Birds and Hikes: Last Week in Kranjska Gora – February 15, 2026

The skies were mostly gray and the skiing wasn’t great. In fact we didn’t ski at all. But I saw and snapped my first Great Spotted Woodpecker (above) and White-Throated Dipper (below), so yeah, it was a good week in Kranjska Gora, the alpine gateway town in Slovenia’s northwest corner.

The woodpecker was sailing between two trees just a few hundred meters from our place just east of Kranjska Gora and the White-throated Dipper hopping along the top of a waterfall on the Pišnica River on the eastern edge of town near the Corona Hotel. It blends well with its surroundings in winter and it was its hopping and dipping, a kind of medium-speed deep knee bends, that initially gave it away. A second one made a brief appearance, but unfortunately their hopping and dipping wasn’t quite in synch, so the brief idea to record their dance and lay it over a Bad Bunny track was quickly tossed aside.

A hefty coat of snowfall –hefty by 2026 standards– the week before our arrival seemed promising, and we did indeed have our first full-fledged snowy Kranjska Gora February in several years but quickly rising temperatures began melting it away, but we made do and rolled with the punches. Seeing Kukova Spiča, below, is a treat under any conditions. With even a partial blanket of snow, it’s inspiring.

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Lake Jasna in Winter

This is a view from a shore of Lake Jasna, an artificial lake on the southern end of Kranjska Gara, constructed at the confluence of the Mala (small) and Velika (big) Pišnica streams, a stunning setting shadowed by attractive Julian Alps peaks in most directions. It’s one of the most popular lakes in Slovenia, an especially popular gathering place for vacationing families in the summer months and as a hub for trailheads into the mountains for most points south.

I’ve visited several times in all seasons; each has its charm but it’s winter that I’ve usually preferred, like this week, on a midweek day between school holidays, when solitude was almost the most apt descriptor. Even hidden by mist and clouds, the views are captivating.

There weren’t many birds around the lake, but you can always count on Mallards.

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Winter Krnica Valley Trail hike, foiled again

That afternoon I was targetting a hike on the Krnica Valley Trail to its first hut, a hike I’ve done in all seasons but winter, and again it proved illusive, this time by a misty rain. A couple views below.

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Yes! More Birds!

And a few more birds from the week: another shot of the Great Spotted Wodpecker, three of a European Goldfinch (gallery) which remains my favorite bird on the continent, a Great Tit, a European Robin (gallery), a Common Buzzard, and a flock of Yellow-billed Chough (gallery).

Hey Look! We Did See The Sun

indeed. Two more photos, just to remind us that we did see the sun that week. A couple views to the northeast.

Photos from 8-12 February 2026.