Hungary-Slovakia Birding Trip: August 27- September 10, 2012

Day 4 Thursday, August 30: Hortobagy National Park, Hungary with Sakertours guide Sandor

Balmaz Hotel http://www.hotelbalmaz.com/en.html
Sakertours http://www.sakertour.com/
Hortobagy NP http://www.hnp.hu/index_en.php

This was our first day birding together.

Fortunately, breakfasts in Hungary are simple – usually bread, salami, cheese and fruit. Today our hotel packed us both breakfasts and lunches so we could spend more time birding.

Our Sakertours birding guide, Sandor, arrived on schedule at 7am. He is a third year university student (zoology) who is an expert Hungarian birder with a good command of English.



Ross had three target species for the trip: Great Bustard, Red-Footed Falcon and Dotterel. He would get all of these today.

We started out with the Red-footed Falcon – Sandor took us to a spot just out of town. There was a grove of trees in a farmer’s field which featured a massive well. Falcons and rooks were in the grove. We quickly spotted a preening female and a juvenile falcon who posed for us together in one tree 1. Unlike most falcons, these are colonial nesters. We also sighted the male falcon, although we did not get a clear photo of his red feet.



It was hot! Sandor led us over the field. Raptors like these fields – a good place to catch suslik (ground squirrels).



We continued hiking over the field in a search for dotterel. These shorebirds are migrating from northern Europe at this time and put down in fields to rest and feed. We saw a large group moving away from us. Then Sandor spotted a few closer to us. We were able to get good views of these attractive birds on the ground 2. In the same area, we saw Tawny Pipit, Crested Lark and Yellow and White Wagtails. A flock of migrating Greylag Geese and several Jackdaws rounded out the tally.



We went back into town to get some drinks and have lunch at a park. A Greenfinch and a Wood Warbler provided distractions.



We visited a water area for other birds – a refreshing change from several hours in hot dry fields. Besides Lapwing, Red Knot, Common Crane, and Great and Little Egrets, we had a flyover from a Short-toed Eagle.



At the end of the day, Sandor arranged to pick up a local guide familiar with Great Bustard viewing areas near his village. MA volunteered to sit in small child’s seat in the hatchback area so the six of us could travel together. She claims she liked it back there??

We drove to some farmland near his village and did spot some bustards far away near a cornfield. Ross now had his third target species, the Great Bustard 3. Ross celebrated with a thumbs up. We also saw a roe deer.


As the light faded, we saw a large group of Black-crowned Night-Herons going to roost.



Luckily Ross’ luggage had arrived when we returned to our hotel. A great day!


Birds seen Aug 30 2012
*new birds bolded

Bird of the Day: Dotterel

1. Eurasian Collared Dove
2. Blackbird
3. Barn Swallow
4. House Sparrow
5. White Wagtail
6. Rook
7. Red-footed Falcon – lifer#21
8. Wood Pigeon
9. Mallard
10. Red-backed Shrike
11. Graylag Goose
12. Common Kestrel
13. European Starling
14. Syrian Woodpecker
15. Feral Pigeon
16. Black-billed Magpie
17. Eurasian Tree Sparrow
18. Common Pipit
19. Western Marsh Harrier
20. Stonechat
21. Common Buzzard
22. Tawny Pipit
23. Northern Wheatear
24. Crested Lark
25. Jackdaw
26. Skylark
27. Yellow Wagtail
28. Dotterel – lifer #22
29. Lesser Gray Shrike – lifer#23
31. Wood Warbler – lifer#24
32. Greenfinch
33. Common Crane – lifer#25
34. Great Egret
35. Northern Lapwing
36. Imperial Eagle
37. Pied Stilt – lifer#26
38. Red Knot
39. Wood Sandpiper – lifer#27
40. Ruff
41. Common Snipe
42. Pallid Harrier– lifer#28
43. Montague Harrier – lifer#29
44. Hooded Crow
45. Hobby – lifer#30
46. Short-toed Eagle
47. White Stork
48. Grey Heron
49. Curlew Sandpiper – lifer#31
50. Common Teal – lifer#32
51. Greenshank
52. Pygmy Cormorant
53. Sedge Warbler – lifer#33
54. Great Cormorant
55. Common Pochard
56. Ring-necked Pheasant (juvenile)
57. Common Whitethroat – lifer#34
58. Great spotted Woodpecker
59. Black-crowned Night Heron
60. Yellowleg Gull
61. Black-headed Gull
62. Great Cormorant
63. Purple Heron
64. Osprey
65. European Goldfinch
66. Bearded Tit
67. Black Stork
68. Little Egret
69. Great Bustard

Trip Total: 86

Other Nature

1. roe deer
2. common suslik (ground squirrel)
3. katydid
4. frog