Hortobagy, Hungary, 28th May,2011

Day One started out from the hotel at 04.30 hours, to be taken out in a 4 x 4 by Mr. Janos himself, a bit of  'off road' to visit a hide to see Red-footed Falcons in the morning and then to another hide for the afternoon to see Hoopoe

Weather very good, blue sky, getting very hot by midday, becoming overcast towards 16.00 hours threatening rain later.

On route to the morning hide saw

Long-eared Owl, adult
Montagues Harrier, m
Pheasant
Marsh Warbler
Savies Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Bluethroat, calling, not seen

Red-footed Falcon

    Red-footed Falcon

    Red-footed Falcon

                            Red-footed Falcon

                             Red-footed Falcon

                             Red-footed Falcon

    Red-footed Falcon

   Red-footed Falcon

Whilst in the Red-footed Falcon Hide other birds seen was

Kestrel

Bittern, 6 +

Marsh Harrier

Grey Heron

Long-eared Owl, juvenile, was in a tree beside the hide

Marsh Warbler

then to the Hoopoe Hide

                            Hoopoe

                             Hoopoe

    Hoopoe

                             Hoopoe

Hoopoe

After leaving the Hoopoe hide and waiting to be picked up for return saw

Red-backed Shrike

Tree Sparrow

Skylark

Yellow Wagtail

Corn Bunting

Redshank

Black-winged Stilt, 2 flew over 

 Red-backed Shrike

Tree Sparrow

At 20.00 hours arrived back to hotel, a good, long day out !

Hortobagy, Hungary, 27th May, 2011

This 5 day bird photographing holiday was organised by Mr. Janos Olah, Saker Tours.

Setting of from Luton airport 10.15 hours with Mick Southcott and arriving at the Ferihegy airport, Budapest at 15.30 to be met promptly by Arpad and taken directly to the Balmaz Hotel, Balmazujvaros.

Birds seen on route to hotel

Swallows, House Martins, House Sparrows, Magpie, Crow, Rook, Jackdaw, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove and Starling
Common Buzzard 6, Marsh Harrier 5, Great White Egret

On arrival at 18.00 hours a short walk local to the hotel we saw

Crested Lark 3, Black Redstart, Goldfinch and Greenfinch
Night Heron 2, White Stork, Lapwing, Kestrel and a Black-headed Gull flew over

  Crested Lark

                             Crested Lark

  Crested Lark

 Goldfinch

 Collared Dove

House Martin

The Crested Lark was the suprise of the day, a new 1st for me

and as usual with Hungary there were more suprises to come, every day !

Zemplen Hills, NE Hungary, 12th, 13th and 14th May, 2011

This return visit to the Zemplen Hills was again organised by Mr. Janos Olah, Saker Tours.

I departed Gatwick, 11th May, at 11.15 hours to arrive at Budapest at 15.15 hours, promptly met by Arpad and travelled the 165 miles arriving 17.30 hours at the Solyomvar Panzio es Etterem, (the Falcon Castle Hotel), Komloska, a small village, population c300 in the Zemplen Hills of Hungary

Out for a wander round the village by 18.00 hours, perfect blue sky, the first bird heard, louder than all the other bird calls was a Golden Oriole, this is the first time I had a good view of a Golden Oriole. High in the trees about 100 metres away. Birds noted around the village were

Golden Oriole
Black Redstart
Tree Sparrow, House Sparrow, Song Thrush
Blackcap
Great Tit, Blue Tit
Blackbird, Robin and Pied Wagtail
Jay, Collared Dove, Wood Pigeon, Starling and Swallows

Evening meal at 19.30 hours and in bed by 20.30 hours.

I had requested Saker Tours to arrange this two day visit to be guided by Mr. Zolton Petrovics who I had given me such a superb time on my visit 3 weeks ago to see the 9 Woodpeckers of Hungary. (See my report 16th, 17th, 18th April)

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Thursday, 12th, my guide for the two days was again Zoltan who picked me up at 07.30 hours.

25 minutes later at the first stop

Corncrake, heard calling, many,
Quail, 1, heard
Cuckoo, heard all day long,
Barred Warbler, several
Golden Oriole, 3
Turtle Dove
Common Buzzard, 2
Bee-eater, 4 flew over
Wryneck, heard, briefly seen
Whinchat, 4 +
Corn Bunting
Stonechat, many
Common Whitethroat
Lesser Whitethroat, heard

Scarce Swallowtail

A kilometer up the same road

Souslick

Lesser Spotted Eagle
Kestrel

the sun is very hot, sweltering, temperature high !

turned into a vineyard track leading up to the forest to escape the heat seeing

Red-backed Shrike, a male
Wryneck, a glimpse of one

Siberian Iris

??

Whinchat

Corn Bunting

Siberian Iris

Souslick

Red-backed Shrike

Then into the shade of the forest to escape the heat

Broad-bodied Chaser

Silver-studded Blue

In the forest, quiet, cool, stealth.

Zoltan found a tree with recent signs of a woodpecker activity, wood chippings on the forest floor below a woodpecker hole in this same tree, he scratched the tree trunk, then moved on. I was some 15 meters behind and saw the woodpecker look out of its nest hole. My immitation bird call alerted Zoltan who immediatly identified the woodpecker as a White-backed Woodpecker. Zoltan was very pleased with this find as he explained it was now a very rare woodpecker, needing a large teritory of exactly the correct mixed woodland.

Out of the forest, we visited a quarry to see

Eagle Owl
Linnet

Then the last location of the day

Grey Wagtail
White Wagtail
Willow Tit, (bigger bib, window on wing and of course the call)

Linnet

White Wagtail

Day over, back at hotel at 19.00 hours

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Friday, 13th, day started with Zoltan picking me up at 07.30 hours prompt.

Low cloud, very warm

A local destination to see first

Wood Lark, 1

Golden Oriole, several

Spotted Flycatcher

Yellow Wagtail

Great White Egret, flew over

Then a visit to a quarry for second Eagle Owl sighting

Then a drive to another site some distance away

Great Reed Warbler

Cuckoo, 4 flew over together

Saker Falcon, 2, a male and female on adjoining pylons

Imperial Eagle

Marsh Harrier

                            Great Reed Warbler

Saker Falcon

moved back to another location

Ural Owl, 2, a male and female

Moved on to another quarry location to look for Rock Bunting, NONE, but saw 

Eagle Owl, 3rd  

Bee Eater, 6 distant

Once again the sun is now out and very hot, another quarry, another Eagle Owl, 4th, this time no matter how hard I looked I could not see it, to distant, to well camoflaged. Zoltan says there used to be Rock Thrush at this site but now none.

Rain clouds now threaten, temperature drops but no rain, we now visit another site of wasteland overlooking a river to see

Barred Warbler

River Warbler

Corncrake, 1, heard

Nightingales, 1 seen, heard many

Common Buzzard, flew over

Honey Buzzard, flew over

Goldfinch

Greenfinch

Great White Egret, flew up river

Barred Warbler

moved on stopping at a roadside bridge on another forest road to look for Dipper, None

Then to our final destination of the day to see

Syrian Woodpecker

Returning back to the hotel at 19.00 hours.

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Saturday 14th, my return flight was not until 20.15 hours.

Mr. Janos Olah had arranged that this day I would be left to look local myself and that I would be picked up at 15.00 hours for transfer to airport.

I passed the day on the road to the next village seeing

Golden Oriole, many

Hawfinch, 2

Black Stork, it circled round low and gave me superb views

Grey Wagtails

Tree Sparrow

Black Redstart

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Hawfinch

Scarce Swallowtail

                            Black Stork

Golden Oriole

Arpad picked me up at 15.15 hours, a drive to the airport, flight home arriving at Gatwick at 22.00 hours.

This was the most well organised trip you could ever plan. The weather was superb, the birds and nature was stunning, my gratefull thanks to Saker Tours and a big thank you to Mr. Zoltan Petrovics who gave me 'an extra special two days',  Zoltan, I will come back next May to do the same again ! 



Rhayader, Powys, Wales, 7th and 8th May, 2011

The weekend started out from SE London at 04.00 hours.
M.S. and Kevin arrived at my house and we set of for Rhayader, Powys, Wales.

Arriving about 09.00 hours in changable weather from blue sky one minute and grey sky and showers next minute.

At our destination, we were immediatly treated with sights of Pied Flycatcher, the bird we had come to see.

Pied Flycatcher, at least 10 pairs.
Common Redstart, 3 pairs.
Nuthatch, several.
Treecreeper.
Cuckoo, 2 m and heard 1 f.
Siskin.
Wood Warbler.
Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Raven, Red Kite and Common Buzard. fly over.
Blue and Great Tit

Pied Flycatcher, f

Pied Flycatcher, f

Pied Flycatcher, m

Pied Flycatcher, m

Common Redstart, m

Common Redstart, m

Common Redstart, m

Common Redstart, f

Common Redstart, f

Blue Tit

                            Nuthatch

Wood Warbler

Wood Warbler

We spent the whole day at this site leaving about 7.30 hours to get fish and chips in Rhayader.

We then went to Woodhouse Farm, a mid Wales Bunkhouse, £14.00 per night, who provided accomodaton for us. Excellent value for our purpose. John and Steph, the owners gave us permission to explore the farmland in the morning in order to do a count of bird species that we could find.

Usual, up at first light (me last). M.S. had allready found 2 Lesser Redpoll on the grass outside the back of the bunkhouse. The walk started at 06.30 finding

Lesser Redpoll, several.
Common Redpoll, 1, very pale, red forecrown and incredable pink-flushed breast.
Goldcrest.
Linnet.
Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting and Meadow Pipit
Blackbird, Robin, Blue and Great Tit, House Sparrow, Chaffinch , Goldfinch, Starling and Crow
Sand Martin, Swallow, Pied Wagtail, Red Kite, Coller Dove, Mallard and a Moorhen.

Then an hour into the survey the rain started, this was heavy rain, no choice, give up.

We were in a pub in Rhayader by 08.00 hours having the biggest breakfast ever.

Then a slow drive up to the Elan Valley reservoir, a brief look, more rain.

10.30 hours, back to yesterday location for another walk round seeing and photographing the same bird species as yesterday. Weather changing all day from good to bad light.

14.30 hours found us up at Gigrins Farm to see and photograph

Red Kite, at least 200.
Common Buzard.
Raven.

Red Kite, leucistic

Raven

Red Kite

Poor light, bad photo opportunities and the changing weather beat us at 17.00 hours so we made our way home to arrive back in London at around 22.00 hours.