Hungary Birds/Butterflies Trip 12-19th June 2008 (1 Viewer)

Hungary June 12th-19th June 2008. Trip Report​

An overnight drive took us from Newcastle to Luton airport for the flight to Budapest, but not before encountering torrential rain on the M1. My mind was by now on Hungarian sunshine, but as it proved, I was being overly optimistic! I was travelling with Graham (Level Seven) and we had planned an all round natural history week with the emphasis being upon birds and butterflies. We were to stay at Farm Lator in the southern foothills of the Bukk Mountains (thanks are owed to those on B F who pointed me in this direction as the decision to stay here for the full week proved to be a wise one). The advice and guidance of naturalist Rob de Jong who owns Farm Lator was invaluable. We planned to visit the Hortobagy and Aggtelek regions from there. We were armed with Collins Bird and Butterfly Guides, The Crossbill Guide for Hortobagy and the Field Guide for Dragonflies of Britain and Europe. As it turned out the later hardly saw the light of day. Graham also had an alternative and very useful Butterfly Guide, but more of that anon.

Day One

We had arrived in Budapest early in the day so it was decided to stay clear of the motorway and take the alternative route to the Bukk Hills and to be honest I think we got a better feel of Hungary by doing so. Certainly we were quickly counting Marsh Harriers, White Storks and one Montague’s Harrier and when we had a short stop next to a field full of Lucerne and Poppies we had our first butterflies of the trip in Bath White, Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow, Meadow Brown and Small Heath. Golden Orioles called from nearby, but we had little luck in finding them amongst the lush greenery apart from my fleeting view of a female bird. At this point the heat of the day was at its peak, but very soon into the remainder of the drive we were going through what can best be described as a tropical rainstorm which made the heavy rain in Luton look like a passing shower! The journey was straight forward and our next stop was a slight diversion along the road which led to the wine region of Bogacs. The lake on the left of this road had been recommended by a B F member. Thanks Gary. It was dry now and the short diversion was well worthwhile.

A look amongst the roadside trees and a short walk along the dam quickly brought us Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Kestrels, Common Buzzard, Black Redstart, Northern Wheatear, Stonechat, Chiffchaff, Lesser Grey Shrikes (in numbers) and Tree Sparrows amongst others. We also quickly picked up the song of Turtle Dove, Corn Bunting and Golden Orioles. We soon sighted the two former birds, but were again unlucky with the latter. Our first Cuckoo of many during the trip was also heard. On our return walk we realised we were being carefully watched by what Graham described as a ‘massive’ dog. I wasn’t too concerned until it began to approach us in a threatening manner. I had not unpacked the telescope so was without a weapon and I sensed Graham was searching for a stick to ward of this vicious looking beast as I considered a diversion through the field. It clearly sensed our nervousness and kept on coming until it reached us. My whole life flashed before my eyes. At this point it rolled over at my feet for it’s tum to be tickled! It stayed with us for the rest of our time in the area and I was sorry to have to say goodbye! I will say at this point that I came into contact with several more dogs during the week and many of them were not going to roll over quite so easily!

We reached Farm Lator in plenty of time to refresh before dinner and to check out the extensive gardens. A walk after dinner took us a short way into the adjoining forest. I slept well!

Day Two

We had always planned a relaxing day in the nearby area and Rob had the evening before recommended a walk which would fill a good few hours. We set off thinking that the cloud would break up and that the very slight rain in the air would clear. The walk began from Farm Lator and was to take us through forest, meadow and onto a limestone ridge before we entered more forest. I guess the area would have been good for butterflies if the rain had stopped, but that was not to be and I am surprised that we saw quite a few Meadow Browns and Small Heaths. A good area too, for wild flowers. Black Redstarts, Serin and Tree Sparrows were always about the accommodation and initially the walk brought us only common woodland birds and a rather spectacular moth, which I soon learnt was very common indeed. I’ll include a photo. Red Backed Shrikes and Yellow Wagtails soon made an appearance. I don’t mind walking in rain, but there are limits and we were glad to climb into a tower hide used by hunters at one point so as to try and dry out a little. The birds we saw from here kept the spirits up and included numbers of Turtle Doves and Hawfinches and a Tree Pipit. I enjoyed my time in that hide and you will see from the photograph of Graham that he was in high spirits. We guessed that we were in an area that might not see anyone for days on end so we took great care climbing down the ladder when we decided to set off again. The rain kept coming heavier and heavier until we decided that it might be best to back track rather than run the risk of getting lost on what was a rather difficult path to follow and we had just seen the odd Coal Tit. On our wet return we had good views of Cuckoo and Jay. I must say I was quite pleased to get back, get dried and have a cup of hot chocolate and one of Graham’s emergency supplies of rather nice biscuits. My boots took a couple of days to dry and I daren’t stick my nose in them even now, Grahams took almost a week I reckon, and the alternative Butterfly Guide I mentioned earlier had become one soggy mass of paper in Grahams bag before I had even had the chance to look at it. I post threads entitled ‘Wet Birder’ at times, but this was the real thing!

Anyway the afternoon improved and after sighting Imperial Eagle (lifer) from the lawn we decided to drive to the fish pond down the road, not really expecting too much as we had been told that bird scarers were in use and there were no birds on the water. We actually found a wonderful area of reed bed and more dogs, this time vicious ones, which thankfully could not get to us. Birds seen here included Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Turtle Dove, White, Grey and Yellow Wagtail, Song Thrush, Red Backed Shrike (in numbers), Savi’s Warbler, Reed Warbler, Great Reed Warbler and Reed Bunting. Chiffchaff and Grasshopper Warbler were heard and refused to be drowned out by those Great Reed Warblers. We had a mystery bird too which I initially thought to be Reed Warbler although Graham immediately thought not and was proven correct when we head the song. We could only think it was Olivaceous Warbler (lifer), but weren’t certain so didn’t include it in the list initially, although having come home and played the song on C D I reckon that is what it was. Rob confirmed that he had seen them in the area, but that they would be rare.

What had begun as a wet soggy day ended on a high note with a great couple of hours birding in the sun before dinner.

Day Three

Today was to be spent at the Little Hortobagy, an area which was perhaps a little less than an hour away. This area is more easily accessible than the Hortobagy proper and proved to have good numbers of birds. Skylark and Corn Bunting song was with us all day and we found our first Crested Lark of the trip. As we drove into the area we soon picked up Little Egret, Great White Egret, Grey Heron, Purple Heron and I reckon six Rollers and of course Marsh Harriers and 1 Black Kite, the first Roller being some distance away, but the rest close to us on the wires. A good number of Quail were heard and I suspect almost trodden on, but not seen! After a short exploration by car we travelled to the road end where we were to begin our walk and yes we were met by more dogs at the isolated farm. They seemed to know their territory however and soon settled down and were clearly put off by the sight of my tripod! As you walk past the farm a viewing platform comes into sight out on the puszta, and this over looks a lake. There is no identified path to the platform so you just make you way across the putzsa. The walk was well worth the effort. A highlight of the trip was to watch 50+ Spoonbills fly in and land on the lake. Other birds on /near the water included Greylag Geese, Mallard, Shoveller, Gadwall, Teal, Avocet, Redshank and Black Winged Stilt, and of course Hooded Crows were around the area. I heard some buzzing and as I react badly to insect bites I took a minute or two out to get my repellent on. It probably wasn’t required and I’m happy to say we were never troubled by Mossies at any time during the week. I realise that at times they can be a real problem.

We had picked up several Kestrels during the morning, but now flying overhead as we crossed the putzsa were 2 Saker Falcons (lifer). Once back to the narrow track we walked further into the Little Hortobagy. The sun was shining now and it was not hard to imagine just how hot it could get out here as there is little to no shelter. We also found just how difficult it is to walk on the muddy track. The mud sticks like thick rolls of rubber to your boots until you feel as though you’re doing a moon walk in heavy boots. The damn stuff is almost impossible to shift. Anyway the sun did bring out butterflies and my star of the day was the Yellow Legged Tortoiseshell which I was later told was a notable sighting. Perhaps wasted somewhat, on a mere butterfly novice like myself.

We saw our first Sedge Warbler of the week and both Reed and Great Reed Warbler were around in numbers, as were Lesser Grey and Red Backed Shrikes. Yellow Wagtails were a bird you just could not avoid. It was a good walk with more interesting wild flowers and more Golden Orioles which we still failed to sight. Whiskered Terns flew up and down the channel near the pathway and a Common Buzzard seemed to call over the treetops throughout our walk. We appeared to be the only people in this vast area.

We had planned to buy ourselves lunch earlier in a local shop. There was only one, which was closed, so Graham’s supply of biscuits came in handy again. By this time I was wondering how much of his hold luggage had been in the form of biscuits.

As we left the Little Hortobagy we picked up Grey Partridge and Sparrowhawk. Over dinner Graham explained to Rob that we had seen loads of Rollers. Rob I think had imagined dozens. Six didn’t sound so good, but we explained that this had been loads for us! Dinner was eventful as a Stag Beetle was found behind us and then everyone made a rush to see a Southern Festoon. As it happened it turned out to be the caterpillar which seemed to be going no where. I’m not quite into caterpillars at the moment! There were some who were.

Day Four

Today Rob was to lead a small group of us in the Bukk Hills on what was to be largely a butterfly day. I have to say that I was more than pleased when he told us that the first stop was to be made in the hope of finding Ural Owl. This had been a target bird for me, but Rob had said that they had probably moved on. It seemed that they had been spotted again, not too far away.

We were soon into the forest and listening for calls which were quickly picked up. We got our eyes on an owl flying across the forest which was the female Ural Owl (lifer). This had been only a quick glimpse before we were then rewarded with excellent views of the juvenile bird with vole. It sat and watched us watching it for sometime before scrambling higher into the tree. As it went higher and behind the trunk the male adult swooped in. We then saw the male adult with the vole which it had taken from the youngster as it appeared to be struggling with it and the adult was about to break it up. This has to have been the highlight of the trip. To see a family of Ural Owls so well and to see such behaviour is one for the book. In the event I wasn’t too dismayed that we had failed to I D a woodpecker!

Then we were off to butterfly. I shan’t go into detail (list will be given) about the butterflies seen, but must mention the Lesser Purple Emperor. What a beauty as its wings changed to varying shades of blue/purple in the sunlight. Another highlight of the trip for an English northerner starved of butterflies. Our day was then spent in meadows and on a rather steep ascent of the Bukk Hills. An excellent day was had which also included Hungarian Glider, but we had to work for that one as it was right at the top of our climb!

The day was not without some other decent birds too including Short Toed Eagle, Honey Buzzard, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Syrian Woodpecker, Blackcap and Golden Orioles (on this occasion seen!) Yellowhammers were everywhere. I became a wet birder again. No it didn’t rain, the bottle of water in my bag burst half way during our climb. The bag had barely dried out following my earlier drenching.

The meadows and wild flowers were magical. I have lots to I D!

Butterfly shots are I belive Lesser Purple Emperor, Blue Spot Hairstreak and Scarce Copper.

Day Five

Today was our trip to the Hortobagy (journey time around 90mins max). It was a day that brought fine weather, a little disappointment, at times utter confusion, but wonderful highlights that will forever stay with me along with a fine list of birds.

We began at the area which holds the colonies of Red Footed Falcons, Bee-Eaters and Sand Martins. Great sightings were had of all three, with an especially good sighting of a male Red Footed Falcon hunting right in front of us. Our first Little Bittern of the trip was seen from the hide. We next moved to Halasto Fishponds. We had initially planned to spend almost the whole day here, but for reasons beyond our control this was cut to a few hours and this is where the disappointment came in. There was no way we were going to be able to do this area justice especially as the train was not running on weekdays. However we did have some good birds including three Golden Orioles through the scope at close range. I had the pleasure of sharing this with a very excited couple who looked through my scope. It’s always a pleasure to see others excited by birds. Other birds included Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Little Bittern, Night Heron, Squacco Heron, Little Egret, Great White Egret, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, White Stork, Spoonbill, Mute Swan, Greylag Geese, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Ferruginous Duck, Marsh Harrier, Kestrel, Pheasant, Coot, Lapwing, Curlew, Black Headed Gull, Whiskered Tern, Common Tern, Cuckoo, Reed Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Chiffchaff, Savi’s Warbler (H), Penduline Tit, Lesser Grey Shrike, Red Backed Shrike, Tree Sparrow, Goldfinch, Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer and Corn Bunting. Sadly we only touched upon the area before we had to make for Hortobagy Village to meet out local guide kindly arranged for us by Rob. We were meeting up with three other residents from Farm Lator, one of whom was B F s Stewart Reeves who we had met only that week when he arrived at Farm Lator. These B F members seem to get every where.

Now we come to the confusing bit which I won’t detail, but only say that to spend an hour with the guide driving like a bat out of hell up and down the main road is not my idea of fun. I am actually thinking of writing up a comedy sketch about the whole incident. I know I have lost you all, but as I say I won’t go into detail. It was one of these incidents of great confusion which was no ones fault, but an Englishman, German and Hungarian communicating with one another, no matter how good the English, can I guess lead to misunderstanding.

Now we come to the wonderful highlights of the entire week. Incidentally you must have a guide to get to some of the better areas of the Hortobagy. It was a perfect evening with perfect light and I have to say that even going up and down the road brought us Glossy Ibis, Pygmy Cormorant, Night Heron, Roller and Red Footed Falcon et al, along with advice for good viewing points from the guide who worked for a Great Bustard Project on the Hortobagy and had been to England and seen the Great Bustards on Salisbury Plain. We were soon viewing the Great Bustards out on the putzsa and a great sighting it was too. Far closer than those that I had seen in Spain on more than one occasion. There were also Short Toed Eagles and Common Buzzards in view and we had a close sighting of a pristine Bluethroat (lifer) which was a text book bird and one of my top sightings of the week.

As we moved across the putzsa the size of this whole area become more apparent. It was a stunning sight and I related the experience to being out on the southern African plains. The expansive views and the silence were tremendous. The light was ideal and this experience is certainly one of my top nature experiences in Europe! We were reminded that people eek out a living on this land when we came across a shepherd with his flock. We found a Montague’s Harrier quartering the area, a Black Stork up close and then we moved across the putzsa for another target bird, Aquatic Warbler and we were not to be disappointed. We walked across the putzsa and found three birds up close on the tops of the grasses and also in display flight. We closed the evening with a Great Bustard in flight and great views of three Saker Falcons on the ground and then taking off over the head of a bemused Common Buzzard, and I caught sight of a Hare. The guide had been very good and I have his details in the event of my returning for the Crane migration during autumn. He was happy to stay with us until darkness, but sadly we had a drive back for dinner. It was difficult to pull ourselves away from this fascinating area. Dinner was good as always and my disappointment about the fish ponds long forgotten.

Day Six

Today was another guided day by Rob, in the main for butterflies. This time we took a longer drive to Aggtelek National Park (90 minutes), an area of wooded hills, karst limestone and meadows. It was a wonderfully relaxing day and we benefited greatly from Robs knowledge of the area and butterflies in particular. I won’t list the butterflies of the day, but three do stay firmly in mind and they are Woodland Brown, Common Glider and Black Veined White. The later seen at length in courtship display, in fact it seemed to go much further than courtship! The wild flowers were wonderful and I must widen my knowledge of insects in general. There were quite a few Hornets around today. I don’t much care for wasps so I steered clear.

This was perhaps the quietest day for birds although what we did see included Black Stork and our first Marsh Tit and Willow Warbler (H) of the trip. We caught fleeting sight of Pine Martin, Roe Deer and a very dark haired Squirrel. The compact Canon was out quite a lot today.

Day Seven

This was to be our last full day and low and behold it began with rain! By shortly after 10.00 we were parked up in the Hortobagy at the spot that the guide had recommended, watching Glossy Ibis, Pygmy Cormorants and Spoonbills, Grey Heron, Purple Heron and Marsh Harriers fly over. It was good at one point to see Pygmy and Great Cormorant fly closely together giving a true perspective of size. The rain stopped by around 10.30 and it was time for a walk. I won’t list all the birds again we saw today, but we did add Whitethroat and Wren to our week’s list. Three Foxes today too.

After stopping off for a short time to look over the reed beds and pool we continued to the area with the Red Footed Falcon, Bee-Eater and Sand Martin colonies and having watched for a short time from the hide and found Little Bittern and Penduline Tit we began a walk into the Putzsa. The muddy path, yes again that stuff that sticks like rubber flippers to the feet, skirted the reed bed out onto the open putzsa. One really good sight was of large flocks of Greylag Geese flying in the distance whilst we listened to Reed Warblers, Great Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers and Savi’s Warblers singing in the reeds. I also caught sight of a Bluethroat again, but nothing to match the sight of the one we had seen earlier in the week. Some we spoke to, seemed quite blasé about Bluethroats, but not me. They may not be that rare in the area, but that makes them no less beautiful birds in my eyes. The bales of hay in the distance were acting as resting places for large numbers of Great White Egrets, Grey Herons, Purple Herons and Common Buzzard as a Fox wandered around the area. To the right of us in the near distance were a large herd of Hungarian Long Horned cattle. We had another great sighting of Cuckoo.

Well, the rain kept off and the cloud had broken up to allow some sunshine through. To be honest I was hoping not too much sunshine as I had forgotten to bring my hat! Our next and last stop of the day was at the Tisza Resevoir where we found a wonderfully small, in comparison to what we had been seeing, area of reeds and meadow. We soon found 2 Spotted Flycatchers for our list. I had a very fleeting glimpse of something swimming across the narrow canal and I am now wondering if it may have been a Beaver. It was one of those fleeting things that didn’t have time to register at the time. I can’t be sure so I won’t be listing it. The same with what I am thinking may have been a Black Tern which flew behind trees on the edge of the reservoir. No damn it, it was a Black Tern and I shall put it on the list. What were unmistakeable were more sightings of Golden Orioles and I was wondering why these had proven so illusive at the start of the trip! We left the area as Marsh Harriers flew over the adjoining fields and Swallows and House Martins hunted for insects. A Syrian Woodpecker was flying around the woodland. It had been a relaxing end to another really good day. We returned to a wonderful sunny evening, but we were told that it had rained until after 3.00pm at Farm Lator. We had made the right decision to travel to the Hortobagy. I enjoyed my beer in the sun before dinner and a walk afterwards.

Day Eight

Today was our day to return, but we had timed things so as to have an evening flight from Budapest so we had all morning to spend in the Bukk National Park. We made the most of it by returning to try and fine the Lesser Purple Emperors, with which we were successful and we also added Map Butterfly to the list. We spent the morning in meadows and woods and had lunch in the sun before the drive back to Budapest. On the drive we stopped at the same field of Lucerne and Poppies that we had stopped at on the outward journey. In one week it was very noticeable just how far the Poppies had gone back. We found Queen of Spain Fritillary, Marbled White and more Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow Butterflies before driving to the airport. Before checking in we celebrated with a couple of Grahams emergency supplies of biscuits. I am damn sure he had been up during some nights making them! The flight was on time and we flew over the city of Budapest and followed the Danube for some way as we carried our memories of Hungary home with us.

Thanks are given to those who replied to my thread some weeks ago asking for advice about this trip. Without that advice I would not have known about Farm Lator. Thanks also to Rob de Jong and wife Barbara at Farm Lator for ensuring that our stay in Hungary was a good and fruitful one and I hope my report reflects that. It was a wise choice to stay there.

Bird List and Butterfly list to follow. The latter, courtesy of Graham.

Butterflies shots are Common Glider and Marbled White.

Hungarian Bird List June 2008

Great Crested Grebe
Cormorant
Pygmy Cormorant
Little Bittern
Night Heron
Squacco Heron
Little Egret
Great Egret
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
White Stork
Black Stork
Glossy Ibis
Spoonbill
Mute Swan
Greylag Geese
Mallard
Gadwall
Shoveller
Teal
Ferruginous Duck
Tufted Duck
Imperial Eagle
Short Toed Eagle
Black Kite
Marsh Harrier
Montague’s Harrier
Common Buzzard
Honey Buzzard
Sparrowhawk
Kestrel
Red-Footed Falcon
Saker Falcon
Grey Partridge
Quail (H)
Pheasant
Moor Hen
Coot
Great Bustard
Avocet
Black Winged Stilt
Lapwing
Redshank
Curlew
Black Headed Gull
Common Tern
Whiskered Tern
Black Tern
Feral Pigeon
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Turtle Dove
Cuckoo
Tawny Owl (H)
Ural Owl
Hoopoe
Bee-Eater
Roller
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Syrian Woodpecker
Skylark
Crested Lark
Sand Martin
Swallow
House Martin
Tree Pipit
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
Wren
Nightingale (H)
Bluethroat
Black Redstart
Northern Wheatear
Stonechat
Song Thrush
Mistle Thrush
Blackbird
Blackcap
Whitethroat
Sedge Warbler
Aquatic Warbler
Grasshopper Warbler
Savi’s Warbler
Reed Warbler
Great Reed Warbler
Olivaceous Warbler
Willow Warbler (H)
Chiffchaff
Spotted Flycatcher
Great Tit
Coal Tit
Blue Tit
Marsh Tit
Penduline Tit
Red Backed Shrike
Lesser Grey Shrike
Magpie
Jay
Jackdaw
Rook
Hooded Crow
Starling
Golden Oriole
House Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Serin
Hawfinch
Reed Bunting
Yellow Hammer
Corn Bunting

Total species = 114
5 Lifers in purple

Species queried but not added to list =
Middle Spotted Woodpecker (possibly seen briefly in forest on day eight, but some doubt)

Butterfly List​

Large white
Small white
Wood white
Bath white
Black-veined white
Eastern pale clouded yellow

Lesser purple emperor
Yellow-legged tortoiseshell
Red admiral
Comma
Map (summer brood)
Hungarian glider
Common glider
Marbled white

Small pearl-bordered fritillary
Heath fritillary
Twin-spot fritillary
Spotted fritillary
Marbled fritillary
Lesser marbled fritillary
High brown fritillary
Silver-washed fritillary
Queen of Spain fritillary

Small heath
Pearly heath
Chestnut heath
Large copper
Scarce copper
Purple-shot copper
Brown argus
Woodland brown
Woodland grayling

Common blue
Holly blue
Osiris blue
Short-tailed blue
Chequered blue
Idas blue
Reverdin’s blue
Adonis blue
Chapman’s blue
Mazarine blue
Green-underside blue
Psueophilotes vicrama (no English name given in Collins)

Sloe hairstreak
Blue-spot hairstreak
Green hairstreak

Large skipper
Small skipper
Essex skipper
Safflower skipper

Other

Roe Deer
Fox
Squirrel (Dark furred)
Brown Hare
Pine Martin

PS no jokes about hungry birds please!!! I mispelt the title. [edit - title spelling corrected] Thats not that unusual for me.

Good stuff Brian. The photos and lists look strangely familiar for some reason, though the spelling of my name is rather less familiar!

It was good to meet you and Graham, not least because I got the idea of staying at Farm Lator from your original thread so thanks for that!

Cheers,

Stuart

StuartReeves said:

Good stuff Brian. The photos and lists look strangely familiar for some reason, though the spelling of my name is rather less familiar!

It was good to meet you and Graham, not least because I got the idea of staying at Farm Lator from your original thread so thanks for that!

Cheers,

Stuart

Click to expand...

Cheers Stuart. Good to meet you. Hope the rest of your week proved to be fruitful.

Take care.

Great report Brian! There were times that we would have killed for rain on our trip, we didn't see a cloud for 3 days.

Vipers said:

Great report Brian! There were times that we would have killed for rain on our trip, we didn't see a cloud for 3 days.

Click to expand...

Thanks Gary. I'm glad that you also seem to have had a great trip.

Yes, there were times I imagined how hot it could have been out there in the open so I was fine with a bit of cloud. Mind you I wasn't saying that on the day that I was soaked to the skin!

Hi Brian,

Great report and I'm glad that you had a good trip.... also pleased that Farm Lator turned out not to disappoint - not only for your own trip, but as I originally mentioned, it's one that's on my list for some future time...

Some good birds there all right - some of which would have been lifers for me too - plus (goes without saying!!) quite a few butterflies of who's existence I was blissfully unaware!!

Not that I'm any sort of expert on Olivaceous Warblers, but we did see quite a few of them on our recent trip to Turkey and (it seemed to me) they sound a bit like a Reed Warbler, act very much like a Willow Warbler and (best of all...) have this habit of continually flicking their tails downwards as they move around.... Not sure whether any of that is familiar from the birds that you saw?

Anyway - great trip - ho hum, another one I've got to try to fit in - there's never enough time or money!!


All the best.... Ray

Hi Ray

Glad that you found and enjoyed the report as I knew you would be interested. I was very pleased we decided to stay for the week at Farm Lator. It's very well situated for travel to the Hortobagy and Aggtelek N Ps and Robs advice was invaluable as was his lead on the two days we took tours with him.

We actually went a little late for the birding Ray so as to catch the butterflies, but to be honest I was well pleased with the birding. Rob told us that the butterflies were average, but they were all I could take in so I was well pleased with them also.

Hope that you get to do the trip. Please feel free to pm me if you want any further details and I will try and help.

Best wishes

ps Oh yes, the Olivaceous Warbler. We heard the song well and I'm sure that is what it was

An interesting report. thanks for posting it,
John

John Cantelo said:

An interesting report. thanks for posting it,
John

Click to expand...

Cheers John. The Crossbill guide to the Hortobagy was very useful.

Thank you for telling us about this trip, I enjoyed it and there are six new birds in the list. I always enjoy tagging on a few butterfly ticks abroad and you scored big there.

Great report - many thanks. Brought back great memories of the Little Hortobagy which I visited in May. I think the location you refer to was from the Crossbills guide which I borrowed and I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the place with the viewing platform you mention - I am trying to find it on Google Earth ! Please can you remind me ?

brianfm said:

Day Three

Today was to be spent at the Little Hortobagy, an area which was perhaps a little less than an hour away. This area is more easily accessible than the Hortobagy proper and proved to have good numbers of birds. Skylark and Corn Bunting song was with us all day and we found our first Crested Lark of the trip. As we drove into the area we soon picked up Little Egret, Great White Egret, Grey Heron, Purple Heron and I reckon six Rollers and of course Marsh Harriers and 1 Black Kite, the first Roller being some distance away, but the rest close to us on the wires. A good number of Quail were heard and I suspect almost trodden on, but not seen! After a short exploration by car we travelled to the road end where we were to begin our walk and yes we were met by more dogs at the isolated farm. They seemed to know their territory however and soon settled down and were clearly put off by the sight of my tripod! As you walk past the farm a viewing platform comes into sight out on the puszta, and this over looks a lake. There is no identified path to the platform so you just make you way across the putzsa. The walk was well worth the effort. A highlight of the trip was to watch 50+ Spoonbills fly in and land on the lake. Other birds on /near the water included Greylag Geese, Mallard, Shoveller, Gadwall, Teal, Avocet, Redshank and Black Winged Stilt, and of course Hooded Crows were around the area. I heard some buzzing and as I react badly to insect bites I took a minute or two out to get my repellent on. It probably wasn’t required and I’m happy to say we were never troubled by Mossies at any time during the week. I realise that at times they can be a real problem.

We had picked up several Kestrels during the morning, but now flying overhead as we crossed the putzsa were 2 Saker Falcons (lifer). Once back to the narrow track we walked further into the Little Hortobagy. The sun was shining now and it was not hard to imagine just how hot it could get out here as there is little to no shelter. We also found just how difficult it is to walk on the muddy track. The mud sticks like thick rolls of rubber to your boots until you feel as though you’re doing a moon walk in heavy boots. The damn stuff is almost impossible to shift. Anyway the sun did bring out butterflies and my star of the day was the Yellow Legged Tortoiseshell which I was later told was a notable sighting. Perhaps wasted somewhat, on a mere butterfly novice like myself.

We saw our first Sedge Warbler of the week and both Reed and Great Reed Warbler were around in numbers, as were Lesser Grey and Red Backed Shrikes. Yellow Wagtails were a bird you just could not avoid. It was a good walk with more interesting wild flowers and more Golden Orioles which we still failed to sight. Whiskered Terns flew up and down the channel near the pathway and a Common Buzzard seemed to call over the treetops throughout our walk. We appeared to be the only people in this vast area.

We had planned to buy ourselves lunch earlier in a local shop. There was only one, which was closed, so Graham’s supply of biscuits came in handy again. By this time I was wondering how much of his hold luggage had been in the form of biscuits.

As we left the Little Hortobagy we picked up Grey Partridge and Sparrowhawk. Over dinner Graham explained to Rob that we had seen loads of Rollers. Rob I think had imagined dozens. Six didn’t sound so good, but we explained that this had been loads for us! Dinner was eventful as a Stag Beetle was found behind us and then everyone made a rush to see a Southern Festoon. As it happened it turned out to be the caterpillar which seemed to be going no where. I’m not quite into caterpillars at the moment! There were some who were.

Day Four

Today Rob was to lead a small group of us in the Bukk Hills on what was to be largely a butterfly day. I have to say that I was more than pleased when he told us that the first stop was to be made in the hope of finding Ural Owl. This had been a target bird for me, but Rob had said that they had probably moved on. It seemed that they had been spotted again, not too far away.

We were soon into the forest and listening for calls which were quickly picked up. We got our eyes on an owl flying across the forest which was the female Ural Owl (lifer). This had been only a quick glimpse before we were then rewarded with excellent views of the juvenile bird with vole. It sat and watched us watching it for sometime before scrambling higher into the tree. As it went higher and behind the trunk the male adult swooped in. We then saw the male adult with the vole which it had taken from the youngster as it appeared to be struggling with it and the adult was about to break it up. This has to have been the highlight of the trip. To see a family of Ural Owls so well and to see such behaviour is one for the book. In the event I wasn’t too dismayed that we had failed to I D a woodpecker!

Then we were off to butterfly. I shan’t go into detail (list will be given) about the butterflies seen, but must mention the Lesser Purple Emperor. What a beauty as its wings changed to varying shades of blue/purple in the sunlight. Another highlight of the trip for an English northerner starved of butterflies. Our day was then spent in meadows and on a rather steep ascent of the Bukk Hills. An excellent day was had which also included Hungarian Glider, but we had to work for that one as it was right at the top of our climb!

The day was not without some other decent birds too including Short Toed Eagle, Honey Buzzard, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Syrian Woodpecker, Blackcap and Golden Orioles (on this occasion seen!) Yellowhammers were everywhere. I became a wet birder again. No it didn’t rain, the bottle of water in my bag burst half way during our climb. The bag had barely dried out following my earlier drenching.

The meadows and wild flowers were magical. I have lots to I D!

Butterfly shots are I belive Lesser Purple Emperor, Blue Spot Hairstreak and Scarce Copper.

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tbcash80 said:

Great report - many thanks. Brought back great memories of the Little Hortobagy which I visited in May. I think the location you refer to was from the Crossbills guide which I borrowed and I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the place with the viewing platform you mention - I am trying to find it on Google Earth ! Please can you remind me ?

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Im glad that you enjoyed the report.

The viewing platform is not far from the village of Tiszababolna. You take the first left in the village and walk up the dirt track past a farm with aluminium roofs and (and noisy dogs! ;-)) then just past the farm cross the puszta to the viewing platform. I hope that helps.