Hungary in May
Trip report, May 2009
After our wonderful trip to Poland last year, Gregory tours set off for Eastern Europe again. Eight SOG members looked forward to just over a week in Hungary. As before, Andrew organised the flights etc. and a local firm guided, sorted out hotels and provided itineraries. I can really recommend this approach, as not only do local guides know their patch better than you possibly could, but also make sure that you don’t antagonise anybody. Let’s face it, in Hungary most of us couldn’t even attempt to translate a notice board.
The firm we used is Ecotours, who we met at the Bird Fair and were impressed by their enthusiasm and ideas, particularly as they were keen to show us parts of Hungary other than the Hortobágy. This proved to be a wise decision indeed, as both parts of our two centre holiday were exciting birding areas. We stayed four days in the Bükk hills and three days in the Kiskunság National Park. Balázs Szigeti was our guide and went to great lengths to show us every aspect of the local wildlife in its widely differing habitats
The birding was as good as you could imagine and I’m sure wouldn’t be bettered in the Hortobágy and it certainly wasn’t crowded out with birders as we only came across one other small group. There were large numbers of birds that have disappeared in Britain, such as Yellow Wagtail, Red-backed Shrike, Hawfinch and Tree Sparrow, so even during a lull there was always something to look at.
As always, the success of a birding holiday should be measured by memorable spectacles rather than ticks on a list and there were so many of these including a Golden Oriole nest made of garden twine on an allotment, a memorable ten minutes of raptor watching as those intent on a Lesser Spotted Eagle soaring with a Black Stork were distracted by a White-tailed Eagle. A watchtower overlooking a plain with Great Bustard gave us a grandstand view of a Roller attacking a Kestrel. In a village front garden near the wonderful Nomád Hotel in the Bükk hills, we were able to watch two Middle Spotted Woodpeckers getting more and more ragged as they flew in with beaks full of caterpillars for their young in a hole three feet from the ground by the garden gate.
For me the most unexpected bird was probably a Broad-billed Sandpiper at Kiskunság, which distracted us from a hot dusty afternoon by a reedbed.
On the other hand, conspicuous by their absence were Blue Tit and Mistle Thrush and Blackbirds were well outnumbered by Song Thrushes. As usual on the continent, Black Redstart was the ubiquitous garden bird and Robins skulked away heard, but not seen.
If you’re not just into birds, then these areas of Hungary had much to offer: fields full of Poppies and butterflies everywhere. My favourites were the Silver-washed Fritillary and the gaudy Large Copper. It was also great for those of us who make an annual pilgrimage to Strumpshaw Fen to see Norfolk Hawker, that they were quite common in suitable habitat. The non birding highlight was to be allowed to watch bats in the hand caught in nets by the local experts including the scarce Bechstein’s Bat (a handsome chap with large ears).
Add to all these highlights, comfortable hotels and superb food and you have all the ingredients for a marvellous late Spring break.
Species lists
Bird list
Common Pheasant
Greylag Goose
Mute Swan
Common Shelduck
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Garganey
Red-crested Pochard
Common Pochard
Ferruginous Duck
Great Crested Grebe
Black-necked Grebe
Black Stork
European White Stork
Eurasian Spoonbill
Eurasian Bittern H
Little Bittern
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Squacco Heron
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
Great Egret
Little Egret
Pygmy Cormorant
Great Cormorant
White-tailed Eagle
Short-toed Eagle
Western Marsh Harrier
Montagu's Harrier
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Eurasian Buzzard
Lesser Spotted Eagle
Eastern Imperial Eagle
Common Kestrel
Red-footed Falcon
Eurasian Hobby
Saker Falcon
Great Bustard
Common Moorhen
Common Coot
Common Crane
Eurasian Stone-Curlew
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Black-winged Stilt
Pied Avocet
Northern Lapwing
Eurasian Golden Plover
Common Ringed Plover
Little Ringed Plover
Kentish Plover
Black-tailed Godwit
Eurasian Curlew
Spotted Redshank
Common Redshank
Common Greenshank
Wood Sandpiper
Little Stint
Temminck's Stint
Dunlin
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Ruff
Collared Pratincole
Yellow-legged Gull
Caspian Gull
Black-headed Gull
Mediterranean Gull
Little Gull
Common Tern
Whiskered Tern
Black Tern
Wood Pigeon
European Turtle Dove
Eurasian Collared Dove
Common Cuckoo
Eurasian Scops Owl
Little Owl
European Roller
European Bee-eater
Common Hoopoe
Northern Wryneck
Middle Spotted Woodpecker
White-backed Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Black Woodpecker
Grey-headed Woodpecker
Red-backed Shrike
Lesser Grey Shrike
Eurasian Golden Oriole
Eurasian Jay
Common Magpie
Eurasian Jackdaw
Rook
Hooded Crow
Common Raven
Great Tit
Marsh Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Penduline Tit
Sand Martin
Barn Swallow
Northern House Martin
Eurasian Skylark
Crested Lark
Grasshopper Warbler
River Warbler
Savi's Warbler
Great Reed Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Eurasian Reed Warbler
Icterine Warbler H
Common Chiffchaff
Wood Warbler
Blackcap
Barred Warbler
Greater Whitethroat
Bearded Tit
Winter Wren
Eurasian Nuthatch
European Starling
Eurasian Blackbird
Song Thrush
Mistle Thrush
European Robin H
Bluethroat
Common Nightingale H
Black Redstart
Whinchat
Common Stonechat
Northern Wheatear
Collared Flycatcher
Red-breasted Flycatcher
House Sparrow
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Dunnock
Yellow Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
White Wagtail
Tawny Pipit
Chaffinch
European Serin
European Greenfinch
European Goldfinch
Common Linnet
Eurasian Bullfinch
Hawfinch
Corn Bunting
Yellowhammer
Rock Bunting
Reed Bunting
List of Mammals
Souslik
Brown hare
Bechstein’s Bat
Daubenton’s Bat
Commn Pipistrelle
Whiskered Bat
Red Squirrel
Red Deer
Roe Deer
Stoat
Red Fox
List of Butterflies
Green-veined White
Orange Tip
Brimstone
Scarce Swallowtail
Large Copper
Provencal Short-tailed Blue
Mazarine Blue
Chequered Blue
Baton Blue
Silver-studded Blue
Red Admiral
Painted Lady
Duke of Burgundy
Silver-washed Fritillary
Queen of Spain Fritillary
Wall Brown
Large Wall Brown
Woodland Ringlet
Speckled Wood
Small Heath
Pearly Heath
Essex Skipper
List of Dragonflies
Banded Demoiselle
Dainty Damselfly
Blue tailed Damselfly
White-legged Damselfly
Hairy Hawker
Norfolk Hawker
Lesser Emperor
Emperor
White-tailed Skimmer
Black-tailed Skimmer
4-spot Chaser
Scarlet Darter
Yellow-spotted Whiteface
List of Amphibians and Reptiles
Fire Salamander
Common Newt
Green Toad
Pond Frog
Pond Terrapin
