Owls and birds of prey tour - The summary

In the middle of December we had a tour for the birdphotography. The weather wasn't favorable to use our eagle hide, because our hide located at the fishponds. We can take photos there only, if the pond is frozen, so we can feed the birds on the ice. Still we had a very nice time and a successful tour with eagles, harriers, buzzards and of course owls.

In the tour our guests could test our new passerine bathing hide, where everybody was amased from the lots of birds near at hand.

Photos by Krisztina Szatmari, Zoltán Pabar, Sándor Tóth

Christmas's first day

Since it's not me who is responsible for decorating our Christmas tree, so I can go birdwatching on the 24th of December.On that day I visited our greatest plan in the Nagykunság: It's called Kecskeri-puszta.
The weather was really beautiful and the most important thing was that the strong wind had stopped by then.

Today my birdwatching-programme started on the puszta, because I searched for some buntings and winter finches.I was so lucky as I found two Lapland buntings.

There were more interesting species as well, such as 1 White-tailed eagle, 2 Long-legged buzzards, 8 Twites.

Long-eared Owls in Túrkeve

Last weekend we checked the roosting places of our Long-eared Owls. Thise birds roost every year here, in the middle of the town. Last year we observed over 200 birds, but now just 117 birds were in thise places.

Photo by Sándor Tóth

A nice day at country Békés

Today Zoltán and Me had a good plan- We went birdwatching to Kórézug. This area is the part of the Nagy-Sárrét. Zoltán told me: -This puszta was a typical overgrazed habitat about ten years ago. But this puszta's face was changed. Weeds and reeds grow everywhere, where sheeps and the famous Hungarian Grey Cattle lived years ago. Kórézug's best species today: a Merlin, a Great Grey Shrike and 2 Rhough-legged Buzzards.
We stopped in Ecsegfalva as well and one minute later I noticed two Common Redpolls and seven Crossbills. Later we drove to Rehely, where the Centre of the Great Bustard reservation is. When we arrived to Réhely Zoltán found a White-tailed Eagle, and we observed about 50 Great Bustards as well.

This photo about the Hungarian Grey Cattle was taken by Zoltán in Réhely.

Busy days on the birdtable

In the garden of the Hungarobirds accommodation we have a few birdtables and a birdbath. This year has not many cold days yet, but we feed the birds because we would like them to be fit by that time the "real" winter comes. On the tables we observed: Blue and Great tits, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Robins, Blackbirds, Fieldfares, Goldcrest, Howfinches, Chaf, Green, and Goldfinches, Siskins, Tree Sparrows, Collared Doves and Sparrowhawk.

Snow Bunting on the frosty Puszta

Last evening I talked with my fiancee about the Show Buntings. This birds are only winter visitors in Hungary and you are lucky if you can see a few per year. Today I went to chack the geese on the biggest reservoir of this area. This huge lake is a meeting point for thousands of geese and ducks. The great flocks of geese mainly consist of Greylag, Bean and White-fronted geese, but among the flocks of ducks and geese we can usually find rare birds such as: Lesser white-fronted and Red-breasted geese. Today the weather wasn't favorable to goose-watching, but good to walk on the Puszta where the songbirds looked for some food: Reed Buntings, Gold Finches. Later I saw a quite white bird: it was a Snow Bunting.

Lesser Mole Rat in Mezőtúr

It is a real sensation! The Lesser Mole Rat has four places, where the small populations live yet. In this summer, the staff of the Nimfea Nature Conservation Association found a Mole Rat in Mezőtúr, which place has not date about this species in the last 50 years. The animals was survived this years in the hobby gardens. The specialists looked for other Mole Rats in this area, and they think, here live about 6-8 other one.

Photo by http://www.nimfea.hu/

Wallcreeper and a huge bird

Last weekend we visited my friend on the Northern Hills. We picked him up in Egerszalók, where a large reservoir is located. There was our first stop. We obeserved a Red-throated diver and a flock of Mallards. The Diver was very friendly, so we tried to take pictures. The bird was very photogenic, because it was swimming to us when we took the pictures. After this nice experience we drove to the Bél-kő, where we wanted to see Wallcreepers and Alpine Accentors. Today was a nice sunny day so we walked to the old mine where these birds spend the winter. In the mine we could observe a Wallcreeper, Alpine Accentor, Ravens. At night, when we drove home we had a nice experience: it was the largest European owl: the Eagle Owl.

New year-new rare warbler

I think 2007 was a really fortunate year cause I ringed a Pallas-leaf warbler in ringing camp of Bódva valley. It was the 8. observation in Hungary so I was very happy.

The second part of Ocotober I went birdringing to Bódva-valley, secondary in this year. On the first day the common species were ringed for example: chiffchaffes, robins, thrushes, dunnocks etc. In the next morning my friend, Attila Huber came to help me because there weren't anybody with me. It was about 10 o'clock when Attila gave me a birding bag and told me: Ádám It isn't common bird! When I beheld a bird..ohh That was an amazing feeling! Yellow-browed Warbler!

The photos were taken by Attila Huber!

Black Woodpecker in my garden

This morning was in particular, because I observed a Black woodpecker in my garden. The bird was looking for food on the old oaks. 10 minutes later a Sparrowhowk attacked the bird so it flown. In the morning I observed also about 6000 Common cranes to fly towards south.

Picture by Ákos Monoki

A flock of red-breasted geese

Our tuor was wonderful today. Today we went to explore the biggest reservoir in our local area. This huge lake is a meeting point for thousands of geese and ducks. Among the ducks we found mallards, pochards, ferruginous ducks, wigeons, gadwalls and showelers. The great flocks of geese mainly consist of greylag, bean and white-fronted geese, but today among the geese we observed 15 Red-breasted geese. In the sky a white-tailed eagle was flying. At the reservoir we found cranes, rough-legged buzzard, hen harriers and kingfishers as well. Afternoon we observed 3 species of owls: long-eared, little and tawny owl.

Nutcrackers everywhere

Like Crossbills ,the Nutcrackers have invasion in this year as well. There are a lots of observations everywhere in this autumn in Hungary.

Today Ákos and Me went to check some fishpond-system in the Nagykunság. Near village Bánhalma I noticed two Nutcrackers!And Ákos found another three as well. It was unbelievable experience!

The photo by Ákos Monoki:

There is something up...

Yes! It is a new Hungarobirds photo hide. In the last few weeks we worked at the new Hungarobirds accommodation, where we built up a new bird photography hide. This hide is comfortable, cosy, peaceful. You can observe the birds near at hand. We are all agog to see the first birds at the hide.
In the picture you can see the first steps: thinking and planing.
Photo by Gábor Nagy

Cranes in the sky

Cranes are the symbol of the beginning of the autumn. Usually we have a few birds in the summer as well, but the huge flocks of cranes come in September, the hugest flock is in October (it is sometimes 100000 birds) and they will fly towards south when a big cool front come from the north. Last night this front arrived, so today we observed thousands of cranes in the sky.

Great Grey Shrikes in the Hungarian Puszta

Here is the time to observe the Great Grey Shrikes, becouse in the last few weeks we saw more and more birds. Sometimes we can observe 2 or 3 Shrikes in a day. These birds arrived from northern Europe and will spend the winter here in Hungary. Usually seek for prey on the top of the threes, feed on rodents and store the food on a spike or a branch (like in the picture).

Photo by Ákos Monoki

Download our placard!

Here you are! We have got the new Hungarobirds placard! I would like to ask you, that download and place it into your office, into your favourite birding club or just send it to your friends! We would be happy if you email us a picture, which show our placard in your favourite place.

International birding day (Sunday)

Today we watched the birds in two places: In Terekhalma and in Túrkeve. In Terekhalma Ákos and Ádám showed birdringing: In the morning they ringed 100-110 songbirds: Wren, Dunnock, Willow warbler, Goldfinch...

In Túrkeve we observed the birds at the new Hungarobirds guesthouse. The best species was the Crossbill: 12 birds on a pine in the garden.

In the day we saw also White-tailed Eagles, Black Storks, Saker, Great Grey Shrike.

International birding day (Saturday)

The Hungarobirds team participated in the International birdwatching day. The Nimfea nature conservation association organized an outing at the Kenderessziget fishponds, where we helped to guid the people. Ádám and Ákos made a bidringing station, where the groups could see the work of the ringers. They were very succesful, because in the bushy area were big flocks of songbirds. They ringed: warblers, leaf warblers, tits, flycatchers and Firecrest as well.

Crossbills in Kisújszállás

Last few days we saw Crossbills in Kisújszállás. These birds feed on the pines, but here in the middle of the Great Hungarian Plan we have not much evergreen trees: these trees are in the churchyards, cemeteries and here in the Kisújszállás high square. The birds are very friendly, so Ádám tried to take photos. He was successful: this picture was taking by his mobilphone. Congratulation Ádám!

Redstarts in the cemetery

This morning I went to the cemetery with Ádám, because yesterday he saw a few Crossbills there. On the trees was a flock of finches: green and goldfinches. On a headstone we saw a redstart and later other two birds. The morning was good to observe the leaf warblers too: in the shrubs Chiffchaffs were moving. Later we found two Crossbills and a Swift as well.

Batwatching in the daytime

Today I saw a interesting black point in the sky: it wasn't a bird, but it was moving, flying and comming... It was a bat and an other one and the next. I realized just later, that it was a flock of the migratory bats. These animals moved from the breeding area towards the wintering areas, what are somewhere in the mountens, because they roosting in caves, mines. In the bigest wintering caves have thousand of bats: horseshoe bats, Mouse-eared Myotis, Lesser Mouse-eared Bat...

Day at the Hungarobirds ricefields

Today we went to birding to our ricefields, where most of them are harvested, so they are good places to feed lot of biilrd species. In the area we observed: Black Storks (100 birds), Great White Egrets (150), Purple Herons (20), Imperial Eagle (1), geese, harriers, Water Rails, Cranes. We saw a few other animals as well: roe deers, swallowtail and Danube Crested Newt.

Early wintry days in Hungary

Since last week we have rawness days in Hungary. The temperature cooled down, it rains, the mornings are chilly. This early wintry weather was surprise for many song birds: swallows, warblers, flycatchers are not migrated to their wintering areas. Thousands of birds died of growing cold and hunger.

photo by Gábor Nagy

Lesser Spotted Eagles' weekend

On Saturday I went to help for my father to Jászapáti. Near Hevesvezekény we saw about 40-60 Red-footed Falcons which were hunting along the road. When we came back from Jászapáti I realised two buzzards and a eagle. Lesser-spotted Eagle!
On the next day I observed another one above Central of Kisújszállás!

White-Tailed Eagles

Today I went to visit the fishponds of Telekhalma. The weather was terrible: the wind was blowing and the rain hadn't stopped all day long. The list of the most interested species today: Ferruginous Duck, White-tailed Eagle, Green Sandpiper, Snipe, Whiskered Tern, Eurasian Penduline Tit.

Owls and birds of prey tour

We have a new tour: Owls and birds of prey. The tour is organised for everybody, who like to wait for a good picture half day long or who like to observe a long-eared owl near at hand (this owl is more interesting if it is in a roosting place, where other 100 owls are :)). In the harsh Hungarian winter we feed the raptors, so in this place we can take a few nice pictures: White-tailed Eagles, Imperial Eagle, Buzzards, Rough-legged Buzzards...

Red-footed Falcons' night

This evening Ákos and me went to check a roosting place of Red-footed Falcons. We hade counted more than one hundred Falcons until sunset. There were two Sakers and one Osprey as well.

Bee-eaters in the sky

This morning I saw a huge flock of Bee-eater in Kisújszállás. 72 birds were moving towards the south.

Cat-burglars at the Kisujszállás Fishponds

Today I meet with three cat-burglars at the Kisujszállás Fishponds, where I was observing the birds. The first was a White-tailed Eagle: the bird came and caught a carp (this fish was probably an ill). The other two were Ospreys. They caught the daily rations and they were just resting afterwards. Later I saw a Short-toed Eagle as well.

Huge flock of Ferruginous Duck

This afternoon we went to Telekhalma fishponds, where the bigest pond is drained. On the pond we observed a few interesting birds:

Great Black-headed Gull

Caspian Tern

Little Gull

Red Knot

Turnstone

Red-necked Phalarope and

380 Ferrunginous Ducks on the next pond

photo by Ákos Monoki

Dotterels on the Puszta

Today we visited on the Hortobágy. This day was amazing, because we observed a flock of Dotterel.
This Puszta is a tradicional roost place of this species: they came from the Northern Europe, roost here untill end of October and will go on later to the North Africa. The Staff of the Hortobágy National Park heeds this birds and this Puszta every year, that we can observe this species in the future as well on the Hungarian Pusztas.

Purple Herons at the Hungarobirds ricefields

Today I went to have look at the rice. I hope that we have a heavy crops in this year. On the fields I observed 27 Purple Herons, 7 Black Storks, Egrets, Marsh Harriers and a Black kite. The number of the Purple Herons is high in this year, because in this year we have a optimal condition of the breading and nesting.

Birdringing and a Great Black-headed Gull

In second part of July we made a bird-ringing project on Telekhalma fishpond's. There were several type of songbird-habitats for example: huge reeds, channels and some forests. This is our bird-ringing list: Little Bittern, European Green Woodpecker, Barn Swallow, Western Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Common Nightingale, Eurasian Stone Chat, Song Thrush, Savi's Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Marsh Warbler, Barred Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Eurasian Penduline Tit, Red-backed Shrike, Reed Bunting, Bearded tit and the end of the week we observed an adult Great Black-headed Gull!

The Pictures were taken by Attila Huber who made birdringing in july as well!

Pleased guest from England

Last few days we guided a guest from England. He was interesting in wildfowl, waders and raptors. He was very pleased, because hes daily checklist was no fewer then 85 species and during the three days we observed more then 120 bird species. Hes favourite birds were: Black storks ( 87 birds in a flock), Pygmy Cormorant, Squacco Heron, Ferruginous Duck (270 birds in a flock), Imperial Eagle, Short-toed Eagle

A new Hedgehog in the garden

My friend sent this pictures me,

with a short note: "we have a new Hedgehog in our garden"

Pratincoles and a few Gull-billed Terns

Today we went to check
our Pratincole colony. The colony was well, but the birds were restless after the storm, which was a few days ago (the storm, and the hailstones have destroyd a few nests in the other colony). We saw now all the two Pratincole species and we can observed 27 birds. By this field are three inland waters, where gull was rosting. There were Yellow-legged Gulls, Caspian Gulls, Black-headed Gulls and four Gull-billed Terns.

At our ricefields we saw a Lesser Spotted Eagle as well.

Ferrugionus Ducks on the Hungarobirds ricefields

Our ricefields are a ideal feeding place of the Ferrugionus Ducks. We can see thise species every single day, when we guide birding trips to this area.

Stork nestlings see their new world

In Hungary, here is the time to watch the White stork nestlings. This species builds the nest usually in the town onto the pylons. This year is quite good, because in the nests you can see 3-4 nestlings. The parents birds are busy to feed this small white balls, so where are a good place to catch the food, there are sometimes 10-20 birds.

Mammals in our local area

During our birding tours we can see other animals as well: mammals, amphibians, reptiles etc... In this note I would like to review the mammals of this area.

On the fields we can see everywhere roe deers. The Roe Deer spends most of its life alone, preferring to live solitary except when mating during the breeding season, when we can see 20-30 animals together.

The wild boars live in groups. In our ricefields we can see a family with piglets in a sounders.

Sometimes we can find otters by the lakes. In wintertime we can see fishes had been caught by the otters on the ice.

Sometimes the red foxes come into the villages and steall a few chickens from the hen house.

The wildcat is a hunter of small
mammals and birds. We know only one family in this area.

The European Moles live in the garden of our accommodation. It is common mammal in this region.

The White-breasted Hedgehogs
are in danger, because more and more hedgehogs are run over by cars.

In spring time we can see the hares to box.

We have here other mammals as well, but some of these animals are too small or too secretive, so we can't observe them. They are voles, mice, shrews and the bats.

Evening at the Hungarobirds ricefields

In the evening we attended the Hungarobirds's

ricefields because he wanted to build a hide in the middle of this flooded fields of Magyarka. When we went towards the ricefields, Yellow wagtails, Crested larks ran on the dirty road, everywhere. There were some interesting species: 4 Black Storks, 4 Scuacco Herons, 2 Collared Pratincoles and 30 Ferrugineous Ducks. Water Rail was screamed in the reed of a channel. Between the Nightherons and Great White Herons we saw 4 Cranes to feed. In the reedbeds Bitterns tromped. We know minimum 6 Bittern territories in this field. It was so funny. The hide was taken in about 8 pm. and we arrived home very wearily and untidily.

Birds at our rice fields

One week ago we flooded our first rice fields, but now we have approximately 200 hectares under the water. This area is a ideal feeding and resting place for the tens of thousands of migratory birds. A few species:
black stork: 20-25,
spoonbill: 30-60,
whiskered, black and white-winged black terns: 100-150,
squacco herons: 4-6,
night heron: 10-50,
waders: 5000-10000,
collared pratincole: 10-15,
bittern: 2-10

Great bustard in the focus

The a great bustard display draws to an end in Hungary, so in the last moment we went to take a few picture. Last friday we fixed an appointment with the national park's employees, that we are comming on sutarday. Dévaványa is a best place to observe this birds, so our destination was this town. In this region is a bigest polulation of the great bustard in Central Europe.

A few minutes at the Hungarobirds ricefield

This afternoon I went with Ákos to our ricefields. Our checklist of this short visiting:

Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) 8
Black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) 4
Collared Pratincole (Glareola pratincola) 5
Ringed plover (Charadrius hiaticula) 2
Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) 62
Dunlin (Calidris alpina) 303
Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) 1310
Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) 8
Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) 1
Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus) 23
Redshank (Tringa totanus) 2
Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis) 1
Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) 7
Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) 89
Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) 1
Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybridus) 20
Black Tern (Chlidonias niger) 4
White-winged Black Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus) 2

Long-eared owls in the high square

Kisújszállás is a quite busy town on the Great Hungarian plan, but it has a nice big park in the high square, where pines, yews and other trees grow. On a pine tree is a long-eared owl nest, where 3 nice owl flappers live. This picture was taking there last Sutarday.

We are flooding our rice fields!!

The Spring migrants' main stopping points in our area are the flooded rice fields, an area that occupies approximately 1200 hectares and is fully flooded by water, providing an ideal feeding and resting place for the tens of thousands of migratory birds. In this weekend we began to flood our rice fields. Today is a second day, that the fields are flooded, but the birds already there. A few species: Night Herons, Little Egrets, Great White Egrets, Black and White Storks, Eurasian Spoonbills, Black-winged Stilts, Avocets, Pratincoles, Dunlins, Black-tailed Godwits, Whiskered, Black and White-winged Black Terns are looking for prey.

White-winged black tern

We saw today the first White-winged black tern in Túrkeve. It was at the fishpond system.

Amphibians and reptiles of our rice fields

The last few days were good to see frogs and snakes on the rice fields, because the days were quite warm, so this animals come out to sunbathing. You can see ewerywhere fire-bellied toads, lake frogs, edible frogs. The smooth skiny tree frogs make calls from the grass. The green toads cross the roads towards their mating place. The crested newts are up as well. On the sluices grass snakes make a few hours sunbathing while the pond terrapins make a rest on the site of the ditches.

Long-legged buzzard!

Today I went to check the rice fields, becouse last week it was raining here, so we waiting for the dry soil condition, that we can carry on the work. The soil is too muddy to work, but good for the birds: yellow wagtails, paid wagtais, great white egrets, black storks and a few green sandpipers were there. In the sky skylarks were singing and a few raptors: buzzard...buzzard...buzzard and ohhh a Long-legged buzzard! It is a beautiful bird! Later I saw a few marsh harriers, hen harriers and a imperial eagle. Bound for home I saw a few other species: black-necked grebes, robins, black redstarts, weatears, stonechat, icterine warbler. The white storks mate and repair the their nest at the end of my lane.

Osprey's invasion!

Weather was being terrible previous days

but today the sun shone and there was no wind so I cycled towards Gyalpár. Birds enjoyed this beautiful weather as well, Buzzards, Lapwings, Meadow Pipits, Skylarks were there. When I arrived my first stage There was a big raptor on a pylon. I saw the bird with my binoculars: Osprey! This species is run over every spring and autumn in our region. Behind our first Osprey I attended another one. On the other side of the road there were other pylons. I checked those and I obserwed two other Ospreys there as well. This afternoon I saw four Ospreys from the place, where I was staying. It was amazing experience!

Spoonbills

Today I went to birdwatch to the nearest fishponds, where I saw in the morning hundreds of gulls. The gulls were there in the afternoon as well: black-headed gulls, common gulls, caspian gulls and yellow-legged gulls looked for some food. On the mudflats I coud observe a few other species too: spoonbills, great white egrets, white stork, garganeys, mallards, lapwings, dunlins, ruffs, snipes, black-tailed godwits, spoted redshanks, redshanks, greenshanks.

The spring on Telekhalma

On Friday Ákos and Me went to the Telekhalmi-fishponds because there was a completely good weather and we wanted to make a little birdringing-action in spring. We put out the nets but the birds weren't going. While Ákos was doing the birdringing I went to birdwatch along the fishpond-parts.

The wind was blowing strongly but there were a lots of birds, mainly ducks: thousands of mallars, wigeons, a few Ferrugineous Ducks, Gadwalls, Teals, Garganeys, Shovelers, Red-crested Pochards, Pochards, Tufted ducks, and last but not least, 3 Goldeneyes. On the little-fishponds there were emty, only a few Black-headed Gulls and Coots were there. But all day there were a lots of water pipit. The first Osprey of 2008 was observed above the last little-fishpond. And the best: I found a Black-tailed Godwit which had some coloured rings.

In the afternoon the weather was being completely terrible so we packed up our equipment and started to go home. Above the biggest part of fishponds we observed a pair of Imperial eagles .

My first white and black storks in this year

Today we went on doing the work at the rice fields.The weather, like yesterday was beautiful sunny. The weather was absolutely perfect to see the migrants. The common cranes came in a few big flocks (100-200 bird / flocks) all day, the buzzards and harriers moved like yesterday. On the cultivated field in the morning I could see my first white stork in this year. It is a beutiful bird and here in Hungary, this bird is a symbol: here is the Spring. A few minutes later I could observe the other stork species: in the sky a huge flock of black stork was moving towards north. I could count 47 birds. It was amazing. With this experience I was very happy, but the day has something in store for me: long eared owls and a lapland bunting. The owls roosted between the old rice-stalks. The lapland bunting came before me, when I was spending my lunchtime. This day was amazing. If you want read more about the Hungarian spring birding, click here: http://www.hungarobirds.com/tavasz.htm

Raptors at the rice fields

Yesterday was a good day for the raptor watching: nice warm spring day, when the birds migrate to the north or just circle in the sky. I was all day at the ricefields, becouse we began the first tillage for the rice, so I could see the birds. My daylist was included: white-taild eagle (2), imperial eagle (1), marsh harrier (6), hen harrier (14), rough-legged buzzard (2), buzzard (25), sparrowhawk (3), kestrel (2). If you want more information about the Hungarian spring birdwatching, please check our website: http://www.hungarobirds.com/

Rarities of Sundays

On 9 of March I went to birdwatch with Ákos to the Kecskeri Reservoir. When we arrived I noticed about 3 thousand geese which were feeding on a lown.
We looked over that flock od geese, but there weren’t any interest geese-species. But! This one flock wasn’t the only one!There were even ten or eleven thousand geese behind this flock. Ákos found two Red-breasted geese which were in left side of the flock. While I looked over the flocks Ákos was asking me :Could you check-up that tree please?. There was one bird on the three: a Reed Bunting and another… Lapland Bunting! A male bird which was singing. A few photo was taken about the Bunting because it flew towards Dévaványa. It was a greatful experience!

At Csivag-fishponds one lake was flooded, so there were a lot of shorebirds and gulls, for example: the first Godwits, Ruffs, Redshanks of this year. The Spring was arrived!
If you would like to go our goosewathing tours you click here: www.hungarobirds.com

Yellow-bellied toads, tree frogs and crested newts on the ricefields

Today was a quite warm day on the ricefields: sunny and calm. This weather was perfect for our amphibians: the toads and newts came out from thier lurking-places. This season the yellow-bellied toads look for any dub and sumps, so the ditches and irrigation canals on the ricefields had a heavy day. I saw thousands of toads today. The newts feel the spring too, because I could observ a few crested newts to sunbathe on the dams. When I arrived at home on the hedge a tree frog was calling his girlfriend...

Waders in the muddy bed of the fishpond

Today I visited the locak fishpond, which has a muddy bed now. There were thousends of waders and many other birds: Great Crested Grebe, Great White Egrets, Grey Herons, Wigeons, Teals, Mallards, White-tailed Eagle, Hen Harriers, Sparrowhawk, Buzzards, Kestrel, Coot, Common cranes, Little Ringed Plovers (30-35!!), Ringed Plover, Lapwings, Dunlins, Ruffes, Black-tailed Godwits (700), Spotted Redshanks, Redshanks, Black-headed Gulls, Skylarks, Pied Wagtails and in the wood nearby the fishpond a Great Grey Shrike.
I think, that this is just the biginning... http://www.hungarobirds.com/tavasz.htm

My first biger flocks of waders in this season

Yesterday we started to restore our ricefields. It is a huge work and sometimes hard and difficult. There are many sluices and levees, which are to old, so they need a renovation. We were all day on the fields and worked for the birds, becouse it is a great feeding and resting place for those species that are closely connected to the wetlands. During the work we observed many birdspecieses. There were about 2000 golden plovers, 1500 lapwings and we saw a few greylag geese, great white egrets, hen harriers, marsh harriers, but there were the common specieses as well: starlings, reed buntings, corn buntings, mallards, sparrowhawk, kestler, sky lark, Pheasant, common crane, black-headed gull...
After the work we went to see the nearest fishpond, which is muddy now. On the mud were thousand of waders: little ringed-, ringed plovers, lapwings, ruffes, black-tailed godwits.
This day was hard on the ricefields, but the end compensated us for the many trauble. If you want to see this birds with us, please make a tailor made tour with our company: http://www.hungarobirds.com/csinald.htm

Common cranes above my garden

This afternoon I worked in my garden when on the sky 47 common cranes were flying to north. In this season the cranes aren't rare birds in Hungary, becouse their sky route to north crosses the Hungarian Plan.

Hawfinches in my curtilage

Today I worked in my garden, when something was twittering on the cherrytree. It was a hawfinch. This bird was only one from the flock of finches, becouse on my fruittrees I could observ about 30 birds: 22 hawfinches, chaffinches and goldfinches. This birds looked for some food in the garden. In my birdtable the gold and chaffinches are common birds and sometimes I could see Hawfinch as well, but today I was very happy to see this big flock of finches.

Golden Eagle, Lesser-White Fronted Goose, Bad Weather

Today Ákos and me went to visit some lawn-area in the Nagykunság. We checked a few eagle-nests, because there was a big storm on Saturday. When we were going above a fishpond we observed an adult white-tailed eagle. There was a Goshawk which agitated an other eagle: a juvenile Golden eagle! This is a fairly rare genera with us so we were very happy.

The weather was terrible but There were a lot of birds which species of a spring yet.
We observed a hundred of Lapwings, Starlings, Golden Plovers ewerywhere, but there were a few Great-grey Shrikes, Fieldfares etc. We had another really good observation.
On the grassland, which is nearby the fishponds about 400 geese were. We started to scrutinise them. About 15 minutes later we found a couple of Lesser White-Fronted Geese, Two beautiful adults.
The weather was really worthless but I think it was an amazing day because we found two species, which are fairy rare in our region. If you would like to find for example Lesser White-Fronted Goose with us, click here: http://www.hungarobirds.com/

Rain, mud, cold

My friend Ádám has got a serial bad birding-tour operations. If he had an idea to go to birdwatch somewhere the last few times those trips were absolutely birdless tours. But we like him, and we know, that everybody can have bad days...
Yesterday he rang me up, that he knew where the thousands of gulls were roosting. Oh, it was a great news, so we went to observe this "thousands" birds. Along the way to the fishponds we saw a great grey shrike but on the fishponds the gulls weren't there. Only a few great white egrets, mallards, teals and grey herons were looking for something to eat. On the top of this during this excellent observation it was raining and cold, so by that time we got home we were all wet and muddy...

A day on the ricefields

Today I went to check our ricefields, which are dry now, because they wait for the cultivation. This trip was a day long, because this fields are 160 hectares and I walked. We will have a lot of works with this, that they will be an amazing bird paradise. This fields are the best when they are flooded (May-), but today were good as well. I could observ hundreds of reed buntings, a lot of great white egrets, hen harriers, buzzards, a few white-tailed eagles, greylag geese, mallards, my first golden plovers in this year and many lapwings. If you wold like to see this fields, when they are The Best, please visit our website: www.hungarobirds.com/rizs.htm

A weekend in the Hungarobirds Accommodation

Last weekend was busy in the Hungarobirds accommodation, because we went to birdring on saturday and we started the big renovation on sunday.






Saturday we ringed a few common specieses such as: goldfinch, great tit, blue tit, tree sparrow. In the evening we were lucky, because we catched a long-eared owl as well.

Sunday we cleaned, renovated the accommodation of the Hungarobirds. This day was a sunny spring day, so it was great to birdwatch as well. In the breaks we watched a migratory birds: geese (greylag, White-fronted), lapwings, hen herriers, buzzards, rough-legged buzzards and we could observ a adult white-tailed eagle as well.