls getting louder meant I was near the bird and soon I could see it perched on the top of some boulders (not in a vertical limestone cliff) - it was indeed a Western Rock Nuthatch! The photos above were taken a moment after, when the bird allowed some very good views from not far away. When it wasn't calling (spontaneously) from the top of a rock, it was searching for food on the ground among the rocks and the thorny vegetation. In about one hour several other local birders, including Sara, joined me and we could see (and document) the bird a little better, despite the rather "difficult" and uncomfortable rocky-scrubby terrain. Thus this time we have a solid proof of the observation and I'm rather confident the Rarities Committe will confirm it as the 1st Western Rock Nuthatch for Slovenia. The next day (31st of December) several other birders went searching for the bird on the same spot (as well as working the wider area) but with no luck in refinding the bird.

Oh, and in the end we also managed to see my target bird of the day - the Wallcreeper! :-) 

Autumn in the Dinaric forest

From late summer onwards and until the last beech leaves fall to the floor, the call of the Dinaric forest is too strong to resist. This means that basically every weekend must be dedicated to at least a visit to our favourite forests - fortunately we live quite nearby! Most of the time it's a family trip, with not so much wildlife seen (but we have a lot of fun nevertheless), sometimes however is more serious birding or the search for a particular species with friends & colleagues. This year we had plenty of opportunities to visit our beloved Snežnik plateau (but also the Kočevsko region further east on occasions) and gathered a good selection of photos that we share in this post. As usual they are arranged in (more or less) chronological order, from mid August down to late October. May the charm of the Dinaric forest capture you as well!

Mt. Veliki Snežnik (1796 m a.s.l.) is surrounded by extensive mixed Dinaric forests.

A sleepy Ural Owl Strix uralensis that we flushed while walking through a forest glade in August.

Old-growth forest reserve of beech Fagus sylvatica and silver fir Abies alba on the Snežnik plateau, where we observed the bird below.

White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos lilfordi (female) in the old-growth forest reserve in August.

Brown Bear Ursus arctos (pic above & video) caught on a trail camera in late May (that we retrieved in August).

Surprise on the forest floor - an antler of Red Deer Cervus elaphus cast this spring (but found in August).

Red Deer Cervus elaphus browsing in a dolina in August.

Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus, August.

Fresh cone of silver fir Abies alba opened by a Red Squirrel Sciurus vulgaris, showing the unripe seeds. 

Raspberry Rubus idaeus, August.

Dinaric forests are heavily karstified with limestone formations visible all around.

A stone turned by a Brown Bear Ursus arctos searching for food (insect's larvae mostly). This is how they do it (video filmed on Snežnik a few years ago).

A lonely forest clearing with temperature & vegetation inversion (Norway spruce Picea abies growing on the bottom) on the Snežnik plateau.

Red Deer Cervus elaphus (hinds) feeding on a forest clearing in September.

This Brown Bear Ursus arctos that we surprised on a forest road in the Javorniki mountains in September was the year's "bear highlight". It allowed several minutes of observation (from the car) and even drank from the puddle (see video below).

Video of the Brown Bear drinking from a puddle before being scared off by an approaching car.

"Fir Cauliflower Fungus" Sparassis nemecii - a specialist growing on silver firs Abies alba (at least here in the Dinaric forests), Snežnik, September.

Coral Tooth Fungus Hericium flagellum (ex H. alpestre) - an indicator of old-growth forest and found on decaying silver fir Abies alba. Rare overall, but rather common in suitable habitat in Dinaric forests.

Cladonia fimbriata (lichen)

Spiny Puffball Lycoperdon echinatum

Ural Owl Strix uralensis - another encounter with an individual flushed while walking in the forest in September.

Dead wood in a forest reserve on the Snežnik plateau, September.

Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus (female). One of two individuals found on a September morning in the forests of Snežnik.

White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos lilfordi (male) - one of two observed in a forest reserve, on the same day as the above Three-toed in September. It was a very special day indeed!

Norway spruce Picea abies with Red-belted Conk Fomitopsis pinicola.

Decaying fir trunk with saproxylic bracket fungi in a forest reserve on mount Snežnik.

Red-belted Conk Fomitopsis pinicola

Artist's Conk Ganoderma applanatum

Yellow Stagshorn Calocera viscosa

Tinder Fungus Fomes fomentarius growing on a beech Fagus sylvatica representing the border of a forest reserve (blue lines).

Habitat of Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus in a forest reserve on the Snežnik plateau.

An amazing growth of Pholiota sp. on a dead silver fir Abies alba...

...they were even growing on the inside of a fresh Black Woodpecker's feeding hole - well worth a selfie!

Ural Owl Strix uralensis hooting spontaneously on a September late afternoon.

Dinaric forests and pastures on Snežnik's southwestern slopes, looking south towards Gorski Kotar in Croatia.

Liburnian Dwarf Gentian Gentianella liburnica is a typical feature on meadows (especially in dolinas) on Snežnik's plateau.

Tinder Fungus Fomes fomentarius

Penny Bun/Cep/Porcino Boletus edulis, a classic find in spruce mountain forests in autumn.

Leccinum sp.

Fresh footprints of Brown Bear Ursus arctos on a muddy track in Snežnik's forests in September.

Rocky outcrops on the Velika Milanja, towering above the extensive pastures on Snežnik's western slopes.

Enjoying a family sunset with rutting Red Deer Cervus elaphus in September.

A slightly different perspective on Snežnik from the east, from Goteniška gora in the Kočevsko region.

Coniferous forest on Goteniška gora, perfect habitat of...

Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus (female) pecking at a spruce snag on Goteniška gora in early October. The perfect reward after a day's wandering in the forest without seeing hardly anything!

Perfect feeding site for Three-toed Woodpecker - a stand of Norway spruce Picea abies hit by a bark beetle outbreak on Goteniška gora (fortunately within a forest reserve).

Fresh feeding signs of Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius on a conifer stump on Goteniška gora.

Close encounter with a Ural Owl Strix uralensis on Goteniška gora in October.

Coral Tooth Fungus Hericium flagellum (ex H. alpestre) on Goteniška gora in October.

Forest aspects on Goteniška gora.

Taking a nap on a gnarled sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus covered by a thick and soft layer of moss, as well as epiphytic Polypodium ferns. Forest's magic!

A super showy Ural Owl Strix uralensis hunting in the late afternoon along a forest road on Goteniška gora.

Usually we don't use a spotting scope in the forest. However Ural Owls Strix uralensis in hunting mode allow excellent views and are perfect subjects for this!

Scanning the landscape from a hilltop on Goteniška gora in the Kočevsko region.

Only about a week after the above photos from Kočevsko and we are "splashing" in the autumnal foliage on Snežnik's plateau. It's mid October and the beeches are at their most colourful phase at around 1200-1400 m a.s.l.

Beech Fagus sylvatica is the predominant tree species in forests across Slovenia, so autumn is a really colourful season here!

Limestone outcrops in the remote Dinaric forests on Snežnik's plateau.

Justin's Bellflower Campanula justiniana still in bloom in mid October on rocky outcrops in the Snežnik's plateau. An endemic species of the High Karst of Slovenia and Croatia.

Autumn colours in the subalpine Dinaric beech forests on Snežnik.

White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos lilfordi (female) observed feeding in a forest reserve in October.

Typical habitat of White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos lilfordi in the Dinaric mountains. A prominent feature is the presence of dead beech wood both standing and on the ground.

White-backed Woodpecker's feeding signs on a beech (the female featured in the pics above was observed feeding on this tree and producing the marks).

Exposed rocky areas with small screes on the slopes of dolinas are a prominent feature of the heavily karstified Snežnik's plateau. The perfect place to spot a bear!

More autumnal colours from "inside" the beech forest.

Taking a break in the forest, but with a view - on one of the countless rocky hilltops in Snežnik's mountain forests.

Large flocks of Woodpigeons Columba palumbus can be seen migrating south on the October skies over most of western Slovenia.

Tinder Fungus Fomes fomentarius always gives a bit of primeval aspect to the forest.

Limestone is omnipresent in the Dinaric forest in a variety of forms.

Scratches/claw marks of Brown Bear Ursus arctos on the wooden wall of a small hut deep in the forest.

All the tree diversity of the Dinaric forest in a photo: silver fir Abies alba (dark/silver green), Norway spruce Picea abies (light green), beech Fagus sylvatica (orange/red) & sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus (yellow).

The top of a silver fir Abies alba laden with cones and...

...a Pygmy Owl Glaucidium passerinum!

Pygmy Owl Glaucidium passerinum in late October in the Javorniki mountains. Autumn is an excellent time to look for this species, as it frequently sings spontaneously, even during the day. Most of the time however, it sits up on the very top (or in the canopy) of a conifer.