Year: 2009

It is really summer now with temperature up to 35C and the photo season is ending. Since mid April we had many photographers in our hides from all over Europe. Everybody enjoyed the photo themes and we shall be uploading many pictures to our galleries in the coming month!

Visiting photographers in the heron flight tower  Photo: János Oláh

One of our most popular hide was the Red-footed Falcon Tower which is still active and the last falcon chicks will probably fledge around the 20th of July. Take a look at a few image from this hide: http://www.sakertour.com/hidegallery.php?hide=3

Many photographers had excellent time in our Passerine Drinking Hide too where 47 species was recorded this Spring including goodies like Black Woodpecker, Middle Spotted Woodpecker (daily), Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Collared Flycatcher (daily) and many others. Take a look at a few image from this hide: http://www.sakertour.com/hidegallery.php?hide=24&author=&text=

The Pygmy Cormorant Hide was excellent throughout the Spring with a different face every day. At the moment it is still very good with many herons and egrets visiting it. Images: http://www.sakertour.com/hidegallery.php?hide=5&author=&text=

The Panorama Hide was only good for about a month as we had a very dry Spring so the shallow wetlands quickly dried out. The latest images will be uploaded soon.

Rollers were great this Spring too. We had different locations and at the moment one hide still operating until about 10 July, Take a look at a few images: http://www.sakertour.com/hidegallery.php?hide=26&author=&text=

Also we used a few mobile hides and blindes. Mainly for Avocet mating and then later for Hoopoe. A few nice image were taken. Take a look: http://www.sakertour.com/hidegallery.php?hide=25&author=&text=

The Heron Flight Tower is not an actual hide but a few hours were spent here on most tours and it was very popular!

Pygmy Cormorant     Photo: János Oláh

Night Heron    Photo: János Oláh

We finished our nine-day Ukrainian tour organised by Liberty Tour. The tour focussed especially on the Crimean Peninsula. We were welcome by the endless and treeless steppe dressed in blue-yellow flowers with real sunny summer weather, and this perfect birding spell was disturbed only by smaller showers in one afternoon.

The days spent in the Crimea had a true eastern European atmosphere, although the vast habitats proved that we were somewhere in the easternmost corner of Europe. Besides flat and hilly steppes, extensive, brackish water lagoons, steppe lakes, limestone gorges, dry hornbeam-oak and coniferous forests, reed beds, patches of planted woods and seashores were visited by us.

Eastern European migrating and breeding species are really common here, such as Marsh Harrier, Red-footed Falcon, Crane, Black-winged Stilt, Little Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Scops Owl, Hoopoe, Bee-eater, Syrian Woodpecker, Tawny Pipit, Black-headed Wagtail, Great Reed Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Collared Flycatcher, Red-backed Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike, Golden Oriole, Corn Bunting, Ortolan Bunting, Squacco Heron, Purple Heron, Glossy Ibis, Long-legged Buzzard, Honey Buzzard, Barred Warbler, Hobby, Avocet, Collared Pratincole, Kentish Plover, Brood-billed Sandpiper, Roller, Thrush Nightingale, Penduline Tit, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Great Bustard, Short-toed Lark, Red-necked Grebe, Alpine Swift, Rock Bunting, Firecrest, Black Stork, Rock Thrush, Siskin, Crossbill and Pygmy Cormorant.

Due to the closeness of the Black Sea, some marine species or species confined to the lagoons like Shellduck, Sandwich Tern, Grey Plover, Turnstone, Sanderling, Bar-tailed Godwit, Knot, Little Tern, Caspian Tern, Arctic Skua, Yelkoun Shearwater and Shag are also representatives of the avifauna here.

A real speciality is the presence of some real steppe range species that make the list of observed species extremely interesting, such as White Pelican, Ruddy Shellduck, Pallas´s Gull, Calandra Lark, Slender-billed Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Paddyfield Warbler, Booted Eagle, Demoiselle Crane, Little Bustard, Isabelline Wheatear, Rose-coloured Starling, Black-headed Bunting, Pied Wheatear, Black and Griffon Vulture and Citrine Wagtail.

It was a superb tour with 181 species recorded.

The Sakertour Team

Slender-billed Gulls

In a two full and two half day trip we visited the Zemlén-hills and the higher mountains around Rejdova (Slovakia), while the last evening and the next morning were spent in the Hortobágy with a couple from the US. In the first afternoon we managed to see 4 Ural Owls, White-backed Woodpecker and Collared Flycatcher. The following day despite the continous rain we saw a Nutcracker and had prolonged and very close views of a Three-toed Woodpecker. We also managed to see 6 other species of woodpeckers, Corncrake, Short-toed, Lesser Spottes and Eastern Imperial Eagles. Despite of the windy weather, some of the River Warblers were still singing form a pearch, while Barred Warblers were buisy to carry food for their nestlings. In the Hortobágy, beside many other we saw a diplaying Aquatic Warbler and a fine male Great Bustrad.

Simay Gábor

Lesser Spotted Eagle                                             Simay Gábor

Juv. Bearded Tit                     Simay Gábor

We had a fantastic 8 days tour with a very keen party of Lancashire birders in the Hortobágy and Zemplén from 16th to 23rd May, 2009. We were birding from dawn to dusk most days and recorded 183 species. Our final list although had not included Dunnock and Grey Wagtail but it was ´still´ impressive :).

Best 10 birds:

Dalmatian Pelican

Baillon´s Crake

Black-winged Pratincole

Terek Sandpiper

Broad-billed Sandpiper

Great Snipe

Ural Owl

Great Bustard

Aquatic Warbler

Moustached Warbler

Our tour started in the Zemplén Hills where we soon secured the most sought-after birds like White-backed Woodpecker and Ural Owl.

Ural Owl Photo: János Oláh

We also manged to see all the possible woodpeckers and had superb views of White-tailed Eagle, Eastern Imperial Eagle and Lesser Spotted Eagles too. From the passerines the Collared Flycatcher, River Warbler and Barred Warbler were the most appreciated.

Collared Flycatcher Photo: János Oláh

One morning after a superb encounter with Eurasian Eagle Owl we even had time to look for the rare Zephyre Blue (Plebejus sephirus) butterfly.

Zephyre Blue Photo: Zoltán Petrovics

After an action-packed two days we were birding in the Hortobágy National Park. Our first afternoon in the Bihar Plains gave us unforgettable memories with Great Snipe and Baillon´s Crake within 5 minutes! The latter is a rare breeding bird in Hungary and it was a new bird even for one of our senior guide Gábor Simay!

Baillon´s Crake Photo: Róbert Ványi

The next few days we managed to gather a few other rarities in addition to the fantastic resident birds like the Aquatic Warbler below!

Aquatic Warbler Photo: János Oláh

I must say this was a tour when everything was going well and I am sure there are not many tours in Europe where you can get shorebirds like Black-winged Pratincole, Great Snipe, Broad-billed Sandpiper and Terek Sandpiper just as a supporting cast.

Terek Sandpiper Photo: Tim Davie

This customized tour will surely be long remembered for the participants and also show you that the Sakertour team will get you the best possible birds available on your visit!

Sakertour team

Our 12 days tour with Birdquest was a great success again! We had recorded 220 species on the tour with some amazing highlights. The previous record of 222 species for this tour was not far but we simply run out of possible birds.

We started our tour in the Zemplén area where we had Black Stork, White-tailed Eagle and Black Kite upon arrival. Next day we had great encounter with Ural Owl, Eagle Owl and White-backed Woodpecker on the first full day of birding! The Corncrakes and River Warblers were late this year but we managed to get both at the very last morning in this remarkable area of rolling hills.

Ural Owl

White-backed Woodpecker

We also made a short visit to Slovakia where we saw many Crossbills (strangely absent of the higher regions this year) and a few Hazel Grouse and had an initial taste of the high altitude species. Although we heard Three-toed Woodpecker it proved elusive. Next day we made a quick visit to see the localised Short-toed Lark and continued our journey to Transylvania.

Short-toed Lark

Our first day in this forgotten corner of Europe produced Woodlark, Crag Martin, Rock Thrush, Scops Owl and Ortolan and Rock Buntings.

Ortolan Bunting

Later we drove to Székelyudvarhely in the heart of Hargita. In this pristine area we had two days of fantastic birding with many great birds like: Capercaillie, Hazel Grouse, Jack Snipe, Ring Ouzel, Black and Three-toed Woodpeckers, Red-breasted Flycatcher,Wallcreeper, Nutcraker, Red-throated Pipit, Crested Tit and many others.

Black Woodpecker

Three-toed Woodpecker

Red-throated Pipit

Thrush Nightingale

We also must not forget that despite positioning this tour mainly for the birds, in some years we are able to see a few bears at the very end of their viewing season. This year we got really lucky with six different bears seen in the late hours of the day!

Our last port of call was Hungary´s most celebrated birdwatching area: the Hortobágy National Park! And yet again this superb area did leave up to its billing as one of the finest birdwatching area in Europe. We had excellent looks of the star birds like Long-legged Buzzard, Red-footed Falcon, Saker, Great Bustard, Little Crake, Stone-curlew, Aquatic Warbler, Moustached Warbler, Lesser Grey Shrike and others. We also had a few surprises as usual in this bird-filled area. A magnificent Dalmatian Pelican and a flock of breeding plumaged Dotterels were unexpected.

Dalmatian Pelican

Dotterels

Bearded Tit

All photographs: Zoltán Baczó

All in all we had an action-packed holiday with a lot to remember!

Gabriella Tóth, Zoltán Baczó, Zoltán Petrovics

We had a classic Carpathian Basin transect tour between 27^th April and 6^th May 2009, during the 10 days of which we visited all of the important birding sites. In spite of the extreme drought in spring all specialist species were found on their habitats, in fantastic weather conditions, only one afternoon was rainy in the higher mountains of the Carpathians.

After one day of travelling we spent one whole day in the Hortobágy, where characteristic Hortobágy species, such as Red-footed Falcon, Stone-Curlew, Long-eared Owl, Moustached Warbler, Crane, Saker, Glossy Ibis, Ferruginous Duck, Pygmy Cormorant, White-tailed Eagle, Temminck´s Stint, Tawny Pipit, Hoopoe and several other species were “drawn out of a magician´s hat” one after another, and a total of 104 species were observed by the end of the second day.  

The next day we set off for Transylvania. There, having travelled through the wetland habitats as well as the Carpathian Foothills, we got into some higher lying regions, where patches of snow reminded us of the past winter and the change was welcome after the 30 °C hot weather of the previous days. We did not have to miss variety here, either: almost every moment brought some interesting species including specialities like Capercaillie, Red-necked Grebe, Goshawk, Lesser Spotted and Golden Eagle, Great Snipe (very rare in Transylvania), Little Owl, Scops Owl, Tawny Owl, Lesser Spotted, Syrian, Black and Three-toed Woodpecker, Nutcracker, Crested Tit, Red-throated Pipit, Rock Bunting, White-winged Tern, Little Gull, Wallcreeper, Dipper, Ortolan Bunting, Ring Ouzel, Alpine Swift, Thrush Nightingale, Great Grey Shrike and many more. And of course I must not forget to mention the seven Brown Bears we saw, which, just as in an action-packed theatre play, were walking up and down in front of the hide. Transylvania was simply amazing with its intact habitats and its traditional, landscape-friendly man-made environment.  It was a pleasant surprise for us that last year smaller roads were rebuilt, which also contributed to an even more convenient and enjoyable tour. 

Having arrived back into summer from spring, we spent the last days of the tour again in the Great Hungarian Plain, mainly in the Hortobágy, where we devoted our time to finding bird species missed earlier. Fortunately, species came on time, just as for a meeting: Great Bustard, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Imperial Eagle, Montague´s Harrier, Aquatic Warbler, Marsh Warbler, Lesser Grey Shrike, Roller, Bluethroat, Collared Flycatcher, Long-legged Buzzard, and Saker Falcon again. A memorable tour, not just because of the nearly two hundred species we saw but also thanks to the delicious meals like the breakfast in Torockó.  

Gábor Simay

In the first two weeks of May several mobile hides were positioned to capture some of our most colourful birds!

Our Hoopos Hide is very good since the first few days of May. Check out some more pictures: http://www.sakertour.com/hidegallery.php?hide=25

Photo: János Oláh

Our Roller Hide is starting to be in action. Best activity is in the next two weeks. Check our some more pictures: http://www.sakertour.com/hidegallery.php?hide=26

Photo: János Oláh

Spring is in full swing with more and more birds arriving now to the Carpathian Basin!

Our tour in co-operation with Liberty Bird ended succesfully. This tour was covering the Hortobágy in Hungary and Transylvania in Romania.

We had fantastic weather throughout the tour and recorded 195 species plus seen 6 Brown Bears in the dark Carpathian pine forest!

Photo: Carl´Antonio Balzari /Birdlife Switzerland

There were several highlights on this tour from the displaying Great Bustards to the displaying Wallcreepers.

Our full report will be available on our partners website (www.liberty-bird.com)!

Three-toed Woodpecker; Photo: Zoltán Baczó

Southern Festoon; Photo: Carl´Antonio Balzari/Birdlife Switzerland

Sakertour team

From 14th to 19th of April, 2009 our friend Jack Clark was back to Hungary for the 3rd time. His main aim was to photograph Great Bustard, Ural Owl and White-backed Woodpecker.

The action packed few days were spent mostly in different hides for Great Bustard and stalking Ural Owl and WbW.

As things were going very well there was chance for some extras like visiting our Pygmy Cormorant Hide and also two visits to our Passerine Drinking Hide where 22 species was photographed. Best birds Jack was able to take good pictures were Ferruginous Duck, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Collared Flycatcher and Hawfinch.

Photographs: Attila Szilágyi

Attila Szilágyi

During a short, three and a half days trip in the weekend of Easter, the main aims were to see White-backed Woodpecker and the lekking of the Great Bustrad.

In the Zemplén Hills we managed to see no less then three of these woodpeckers with excellent walkaway views. On the same spot we also saw Gray-headed, Middle Spotted and Black Woodpeckers. During this day we also saw 3 Lesser Spotted Eagles, 2 Eagle Owls and a Ural Owl.

In the Hoertobágy we saw a spectacular, action full early morning Great Bustrad lekking with seven males involved. We also had several superb views of Ferruginous Duscks, while we also saw a Saker Falcon, a pair of Stone Curlew and some Mars Sandpipers in different locations, while Moustached Warblers were realy active and surprisingly easy to see. We also had time to twich a recently (the day before) found Dalmatian Peican, which is a real local rarity (see below).

On the last day we went to a forest patch near Debrecen to find Collard Flycatcher. We saw two singing males together with some femails.

The weather was nice and sunny during the whole trip and the temperature stayed usualy over 20 Celsius degree.

Gábor Simay

On the 11th of April one of our partner tours is starting. This is a special early Spring tour in the Hortobágy and Transylvania. Focusing on Great Bustard display, Lesser White-fronted Goose and Brown Bears.

Check out the tour itinerary: http://www.liberty-bird.com/index.php?language=de&menu=destinationen&submenu=destinationendetails&dest_id=78

Will keep you updated about the tour!

the Sakertour team

Dalmatian Pelican is a rare vagrant in Hungary with the last record dates back to 1998. Since 1857 there were only 10 accepted records to date. The last twitchable was in 1997 so this Spring invasion was a very welcome event for the young birder generation!

Following the strong southerly winds of March 27th afternoon the first bird appeared at Csaj Lake on the 28th of March. The following day another breeding plumaged bird was found on the Hortobágy. Both birds were last seen on the 31st March. Then one was reported at Rétszilas Fishponds on the 1st of April and a few hours later another was seen in flight at Marcali near Lake Balaton. The bird at Rétszilas was seen again on the 3rd of April and then on the 4th of April one but probably two were seen in flight over the Gerecse Hills as they were flying west.

It is not clear yet how many birds were involved in all the sightings (at least two). The Hungarian RC will take care to sort out these records. One thing is for sure: it was a superb week for this very rare bird in Hungary. Especially as they were all in wonderful breeding plumage!

Photo: Csaj Lake, 29th March, 2009 by János Oláh

The Tengmalm´s Owl is a very rare breeder in Hungary and a vagrant. In the last 15 years most observations were kept in secret so as the only ever breeding in the Zemplén Hills (1997).

On the 15th March a calling male was found by László Nehézy in the Bükk Hills. He organized the first twitch which was unsuccessful. In the next few days the bird was seen again and now it seemy to occupy an artifical nestbox (placed out by the founder) and there might even be a female bird. Later everybody got to see the bird without much disturbance!

So we all hope they will breed and also very happy that could see this bird in Hungary finally!

Many thanks to László Nehézy!

Photo: János Oláh

The I. Raptor Workshop by Imre Tamás took place in our hides from 26th of February to 1st of March, 2009.

This 4 days event included 2 full days in different Eagle Hides and a half day in our winter feeding station at our Passerine Drinking Hide. In the evenings sessions the participants heard different lectures and they also analysed the taken pictures and prepared for the next day.

The weather was horrible throughouit the workshop. The first day with continous rain, the second with fog and the third day was simply overcast. In previous years this weekend had the best activity, but the winter was more severe and longer in 2009. Hopefully next year even the weatehr will contribute!

Still the 9 photographers managed to capture 22 species and some really nice shots were taken. Some of these visible in our hide gallerys and a few right here!

János

Photo: András Zumpf

Photo: Balázs Bíró

Photo: Csaba Hercegh

Photo: Attila Kelemen

Photo: Gábor Szabó

The second ever Pine Bunting (Emberiza leucocephalos) for Hungary was found on the 24th of February near Lake Balaton again by Szabolcs Gál!This is the first ever twitchable following the trapped bird in 1986.

His amazing row of findings continous in 2009 after finding the first Rustic Bunting and Purple Sandpiper at the end of 2008.

The Rustic Bunting was very close to the location of this Pine Bunting.

It looks like a first winter male bird and on behalf of all hungarian birders I would like to say thank you to Szabolcs!

Photographer: János Oláh

The 2009 started well for Hungary with yet another new bird for the country (following the Purple Sandpiper in November).

A second year Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides) was found by Bence Kókay at Dunaújváros along the Danube on the 28th of January and was seen at the same spot until the 30th morning when it was seen flying southward.

This observation was probably linked with the gale (or hurricane) forced wind which hit France and Spain a few days earlier. There were up to 30 records of Iceland Gull in France following the storm.

Here is a picture of the bird, but unfortunately it was mostly raining and the quality is hence not the best!

Photographer: Gábor Simay

Last autumn there was an increadible Nutcraker invasion to Hungary with over 150 records throughout November and December. Most probably from Siberia as a lot of birds looked like the macrorhynchos race. Also a few birds showed mixed or transition feature. Some individuals overwintering and are staying in the same general area for weeks now.

Yesterday (08/01/2009) I managed to photograph two different birds near Jászberény with the help of the Sakertour guide Tamás Zalai.

Here is the picture of the distinctly long and slender billed individual which certainly looks macrorhynchus!

Photographer: János Oláh

The second individual has not got that obvious slender bill but  still could be macrorhynchus.

Photographer: János Oláh

In the last few days there was superb action at both of our White-tailed Eagle hides on the Hortobágy. All the visiting photographers were able to take pictures of eagles.

We have uploaded a few pictures to both White-tailed Eagle galleries, please take a look:

http://www.sakertour.com/hidegallery.php?hide=1

http://www.sakertour.com/hidegallery.php?hide=19

Photo taken by Csaba Lóki