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.